civi

• The Colonial Period


  The period of European exploration and colonization of the Americas
• Christopher Columbus


  • Not the first to discover America
  • Landed in the Bahamas, not the American continent
  • Made three more travels to America in 1453, 1458, and 1502
  • Explored most of the major Caribbean islands
  • Died in 1506 believing he had reached India
• The notion of "discovery" is limited, from the POV. There is a violent encounter between Africa, England, Spanish etc.
• Explore


  Better term than "discover"
• "America"


  Comes from "Amerigo Vespucci", who explored the coast of the USA in 1495 and published the idea of a new continent
• Nationalities involved in exploration of the USA


  • Spain
  • France
  • Dutch
  • English
• Motives for exploration


  • Europeans wanted to make profit from America
  • Saw the continent as a mine they could dig into to bring all the goods to the EU
  • There was a dimension of prestige
  • They wanted to discover a direct water route from Asia to the EU
• Native Americans were already living in America before the arrival of the Europeans
• Native Americans


  • Different from one another population
  • Did not live the same ways
  • Did not rely on the same sources for eating
  • Did not think of themselves as one population, that is why they did not unite against the invaders
  • Saw themselves as groups having enemies all around them
  • Fought for salt, for essential resources before the arrival of the invaders
  • Around several millions native americans lived in America, 80 to 100M natives
• Native Americans were decimated in the 1600s
• They were victims of a genocide
• They mostly died from diseases that were unknown to them
• They also died in war
• They were responsible for 90 percent of deaths caused by Europeans
• Half a million people lived in Hispaniola, 50 years later, the number of natives was down to 2 thousands
• The settling of colonies did not take place immediately after the exploration, it took a while
• Only in the areas that Spain explored and claimed was there a clear continuity between exploration and settlement
• The first English colony created was founded in 1607 and was called Virginia
• The first town was called "Jamestown"
• They had failed to start settlement before because of tensions
• 1607 is the declaration of independence of the USA, this part of the world is a British Colony
• The colony was founded by a group "the Virginia company" who were rich men
• Goal of the Virginia company

  • To make money and earn great profits by finding precious metals
  • To open routes to trade
• John Smith was not the leader of the colony but was important because of his knowledge and his relationships with native Americans
• Smith explored the northern coast and the region of New England
• John Smith's view of the new world

  A new paradise to exploit
• Another colony was found by the Pilgrim Fathers, it was founded for religious reasons
• Massachusetts, John Wintchor preacher. "A city upon a hill" 1628
• Pennsylvania was discovered by a puritan (sect) and also the founder of Philadelphia
• Maryland was originally a colony for catholic people who were persecuted in England
• 12 of the 13 colonies that will form the basis of the American Nation were founded in the 17th century
• The 12 colonies

  • Virginia
  • New Hampshire
  • Massachusetts
  • Maryland
  • Connecticut
  • Road Island
  • Delaware
  • Carolina
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Pennsylvania
• The settlers felt they couldn't live in England anymore
• They had the same origins as explorers from different countries in Europe (France, England, The Netherlands, Sweden, Spain)
• They left because they were escaping political, social, economic and religious reasons (persécutions)
• 200 thousand English men and women moved to America
• There was a fierce competition for food, and wages
• Puritans are radical protestant
• Puritans denounced all forms of authorities, even the kings
• Puritans believed that

  Church ministers shouldnt be chosen by authorities