history 110 exam 1
Liberty and Liberties
"In this hierarchical society, liberty came from knowing one's social place and fulfilling the duties appropriate to one's rank." Foner said "miniscule part of the adult male population" controlled power in society "European ideas of freedom still bore the imprint of the Middle Ages, when "liberties" meant formal specific privileges such as self-government, exemption from taxation, or the right to practice a particular trade, granted to individual groups by contract, royal decree, or purchase. "Numerous modern civil liberties did not exist." -William Cronon
Why did we start the course as of the late 1500s to about 1600? We discussed why various historians chose approximately 1450-1500 to mark the beginning of the "early modern period," or the beginning of "modern times." Eric Foner and other historians gave reasons which included the following:
--It marked the end of the long period of isolation of the Western Hemisphere from the rest of the inhabited world. --The period gave birth to a stunning increase in trade and manufacturing that stimulated major economic changes not only in Europe but in other parts of the world as well .--Improvements in navigation, shipbuilding, and weaponry that took place in Europe were essential elements in the Age of Exploration.
What were some of the attitudes we saw displayed?
--Some of the Europeans admired at least certain traits of the Native Americans, and occasionally sought their assistance in learning about how to survive in the new colonies.--In many colonies, and especially in New England, according to author William Cronon, European settlers failed to understand and empathize with Native American customs and culture, and sought to "mainstream them."--Europeans often thought of Native men as "lazy," since the men did most of the fishing and hunting, which many Europeans considered to be "leisure activities," but to the Natives, these were a key part of providing food for families --Native women did most of the work in gardening and in the fields, which a good many settler wives did in smaller numbers than did settler men, in many cases
Three dimensions of history that have been critical in American history:
-The Meaning of Freedom -the Social conditions that make freedom possible -the boundaries of freedom that determine who is entitled to enjoy freedom and who is not.
Reforming the Empire
1550 - Encomienda System was abolished; In Spanish Florida, Spain sought to establish a military base; St. Augustine - oldest site in US inhabited by Europeans
The British Isles:
1603 Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII, died without an heir, and her family's line of succession, the Tudors, came to an end. James Stuart, the son of Mary Queen of Scots, who had already been King of Scotland for 35 years. James had come to power while an infant, and had been tutored and guided by advisors who accepted Calvinism. Tensions rose between the king and the Parliament. After James I died and his son, Charles I (ruled 1625-49), came to power, tensions became even greater between Charles and Parliament, and in 1629 Charles probably unwisely dissolved Parliament. These tensions finally led to the outbreak of the English Civil War. Fighting broke out in the summer of 1642. The war ebbed and flowed for 3 years, indecisively. In 1645, Oliver Cromwell, a radical leader of the gentry and leader in the House of Commons, convinced a remnant of Parliament to back him and raise a New Model Army. Charles was captured, Cromwell forced the issue, Parliament tried Charles for crimes against the English people, found him guilty, and executed him on January 30. 1649. After Cromwell died in 1658, many leaders in England felt that the monarchy should be restored, and Parliament did so, ironically inviting Charles I's son, Charles II, to be the new king.
A Slave Society
1705 VA law - white supremacy was written into law; slaves were viewed as property
The Proclamation Line
1763 - declaration by King George III of England prohibited westward expansion beyond the Appalachian Mountains Colonists were outraged - fought for the land in the Seven Years' War
The War in the South
1780 - Congress was bankrupt Benedict Arnold defected to the /British American colonists engaged in guerilla warfare
Tens of thousands of Americans had remained loyal to the Crown during the American Revolution
60,000 loyalists left the US after the war
John Peter Zenger
A German American printer in early New York (1697-1746)
Common Sense
A man named Thomas Paine wrote a propaganda pamphlet named "Common Sense" for America to break away
Christmas 1776—Battle of Trenton, New Jersey
Badly needed win, big boost in morale for Continental Army and the American Cause/Surprise attack on Hessians increased morale
Las Casas's Complaint
Bartolome de Las Casas - A Very Brief Account of the Destructiveness of the Indies Therefore, Bartolome de Las Casas was an early advocate for better treatment and understanding of Natives, which made him unpopular with many Europeans Majority of Europeans believed Natives were not rational beings, but savages
Victory at Last
Battle of Yorktown, present-day State of Virginia - last major battle of the war / Treaty of Paris of 1783 / US gained independence, control to Mississippi River, fishing rights off of Nova Scotia
British advantages during the war:
Better-trained army with more men, Hessian soldiers, elite navy
Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson
Both protested against the abuses and high-handedness of the Massachusetts Bay leaders, and both Williams and Hutchinson were eventually banished from Massachusetts Bay
Who was William Bradford?
Bradford was one of the leaders of the English Puritan Separatists who we now call "The Pilgrims."
Massive debt for both Britain and France
British taxes would be resisted French debt would help encourage the French Revolution
The Revolution did a great deal to expand the right to vote
By the 1780s, with the exception of Virginia, Maryland, and New York, a large majority of the white male population could meet basic requirements for voting in local and national elections. But the "revolution" was still an incomplete one, one which would not create voting rights for women until 1919, and would not provide basic civil rights for many minorities well into the 20th century.
Trial of Anne Hutchinson
Challenged many norms - led religious discussions at her home, challenged authority of ministers; She was put on trial and banished to Rhode Island, and later New York City
What does Foner mean by the term "mercantilism?"
Colonies exist to benefit the mother country (England) Mother country would seek a positive trade balance (more gold and silver) Colonies provide raw materials and import goods
So why was slavery accepted in governments? (Constitution)
Compromise was needed to gain support of the South
Settling New Netherlands
Dutch sought to trade in, not conquer North America The most successful Dutch settlement in North America was located at the mouth of the Hudson River; they named it New Netherlands. The British liked it so much, they seized it in the 1660s; they changed its name to New York.
Mercy Otis Warren
Early female propagandist for American cause in New England, she was a member of a prominent New England family, but well-educated, a fine orator, and an excellent writer.
The Conquest of New Netherland
England gained New Netherland from the Dutch in 1664, became New York
In Chapter Two, Foner described how two legal documents from England, made direct contributions to important U.S. legal documents, including charters for the original 13 English colonies, the U.S. Constitution, and U.S. state constitutions. Those two documents included:
English Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta
New English colonists changed the landscape of the New England region much more rapidly than Native Americans had done for several centuries
English colonists viewed land and property in quite different ways -Natives saw property as common to the people in general and closely tied to Nature --Indigenous peoples lived in it, and off it, by attuning cultural choice to environmental opportunity. -Europeans saw Natives as indifferent or even "lazy" due to Native men's general involvement in hunting and fishing English uses were further reflected in Anglo-Saxon institutions of property.
Foner begins this chapter by introducing us to Olaudah Equiano, the son of a West African village chieftain who was captured sometime in the 1850s and sold in to slavery.
Equiano was sold to a Virginia Planter, then sold for a second time to a British sea captain.-Renamed Gustavus Vassa. -Educated in England. -Joined the Royal Navy. -Served with General Wolfe in combat in Canada in the Seven Years' War.-At war's end, however, he was sold yet again, but ultimately bought his freedom.
After the Europeans got involved, they made a much bigger "industry" out of it than had occurred before
Europeans went further into the African coasts (Spain and Portugal)
New France and the Natives
Focus on the fur trade required friendly relations with the Natives; Metis - children of French and Native ancestry
1607-The colony they founded, named "Jamestown," in honor of an English king, was not financially backed by the English Government, which was then short on funding.
Foner observes that these men were more interested in looking for gold and other riches, than in working hard to set up shelter, homes, gardens, and beginning to prepare for a long winter in a new colony.
In short, the latter categories did not exist, even after the American Revolution
For some political conservatives, they were concerned that, if the whole population voted, they feared essentially what we call mob rule After the Revolution, it came to mean greater equality (for mostly white
Peace of Paris (1763)
France lost Canada to Britain, Spain lost Florida to Britain
Dutch Freedom
Freedom of press and private religious practice was afforded to the Dutch
The Seven Years' War
George Washington helped start the war between the British and French Initially, the French and Natives were successful, later the British prevailed France was removed from North America, Britain gained land in the Caribbean Also known as the Seven Years' War, this New World conflict marked another chapter in the long imperial struggle between Britain and France. When France's expansion into the Ohio River valley brought repeated conflict with the claims of the British colonies, a series of battles led to the official British declaration of war in 1756.
American advantages during the war:
Home field advantage, stronger will, leadership (Washington)
Ways women contributed to war
Homespun, passing information, medical treatments
Equality did not extend to women after the Revolution
Husbands still had legal authority over wives / Expectation was that women would be obedient
What caused the Great Awakening?
In late 17th Century England, fighting between religious and political groups came to a halt with the Glorious Revolution of 1688, an event which established the Church of England as the reigning church of the country. From a political perspective, this led to stability since everyone now practiced the same religion. But instead of being a positive driving force for religious belief in general, it created complacency and spiritual "dryness" among believers.
Meanings of democracy:
In reality, a true "democracy" rarely exists. Some good examples of a true democracy include Greek city states in early Greece And in U.S. New England "townships," some of which still exist in modern times A place where "one man, one vote" does happen on a small scale
What do we mean by "abolition"?
In short, it is opposition to Black slavery
Horses, guns, and diseases from Europe transformed Native life in the Americas
In some areas, as many as 90% of Natives died due to disease
Why were people called Pueblos?
In the Spanish "New World," or "New Spain," indigenous peoples were called Pueblos due to their construction of extended villages, which are still called "pueblos."
Freedom and Authority
In their family lives, men had complete authority over families
French Colonization
Initially, only fishermen and fur traders settle in North America Vast majority, approximately 80%, of settlers were menNew France in present-day Canada had a consistent problem of trying, mainly unsuccessfully, to attract large numbers of young, single women, partly due to harsh winters and inhospitable climate
Atlantic Slave Trade
It is true that slavery existed within Africa even before European countries got involved in the slave trade
In the late 1600s, in the New World, "a series of crises rocked the European colonies of North America." Along the Atlantic seaboard, as more and more European colonists settled the land, tensions gradually rose between them and the original indigenous peoples of America. In New England, the bitterest and bloodiest of such conflicts broke out in 1675. Whites blamed the chieftain of the Wampanoag nation, whose real name was Metacom, for the war, although historians later debated who truly started the conflict. This war is remembered in American History by what popular title?
King Philip's War
The third category, the boundaries of freedom, have inspired some of the most intense struggles in American History.
Less obvious perhaps is that one person's freedom has frequently been linked to another's servitude
The Outbreak of War
Lexington and Concord - April, 1775 - Britain sought to seize colonial arms "Shot heard 'round the world" /Battle of Bunker (Breed's) Hill - June, 1775
Foner showed how events in Europe sometimes had an impact on events in the New World. One example was an important religious revolution, which we call the Protestant Reformation. The man who is generally given credit as initiating this movement was once "a lowly monk" in the Christian (Roman Catholic) Church. He saw himself as a reformer and at first wanted to improve the Church from within. In April 1521, he was brought before the emperor of Germany to answer charges of heresy. He stood by his beliefs, and was excommunicated. Who was this man?
Martin Luther
Foner in Chapter Three described how England in the late 1600s moved to win economic superiority in the New World. The "mother country" set about to regulate economic activity, encourage manu-facturing, and manipulate trade through careful measures, all designed to enlarge England's economic and political power. This regulating by a colonizing power of a colony's economy was called what?
Mercantilism
America has in many ways been a "Land of Opportunity," but those opportunities early on were restricted to certain classes of people.
Most political power in America was restricted to white males through the end of the nineteenth century. Most white males were able to vote by the early 1800s, although the right to vote in some states was tied to males who owned property. In contrast, women would not be allowed to vote until 1920, and most blacks would gain suffrage, especially in the U.S. South, only in the 1960s. American Indians, Asian-Americans, and other minorities would encounter varying degrees of success in securing political rights and gaining economic prosperity for themselves and their descendants
Colonists in Spanish America
Natives were enslaved as a source of labor for gold and silver mines and performed other labor Initial settlers were mostly men - intermarrying with Natives - emergence of mestizos
The Spanish Empire: Justification for Conquest
Natives were expected to adopt European ways (religion), those that resisted were seen as uncivilized "heathens" or savages Spain sought to spread Catholicism throughout the Americas Spain used this as a justification in order to "save" Natives
The Battle of Saratoga
October, 1777 - General Burgoyne defeated the British Turning point in the war - France provided aid to the colonists
The Middle Ground
Ohio Valley became very important for England, France, and Natives alike Natives such as the Iroquois played Europeans off of each other Balance of power was forever altered in North America
After the start of the English Civil War, a political leader emerged in Parliament. He created a new army called the New Model Army. This man defeated the king, Charles I, tried him, and executed him. The political leader was given the title of Lord Protector of England, but ultimately became a dictator. Who was he?
Oliver Cromwell
What were some of the incentives for travel and trade?
One was for financial gain. Many of the early explorers were looking for new crops, products, and spices to trade. A second was religious. Many Christian crusaders started out on crusades to the Holy Lands as a result of religious zeal and dedication. This was also a reason that inspired European explorers in their travels West. To spread the gospel and save souls. Yet another was "glory," or the wish to gain fame.
March, 1776
Probably Abigail Smith/Adams' best-known letter, in which she urged her husband as "the founding fathers" gathered to declare independence from Great Britain, to "not forget about the ladies." But, the founding brothers essentially did forget about the ladies, and also failed to secure rights for other groups, such as Black Americans
In the late 1600s, Native peoples of the American Southwest arose in the greatest native revolt up to that time against colonial rule. They rose against Spanish authorities, mainly church officials, but also killed many civilian men, women, and children. The revolt was so powerful, Spain took several years to retake the land. This great native revolt is usually called what?
Pueblo Revolt
We call the earliest settlers of the Plymouth colony either Pilgrims, or more properly, "Puritans"
Puritans wanted to purify the Anglican church of Catholic rituals; They did NOT want to break away
The Cause of General Liberty
Quakers were early abolitionists
The Rice Kingdom
Rice transformed the SC society - racism, elites in control
A young minister, after moving to Massachusetts, criticized Puritanism, but first intended to strengthen the church. But, Puritan leaders tired of his criticism and forced him to leave Massachusetts. He and his followers moved southward, and he eventually founded the new colony of Rhode Island. He is remembered as a proponent of religious freedom and separation of church and state. His name is what?
Roger Williams
What did Roger Williams believe?
Roger Williams believed in complete religious toleration; challenged idea that the Puritans were God's chosen group
Middle Passage—the name of the long trans-Atlantic voyage
Roughly one in five slaves died on the forced journey
Slavery in the North
Slaves did exist in the north, just on a smaller scale New England states generally recognized slave marriages, slaves could sue and testify in court
Tobacco led to expansion of farmland
Some had little option but to farm on the frontier (Conflict with Natives)
Pueblo Revolt
Spanish friars sought to eliminate Pueblo Indians practices that were inconsistent with Christianity Pueblos revolted, killed hundreds—mainly caucasians, and expelled the Spanish for 12 years When the Spanish recaptured the area in 1692, they became more tolerant of Native practices
Portugal was one of the first two leading powers in colonizing the "New World." A Portuguese leader founded a school for navigators in 1419, giving her/his country an initial advantage in the international competition for colonialism.
That leader was Prince Henry, or Henry the Navigator
The Arduous Struggle for Liberty
The American Revolution had tremendous impact on the world Inspired revolutions in France, Haiti, and Latin America Not surprisingly, many slaves sought freedom and used ideas of the Revolutionary Era The American Revolution had tremendous impact on the world
What were the effects of the Great Awakening?
The Awakening's biggest significance was the way it prepared America for its War of Independence. Thus, the Great Awakening helped bring about a climate which made the American Revolution possible.
The Global Declaration of Independence
The Declaration inspired people around the world 20 others declarations in Europe and Latin America Many people around the world began to believe that people did have rights
1688, England experienced a bloodless revolution in which the Stuart king, James II, was replaced by Mary, James' daughter, and her husband, William of Orange. As a consolation to Parliament, the body passed an English Bill of Rights that specified the rights of Parliament and laid the foundation for a constitutional monarchy.
The English Bill of Rights, along with the Magna Carta, which had been granted by agreement between King John of England and a group of barons in June 1215, promised the royal protectorate of church rights; protection of the barons and lesser nobles from illegal imprisonment; access to swift justice for English citizens. These two key English documents have a direct tie to the early history of the United States.
What was King Philip's War?
The original inhabitants of America, native Americans, ironically suffered most from the mass influx of white immigrants into North America, and they received few opportunities to prosper through the mid-nineteenth century. Although his father, Massasoit, had lived peacefully with the Pilgrims for many years after 1620, Metacom, a Wamponoag chief, led several Algonquian native American nations/tribes in a war against English colonists in New England from 1675 through 1678.
"Freedom," and the battles to define its meaning?
The very universality of the idea of freedom can be misleading. It is not a fixed timeless category with a single, unchanging definition. The history of the U.S. is in part a story of debates, disagreements, and struggles over freedom.
With little backing from England, Sir Walter Raleigh's first attempt at colonizing in North Carolina's Outer Banks failed.
This became the "Lost Colony" in North Carolina, whose first settlers disappeared
This is a "Primary historical source." What does that mean?
This history was his personal journal, completed around 1650, after he had served some 35 years as governor of the colony.
Many settled in what became New Brunswick in Canada
Those that remained became part of society, but often did not receive their confiscated property
What did tabacco bring?
Tobacco brought wealth to planters and the English
Chesapeake Slavery
Tobacco-based slavery was a main source of income for Chesapeake plantations
Freedom in New Netherland
Unlike the English, Dutch women were kept separate legal identities when married; Religious dissent was tolerated, so long as it remained private
Englishmen and Indigenous Peoples
Unlike the Spanish and French, most of the English did not seek to intermarry with Natives; they sought to displace them
Losses
Various historical sources estimate that about 200,000 fought in the war; 25,000 died.
Chesapeake
Virginia and Maryland, focused on tobacco and indentured servants early on
The two countries which led the way in the early round of colonizing were Spain and Portugal.
We are not sure what happened to the Mayan civilization, but Spanish conquered the Aztecs in Mexico and the Inkas in Peru. Cortes or Cortez led the Spanish in Mexico, Pizarro led the Spanish in Peru. Encomienda system—this was an attempt to govern and manage Spain's colonies. It allowed Spanish colonists to buy land, to collect taxes from the Natives who inhabited the land, and to use the Natives for labor. In many cases, it set up legalized slavery.
How did Europeans view the Native Americans, with whom they interacted in the New World?
We discussed how early explorers and settlers in the New World, mainly European and mostly Caucasian, had differing attitudes toward the Native Americans whom they found already living in the region when they, the Europeans, arrived about 1600.
The Salem Witch Trials
Widespread panic ensued in 1691-92 in Salem 19 individuals were hanged After the hysteria calmed down, colonists began to seek scientific explanations to explain
Experiment in Pennsylvania
William Penn - proprietor Sought to establish religious toleration and peaceful relations with Natives Pennsylvania was a refuge for Quakers
The Prosecution of Witches
Witchcraft and magic played a large role in colonial America Witchcraft was punishable by death - hanging, crushed by stones Women who were accused of being witches in Salem tended to be wealthy
Europe was best-placed to take advantage of the technological innovations that had become increasingly available.
With its political stability, sources of capital, and a modernizing elite, it was well-equipped to wrest the greatest economic benefit from the new conditions, and Europe was the source of a "burst of energy" that created the first truly global economic network.
Paine's Impact
Written to appeal to common people; avoided complex language Issued in January 1776, Independence in July, 1776
The Trial of John Peter Zenger
Zenger printed New York Weekly Journal Governor of New York, William Cosby, accused Zenger of libel, or false accusations Nov 1734, governor ordered Zenger arrested Ultimately, jury acquitted Zenger, who became a symbol of the freedom of the press
Benjamin Rush
argued that slavery would bring "national punishment"
Noah Webster viewed equality
as the most important right
Roger Williams
banished from Massachusetts, founded settlements in Connecticut and was founder of new colony of Rhode Island.
Mayflower Compact
established a system of laws established by elected representatives—it was the earliest form of government in what is now the United States
New Netherland and New France focused more on trade than settlement in large numbers of colonists
facts
After the Revolution, men still had control over
household, wives, and slaves
Potatoes and Corn from the Americas
increased population in Europe
All states except SC held annual elections
more accountable to voters
Americans favored equal opportunity
not necessarily equality of condition
During the Revolutionary War
prices of goods soared
During the American Revolution
some of the "founding fathers," especially Benjamin Franklin, urged that they look out for the civil rights of Black Americans as well
Olive Branch petition
sought reconciliation between King George III and the colonies
Congress set up price wages
sought to promote the public good
Columbian Exchange
spread of goods, disease, and people across the Atlantic forever changed both hemispheres
Another important aspect of the economy and trade is
the development of new "industries" around specific crops in a given region.
The Battle of the Monongahela, (also known as the Battle of Braddock's Field and the Battle of the Wilderness)
took place on 9 July 1755, at the beginning of the war, near Braddock's Field, about 10 miles west of Pittsburgh, PA. A British force under General Edward Braddock, moving to take the French Fort Duquesne, was ambushed by a combined force of French, Canadians, and Native American allies. Braddock was mortally wounded in the battle and died during the retreat near present-day Uniontown, PA.
Abigail Adams
was not only a Patriot leader in her own rite, but she holds the distinction, shared only in the 20th century -and 21st century--with Barbara Bush, as being the wife and mother of a U.S. President
Southern states
were the least democratic
"Starving Time" in Jamestown
winter of 1609-1610, most colonists died A Tobacco Colony
Indentured servants
worked 5-7 years in exchange for passage to the Americas