History Exam 1 Short Anser

The late 17th century was marked by several revolts in North America. Pick One (Bacons Rebellion, The Pueblo Revolt, or the Metacom's war) and explain its causes and broader significance.

Bacons Rebellion begins back in 1674 when a Young British Lawyer arrives in Virginia in 1674. Shorty after his arrival he becomes frustrated with the politics of Virginia and in 1676 begins the rebellion that would land himself in History. Him, along with English and African Ex-Servants demanded the Access to good land and the removal of property restriction on voting. In August of 1676 Bacon's army forces the Governor and his family into hiding and take over his plantation. That next September Bacons army burns Jamestown to the ground. That next month Bacon is killed and the army was torn down shorty after. The impact that the rebellion had on the Political power was unbelievable. After the rebellion treatment of English and African laborers began to diverge sharply.

How did slavery develop in the Carolina low country, in ways that were unique compared to the Chesapeake region?

Development in slavery in the Carolina low country started out similar to that of the Chesapeake region. At first slaves were able to work their way up to higher positions, they had better working conditions and were able to eventually buy their own freedom. Slowly this started to change as the white plantation owners became out numbered and more paranoid about a possible revolt. Escaping slaves was also a concern because the area surrounding the low lands was heavily wooded. Restrictions on the slaves became very strict and eventually they lost the majority of the privileges they had. Work conditions for the slaves were hard and exhausting. Rice was the crop being harvested at the time and it was very hard labor.

Describe and Evaluate one of the explanations historians have offered for the salem witch trials.

For my explanation of the Salem Witch Trials I chose M. Drymons "Disguised as the Devil", and her theory that Lyme Disease caused all of the people to be accused of witchery. In this book she describes that Lyme disease can cause stiff neck, and also paralysis of face muscles. People in that time may become scared or not know what to think of the weird symptoms going on with this person. I could see how they could associate this unusual phenomenon as the results of witch craft. Lye disease could also cause sleep and memory loss which would cause the people to think that maybe a demon had taken over he body of the individual. Overall this is a perfectly reasonable explanation for the witch craft accusations.

Explain how race-based slavery developed in British North America.

Race-based slavery became apparent towards the end of the 17th century shorty after Bacons Rebellion ended. After the rebellion that Political power became fearful with how to gain control and prevent another uprising from happening. They realized that when joined together the black and white ex servants had quite a powerful impact. A solution to this British control problem was simply to make slavery race-based. This would lay the ground work for how slavery would be seen all the way to the early 20th century.

What role did religion play in the British Colonies in North America during the 17th century? Be careful to make distinctions between the New England and The Chesapeake.

Religion in both the New England Colonies and the Chesapeake differed greatly. In the New England colonies, religion was a large part of the day to day life. After all the colonist in this region came to the New World in search of religious freedom. The land was dominated mostly by Quakers, Catholics, and Puritans. This was not the case in the Chesapeake. This region mainly focused on the process of harvesting Tobacco for trade, which in return meant the population was predominately African American slaves. This meant that religion was not a large part of the day to day operations. It wasn't until 1692 when the Anglican Church took off that religion became a serious part of this regions life.

In what ways do the popular stories of the first thanksgiving and or pocohontas distort the history of British colonization of north American?

The two stories of both the First Thanksgiving and Pocohontas distort the history of Colonization because they Highlight points that don't necessarily point out all of what went on inside of the colonies. Although these two stories were points to be remembered in history, the British colonies went through some very gruesome times, such as the Pequot War, where many Indians lives and land was taken. The stories told in History often times take away bad and paint a picture of only good.

In what ways was British Colonialism in North America similar or different from other European powers? Pick one ( Spanish, French, Dutch) to compare the English to.

Upon comparing both the British and the Spanish in Colonial North America, we must first consider the similarities in why both came to the New World. Although the Spanish came here in search of Gold, they also came in hopes of spreading Catholicism. The English came to the New World in hopes of gaining religious freedom and also spreading their religions. Once in the New World both colonies suffered great loss with wars fought with the Indians. Two major wars for example would be both The Pequot war (British) and the Pueblo Revolt (Spanish). Now that some similarities have been laid down, we can consider the differences. One of which would be the women to men rations. The British empire was fairly equal in the ratio of men to woman, whereas the Spanish was not. This often times caused the Spanish to have to marry the Indians.

Compare and Contrast the Characteristics of Spanish, French, and Dutch Colonialism in the Americas.

When comparing the Spanish, French, and Dutch you must first consider the motives for coming to the New World. Unlike the French and Dutch, who were searching for the Northwest passage, the Spanish came to the New World in hope of finding the Precious cities of Gold. Once in the New world both the Spanish and French ran into the problem of marriage for the men living in the colonies. Men were eventually permitted to marry the Indian woman in the surrounding areas. Another key point to consider would be the location of the colonies. The Spanish were centered more towards Florida, and the Southwest, while the Dutch were further North, around what is now New York. Also in the South were the French, who dominated what is now Louisiana.