Unit 1: Founding the Nation
Timeline
You can read the descriptions here: http://www.capzles.com/5ad3c836-0bec-43ba-b019-1e1dcaffb7c9
Trigger Words
Battle of Saratoga- Occurred in 1777 during the American Revolution. Resulted in the defeat of British General John Burgoyne and was instrumental in helping the French decide to support America.
French & Indian War- Fought from 1754-1763, the French and Indian war was the American theater of the much larger Seven Years War, between Britain and France. The war in North America was primarily fought over the OhioValley, which was critical for both sides to control the continent. the result of the war was a British victory that effectively kicked France off the continent.
Great Awakening- The Great Awakening was a period of religious revival in the British colonies during the mid 18th century, in which Protestant preachers wished to make their sermons much more personal to their congregations.
Halfway Covenant- A compromise by the Puritan church in 1662 in colonial New England in which they made it possible to gain partial membership into the church because it was too difficult for most people to gain full membership.
Mayflower Compact- Agreed and signed in 1620 among the pilgrims of Plymouth Colony to establish a working political body based on rules and laws in order to establish a ,stable, system of government. It was seen as the first step the colonists took towards self government.
Mercantilism- promoted rapid growth of American colonies through the sole reason of providing for the mother country (England) resources that were not available there.
Pontiac's Rebellion- Fought between 1763 -1766 along the trans-Appalachian Frontier by Pontiac, an Ottawa chief allied with the Neolin of the Delawares, and his people in an effort to hold back white advancement into the frontier. Due to fear of losing the Indian nations of the Ohio River Valley and the Great Lakes areas united in an attempt to drive out the British from the Mississippi Valley. The Native Americans were ultimately overpowered and were later forced to submission.
Puritans- English, religious, dissenters who were discontent with the rituals and governing systems of the Anglican Church. As a result many migrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 in search of religious freedom. Like many religions that migrated to the American colonies, due to reasons such as persecution or exile, Puritans encouraged the establishment of a religious common wealth.
Salem Witch Trials- A stream of false accusations of witchcraft during 17th century Colonial North America, due to tensions caused from natural occurrences such as infant death, crop failures, and disease, that invited mass hysteria onto the colonists. Was also utilized by colonists to quietly get rid of people they did not particularly like which involved such things as race, wealth, or religion.
Stono Rebellion- An uprising of South Carolina slaves against whites during 1739 which was spurred from the actions of the American slaves who escaped to Florida through a deal made with Spanish officials in search of freedom.
French & Indian War- Fought from 1754-1763, the French and Indian war was the American theater of the much larger Seven Years War, between Britain and France. The war in North America was primarily fought over the OhioValley, which was critical for both sides to control the continent. the result of the war was a British victory that effectively kicked France off the continent.
Great Awakening- The Great Awakening was a period of religious revival in the British colonies during the mid 18th century, in which Protestant preachers wished to make their sermons much more personal to their congregations.
Halfway Covenant- A compromise by the Puritan church in 1662 in colonial New England in which they made it possible to gain partial membership into the church because it was too difficult for most people to gain full membership.
Mayflower Compact- Agreed and signed in 1620 among the pilgrims of Plymouth Colony to establish a working political body based on rules and laws in order to establish a ,stable, system of government. It was seen as the first step the colonists took towards self government.
Mercantilism- promoted rapid growth of American colonies through the sole reason of providing for the mother country (England) resources that were not available there.
Pontiac's Rebellion- Fought between 1763 -1766 along the trans-Appalachian Frontier by Pontiac, an Ottawa chief allied with the Neolin of the Delawares, and his people in an effort to hold back white advancement into the frontier. Due to fear of losing the Indian nations of the Ohio River Valley and the Great Lakes areas united in an attempt to drive out the British from the Mississippi Valley. The Native Americans were ultimately overpowered and were later forced to submission.
Puritans- English, religious, dissenters who were discontent with the rituals and governing systems of the Anglican Church. As a result many migrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 in search of religious freedom. Like many religions that migrated to the American colonies, due to reasons such as persecution or exile, Puritans encouraged the establishment of a religious common wealth.
Salem Witch Trials- A stream of false accusations of witchcraft during 17th century Colonial North America, due to tensions caused from natural occurrences such as infant death, crop failures, and disease, that invited mass hysteria onto the colonists. Was also utilized by colonists to quietly get rid of people they did not particularly like which involved such things as race, wealth, or religion.
Stono Rebellion- An uprising of South Carolina slaves against whites during 1739 which was spurred from the actions of the American slaves who escaped to Florida through a deal made with Spanish officials in search of freedom.
Primary Sources
Gottleib Mittelberger, On the Misfortune of Indentured Servants http://www.vlib.us/amdocs/texts/gottlieb.html
In On the Misfortune of Indentured Servants, Gottleib Mittleberger explains the hardships of indentured servants on their way to the British colonies in North America. Servants started out on a voyage by ship that took anywhere from 7-12 weeks, and was plagued by disease, sea-sickness, and death in addition to the forces of mother nature and the boredom of being stuck on a ship for months at a time. When the survivors reached the colonies, they had to wait until they were bought, then taken away to work for up to 6 years before they were freed. The significance of On the Misfortune of Indentured Servants is to show that even though indentured servants were the major force behind colonial America's economy and technically free, most of the time they were treated no better than slaves. JM |
The American Nation, Student Resources Glossary;
http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/244/250688/Glossary/a.html Student dictionary containing key words and definitions related to A.P. U.S. History. The significance of this is that it shows key words, events, and people from throughout history. VJ |
Four Worlds
PoliticalLeadership-
Beginning in the 1760s, the revolution against England began the trial that ended with the Revolutionary War and independence. It began with Sam Adams that led the legal agitating in Boston, engaging colonials with the events of the Boston Massacre. At the time of the Revolutionary War, John Hancock served as president on the Continental Congress that governed the colonies. And most importantly, George Washington, who led the American armies in the war. Security- There wasn't any sense of security in the colonies. Any ounce of protection the colonists thought they had was diminished by root causes. Colonists were first infuriated by the Stamp Act, demanding that they could not be rightfully taxed without representation. The security and trust decreased there. The incident in Boston on March 5, 1770 named the Boston Massacre made colonists feel infinitely more unprotected because British soldiers fired into a crowd of civilians and colonists, killing five people. Order- The first concept of the rule of law came from the Mayflower Compact. That compact stated their purpose, their rights, and how they would establish a new form of government. The same form of government that would be adopted in a document called The Declaration of Independence. Enforcement/Recourse- Law enforcement was based on English common law but lacked the consistency and cohesiveness of the European system. The laws were enforced by all-powerful judges, corrupt sheriffs, and by a series of citizen interventions. The religious system of society also came through in its justice system. |
EconomicTransportation-
Transportation in the colonies was extremely unpredictable and highly dangerous. Roads were just dirt which meant that they were very dusty in the summer and muddy in the winter. Travel was also highly influenced by the weather, and getting lost in the wilderness could easily lead to death. Communication- The fastest form of communication in the colonies was by word of mouth. There was an early type of postal service, but it was notoriously slow and could take weeks just to travel between colonies. And since all news to and from Britain had to travel by ship, it often took months to arrive at its destination. Standardization- Early on, when the colonies were "owned" by different charter companies, their economies were only loosely standardized based upon English standards, but after the French and Indian War, when Britain decided to more closely control the colonies, all measurements, money, and taxes became standardized under British law. Means of Production Land/Natural Resources- All the colonies used their land and natural resources for their economies, with New England using the seemingly endless timber for ship production and carpentry, and the south using their expansive swamplands for the cultivating of crops that thrived in that environment, such as tobacco and indigo. Labor- When the colonies were first founded, the main labor forces were indentured servants and slaves, but as time went on and most of the indentured servants were freed, the labor force changed into everyday colonials just trying to earn a living, while in the southern colonies slaves were still a huge part of the workforce. Capitol- While most of the colonies capitol came from Great Britain, they did basically have a monopoly on tobacco cultivation, and occasionally used that in black market trade with other countries. Means of Exchange Trade- The colonies were locked into a trading system with Britain in which they sent Britain their grown goods and raw natural resources and were forced to buy manufactured goods from Britain, putting the colonies into a severe trade deficit. Money- Since all money came from Great Britain, and transport was very slow, the colonies were always hurting for money, and their short stunt at trying to print their own was quickly shut down by the British. Prosperity- Although the colonies struggled with prosperity in the beginning, especially in the south, by the 18th century the average colonial American was richer and better fed than his European counterpart. Entrepreneurship- From the start, the American colonies were reliant on entrepreneurs, as most were created by joint-stock companies. However, after the new settlers got into a routine, entrepreneurship kind of died out as no new business was required to survive. |
SocialCivic Duty- to vote, jury duty in trials, pay taxes. Some Americans were willing to sacrifice their life for the greater good (revolution).
Advocates- France, Britain (for a time), religiously oppressed peoples, the Scotts, patriots (Whigs), some Britons, the citizens Watch Dogs- The loyalist (Tories), government officials, spies, British soldiers Accountability- They had political hierarchies so some accountability was present. Most importantly though, they answered the public by watching their actions, there many petitions signed, the leaders learned public opinion by what was being said and complained in the streets. There were mobs, attacks, and fights over what they, the citizens, wanted (they were rebelling against Britain’s policies like taxing them without representation). Obviously the Boston Massacre and Tea Party were because the colonists didn’t like the British. The government took action by looking at civilian action. Transparency- Very transparent, open trials in court, open political meetings, the government officials were more than just politicians; they were citizens who were affect by everything too, political conventions, etc. Education- Although public education wasn’t used besides some New England colonies, there were still some great educational institutions such as colleges like Harvard. And you may know that Harvard is one of the top schools today. Many people weren’t educated especially in the south. Education was mostly for the rich/upper class. Many Schools were sponsored by religious denominations too. News and Media- Journalism was big, newspapers, books, pamphlets (Common Sense!), news internationally was also very slow because lack of transportation. Equity and Access- Early colonial America was very “equal” and “accessible” but as years went on things changed. You could move up classes, it was possible, but if you’re stuck in a certain market you probably would be stuck. But of course some people were quite successful look at Alexander Hamilton! Life was relatively equal for each citizen mostly in the middle and upper colonies. The south had slavery, and the freed indentured servants had much difficulty in establishing lives for themselves because they were granted only land in the middle on Indian villages. They were attacked sometimes and they had no potential to grow with just empty land, no tools, no money. |
CulturalCommon Identity-
Many people from many places came to the colonies in search of many things such as a new start, freedom of religion, and, most importantly, trade of goods and slaves. People such as the Quakers established their own colonies in order to practice their beliefs freely while some people who were in desperate need of work would have simply gone to the colonies to become indentured servants who, unlike black slaves, were still treated fairly. Most immigrants who arrive in the colonies share a want for a better, more opportunistic, life which they believed could be sought for in the American colonies. Aesthetics- Art and culture were not highly valued in the colonies mainly because people simply did not have the time in the day to value them. The colonists, however , still favored European culture due to heritage towards Britain. Many artists who tried to express their art, like John Trumbull, in colonial America had to go back to London in order to practice their skills while some artists, in order to maintain themselves, would have to excel in multiple professions, like Charles Peale who ran a museum, stuffed birds, and practiced dentistry and yet is still known for his portraits of George Washington. Hardships- Nearly all that lived in the colonies faced many hardships such as intense day to day duties and diseases such as smallpox that caused many to die, especially the slaves whom were already neglected and mistreated, during the earlier times of colonial America. Daily life for many people was simply working their trade from dawn till dusk in order to sufficiently provide for themselves and/or their families. Black slaves know this routine all too well as they were mainly used for the most labor intensive jobs in the colonies which was to tend to the fields. Many people dealt with these hardships through religion and belief where as some cling on to their families or even a hope that things will get better. Shared Values- Their were many different races mingling within Colonial America such as people of German origins who fled to America to escape from persecution and conflicts within their home countries. This incident relates to how William Penn of the Quakers founded Pennsylvania mainly for the purpose of providing other Quakers to escape from religious prosecution. Many people who came to America shared the want for religious freedom and though their beliefs may not have been similar they were able to live their lives without being persecuted. This, of course, wasn't until the period of the Salem Witch Trials in which many religious ideas were secretively being targeted. Respect for Authority- At first many of the colonists respected whomever was the authoritative leader mainly because he was elected to that position, but later on pressure from Britain lead to appointed officials and later garrison of British troops to maintain an increase in taxation. The growing discontent of how Britain treated the colonies spurred uprisings such as the Boston Massacre and the events of the Boston Tea Party which historically for the colonists was a grand celebration of them voicing out against British rule while the British saw it as an excuse to send more troops. The thought of revolution scared many people who knew the military might of Britain, however this constant fear resulted in the choice between a silent, mindless loyalty or the path towards self government and econimic stability. The consensus to sign The Declaration of Independence meant that the people of the thirteen colonies chose the possibilty of self government and were willing to defend their right to do so. Tolerance- As long as a person tolerated the laws of the colony they were in then they were tolerated as fellow people as long as they pulled their own weight in contributing to the community. Black slaves were however treated no differently than how they were treated in Europe and were, for the most part, worked even harder as plantations of cash crops such as tobacco and indigo multiplied. Later on during the beginings of societal friction many British soldiers who were sent to the colonies were heavily disliked because it was a constant reminder of the unwavering military might of Britain which left the colonists in fear of losing the societal order they have established. |