Midterm Question History
How were Spanish, French, and Dutch colonial strategies similar? How did they differ? In what ways were the similarities and differences reflected in the nations' settlements in the New World?
Similar: began their colonies through unchartered companies and colonized to spread Christianity and acquire wealth. Justified takeovers in religious and economic terms. All traded with the local natives. Differences: Spanish and Dutch emphasized conquest. the French and the Spanish used missions and religion for colonizing natives. French had fur trading post with natives. Gave peasants the right to land. Dutch: became commercial and financial hub, fur trading enterprise, took over the native's land. New World: French and Dutch were fur trading settlements, English and Spanish created settler colonies. Differed in their treatment of the natives
the goals of the directors of the Virginia Company and the leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Company. Where did they succeed? In what ways did they fall short?
Virginia Company: 1606 James I gave them a charter to do business. Set up Jamestown in 1607. came to make a profit. were ill prepared (picked bad settlement, didn't have right people or tools, food was scarce) Company kept bringing new settlers to keep the colony alive such as farmers and women. Colony began planting. Dales labor laws. used tobacco to make profit Goals: resource extraction from a growing colony. Mass bay colony: came for religious freedom, a city upon a hill. set up general assemblies and laws. persecuted those who did not follow them and had many Indian attacks
How did gender roles in colonial America change between 1700 and 1776?
Women were increasingly absorbed within the values and attitudes of a patriarchal system. As farm size declined, women bore fewer children. Household tasks shifted from maintenance and self-sufficiency to the production of supplemental income for the household. Women played an important role in the Great Awakening in both the North and the South. Customs, laws, and attitudes about women did not really change during this century. Women remained subordinate to men in society. The extent of alarm at women's participation in the Great Awakening indicates that women actually had a great deal of power in society that men only tacitly recognized.
What impact did the two great developments of this period—the French Revolution and war in Europe, and westward expansion in the United States—have on each other?
- The French revolution increased party politics and philosophical divisions in the United States which enhanced policies of westward expansion in achieve ideological ends. - Disorder in Europe increased agricultural prices, which speeded Westward expansion in the United States as farmers took advantage of new lands. -Jefferson's embargo of 1807 in reaction to European warfare ruined urban and farm families, motivating many to migrate west to escape debt. Napoléon's desire to free France of the Louisiana purchase and an increase of Westward expansion. United states declarations of neutrality in carrying goods to both France and Britain isolated the British, who sided with Indians in attacking westward migrants and reducing westward migration, leading to the War of 1812.
How revolutionary was the American Revolution? What political, social, and economic changes did it produce? What stayed the same?
Changes: There was a cultural fragmentation of the British world. Federalism and republicanism replaced monarchy and deference as fundamental principles of the Revolution. The colonial relationship with Britain was destroyed. The Atlantic slave trade was condemned and outlawed by 1808. Non-elite men achieved a great role in determining the government system that ruled over them. Status quo: Women remained second-class citizens, slavery remained a legal institution for African American people, Native Americans continued to be viewed as outsiders who had a minimum role to play in the independence movement, and elite white men continued to control national affairs.
In what colonies were enslaved Africans most successful in creating African American communities? Where were they least successful? How do you explain the differences?
a. Chesapeake Slavery Slaves in the area were treated much better than the slaves in the West Indies. They grew tobacco, which did not demand strenuous labor. Disease didn't spread as easily in the Chesapeake and there was a better climate. Many tobacco planters increased their number of slaves by buying female slaves and encouraging them to have children. The slaves were able to create strong nuclear families and pass on traditions to create a new culture. They held on to some traditions and let others go. Many lived long lives and in much better conditions.
What were the causes of Shay's Rebellion?
a. The crisis leading to the rebellion was precipitated by credit problems incurred after the American Revolutionary War, when many of the trade benefits of British colonialism vanished and British companies began to demand payment of debts. This debt ultimately trickled down to consumers, in large part small farmers. In addition, the tax system at the time was highly regressive. As a result, many small farmers were forced to sell their land to meet their debts. Initially the farmers' response was primarily political, a demand for the printing of fiat money, which would cause inflation and therefore reduce the debt burden on the farmers. The farmers also demanded that debtor courts, which enforced many of the credit schemes at the time, be staffed by elected rather than appointed officials. These efforts were resisted and stymied by wealthy and influential parties, who had strong control of the government because of the property eligibility requirements for office at the time. Initial disturbances centered mostly on freeing incarcerated farmers from debtor's prisons, but later escalated into efforts to shut down debtor courts. The lack of a standing army under the government of the time (set up by the Articles of Confederation) forced the elites to create a private army to quell what was becoming an increasingly radical rebellion.