2.1 Contextualizing Period 2
Period 2 marks the shift from Exploration to Settlement. Europeans were no longer just looking for gold; they were building permanent societies.
2.2 European Colonization Patterns
Different nations had different goals, which dictated their treatment of Native Americans.
🇪🇸 Spain
Goal: God & Gold.
Interaction: Tight control. Encomienda labor. Frequent intermarriage (Mestizos). Extensive missionary work.
🇫🇷 France & 🇳🇱 Dutch
Goal: Fur Trade.
Interaction: Few settlers (mostly men). Built alliances with Natives (e.g., Ojibwe, Huron) for trade. Intermarriage common (Métis).
🇬🇧 British
Goal: Agriculture & Land.
Interaction: Large scale settlement (families). Desired land, not Native labor. Exclusionary—pushed Natives out rather than mixing.
2.3 The Regions of British Colonies
Environment determined the economy. The economy determined the social structure.
| Region | Colonies | Economy | Society & Religion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake | VA, MD | Tobacco (Cash Crops). Initial labor: Indentured Servants. | Male-dominated initially. Anglican. House of Burgesses (1619). Rural plantations. |
| New England | MA, RI, CT, NH | Mixed economy (Farming, fishing, timber). Family labor. | Puritans. Tight-knit towns. Schools (Harvard). "City upon a Hill" (Winthrop). Theocracy-lite. |
| Middle | PA, NY, NJ, DE | "Breadbasket" (Cereal crops like Wheat). Trade hubs (NYC, Philly). | Most Diverse. Quakers in PA (Religious toleration, pacifism). Friendly relations with Natives. |
| Southern | SC, GA, West Indies | Rice & Indigo (Sugar in Indies). Year-round growing season. | Slave Society. Majority enslaved population. Planter elite dominated politics. Strict Slave Codes. |
2.4 Transatlantic Trade
The colonies were integrated into the British Empire via the Triangular Trade.
Mercantilism
The economic theory that colonies exist only to enrich the mother country.
The Navigation Acts (1651): Laws to enforce mercantilism. Required trade to be on English ships and pass through English ports.
2.5 Interactions Between Natives & Europeans
As settlers expanded, conflict arose over land and culture.
- Metacom's War (King Philip's War) (1675): New England. A pan-Indian alliance attacked Puritan towns. Result: Devastating loss for Natives; marked the end of major Native resistance in New England.
- Pueblo Revolt (1680): Southwest (New Mexico). Pueblo people, led by Popé, rebelled against Spanish forced conversion. Result: Successful! Drove Spanish out for 12 years. Upon return, Spanish were more accommodating to Native culture.
★ 2.6 Slavery in British Colonies
Why did the Chesapeake switch from Indentured Servants to African Slavery? The turning point is 1676.
Bacon's Rebellion (1676)
Nathaniel Bacon led poor, landless frontiersmen (former indentured servants) against Virginia Governor Berkeley. They burned Jamestown, angry about lack of land and Native attacks.
Significance: Elite planters realized indentured servants were a dangerous, unstable labor force. They switched to African Chattel Slavery—a permanent, racially defined labor source.
The Institution of Slavery
- Chattel Slavery: Defined enslaved people as property, not humans.
- Slave Codes: Laws (originating in Barbados) making slavery perpetual and hereditary.
- Resistance: Stono Rebellion (1739) in SC; covert resistance like breaking tools or maintaining African culture (Gullah).
2.7 Colonial Society & Culture
The Enlightenment
Intellectual movement from Europe focusing on Reason and Science.
John Locke: Natural Rights (Life, Liberty, Property). Influenced colonial leaders.
The First Great Awakening
Religious revival (1730s-40s) focusing on Emotion.
Jonathan Edwards: "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."
George Whitefield: Itinerant preacher. The first "national" colonial event. Challenged traditional church authority.
Anglicization: Despite growing distinct, colonies were becoming more like England (drinking tea, reading English newspapers, buying English goods).
2.8 Comparison in Period 2
Summary: By 1754, the colonies were diverse but united by trade and British law.
- New England: Religious, family-based, mixed economy.
- Chesapeake/South: Profit-driven, male-dominated, slave-based economy.
- Conflict: As colonies expanded, conflict with Natives (King Philip's War) and resistance to British control (Smuggling) increased.