European expansion and the 13 colonies

1. WESTWARD
EXPANSION
MR. PALMER / US HISTORY

2. COLUMBUS
- In 1492, he was contracted by Spain to find a route to Asia
by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean
- Ended up landing on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and
Hispaniola
- Never actually set foot in America (common myth)
- His discoveries still pleased the Spanish monarchy and
they funded three more voyages to colonize these lands

3. IMPACT OF EUROPEANS…
- …on Native Americans
- Arrival devastated Native Americans
- Used as slave labor
- Exposed to death and disease
- Thousands died
- …on Africans
- Colonists turned to Africa for slave labor
- Atlantic slave trade (triangular trade) demolished African
societies
- Drained Africa of at least 10 million people
- …on Europeans
- Sparked migration across the Atlantic
- Overseas expansion inflamed national rivalries
- Treaty of Tordesillas: Spain and Portugal agreed to divide
the Western hemisphere

4. COLUMBIAN
EXCHANGE

5. FIRST ENGLISH COLONIES
- Jamestown
- Led by John Smith (the guy from Pocahontas)
- Settlers ignored farming in search of gold and many
eventually died due to disease and hunger
- Colony almost failed but was eventually saved
- Plymouth
- Led by the Pilgrims (Puritan Separatists)
- Wanted to separate from the English Church and “purify” it
of Catholic influence
- Massachusetts Bay
- Puritan society dominated the Massachusetts colony;
taxes supported the Puritan church and laws required
church attendance
- John Winthrop was a notable Puritan influence

6. KING PHILIP’S WAR
- Native Americans helped first settlers
by providing them with land and
agricultural advice
- Disputes soon arose over land and
religion
- Metacom, the Wampanoag chief,
organized his tribe and others into an
alliance to wipe out the “invaders”
- War lasted for over a year; mass
bloodshed and brutal destruction
- Native Americans eventually fled or
surrendered due to food shortages,
disease and heavy casualties

7. THIRTEEN COLONIES
- More British colonies were founded throughout the 1600s
and 1700s
- Existed primarily for the benefit of England
- Exported a rich variety of raw materials to England
- Imported manufactured goods from England
- Thirteen colonies founded over a period of 125 years
- Represented a wide variety of people, skills, motives
industries, resources and agricultural products

9. MERCANTILISM
- Mercantilism
- Began in the 16th century where nations competed for
wealth and power
- New economic system in which a nation could increase its
power in two ways
- 1. obtain as much gold and silver as possible
- 2. establish a balance of trade where it sells more goods
than it buys
- Ultimate goal for a nation was to become self sufficient so
that it didn’t have to depend on other countries for goods

10. NAVIGATION ACTS
- Purpose was to tighten control on colonial trade
- These acts enforced the following rules:
- Goods had to be shipped in English or colonial vessels
- All crews had to be at least three-quarters English or colonial
- The colonies could export certain products only to England
(tobacco, sugar, indigo, cotton, wool, ginger, copper ore,
molasses, furs, iron, lumber and other)
- Almost all goods shipped between the colonies and the rest of
Europe had to pass through and English port
- Obviously benefitted England
- Proved to be good for most colonies as well
- By limiting trade to English and colonial ships, it created a boom
in the shipbuilding industry and paved the way for other colonial
industries

11. ENLIGHTENMENT AND
GREAT AWAKENING
- During the 1700’s, the Enlightenment and the Great
Awakening influenced peoples’ thinking throughout the
thirteen colonies
- Enlightenment
- Intellectual movement that began in Europe
- Philosophers valued reason and scientific methods
- Great Awakening
- A colonial religious movement
- Challenged the authority of established churches

12. ENLIGHTENMENT
(AGE OF REASON)
- Emphasized reason, analysis and individualism
- Reason: the process of the mind to think and form judgments
using logic
- Analysis: detailed examination of something
- Individualism: being independent/self-reliant
- Focused less on traditional authority
- Challenged the authority of deeply rooted institutions
- Looked for ways to reform society through the use of tolerance,
science and skepticism
- Tolerance: the ability to tolerate or accept something one does not
necessarily agree with
- Science: the study of the physical and natural world through
observation and experiment
- Skepticism: the attitude of doubting something

13. LASTING EFFECTS
- Both movements caused people to question traditional
authority
- Also stressed the importance of the individual
- Enlightenment: emphasized human reason
- Great Awakening: de-emphasized the role of church
authority
- Important in creating the intellectual and social
atmosphere that eventually gave birth to the Revolution
- Essentially, these movements helped people think for
themselves and inspired them to fight for their individual
rights

14. THE ROAD TO
REVOLUTION
BEGINS!