Trade Routes to the Far East

1. Colonial America #1 1492-1763 Trade Routes to the Far East European countries sought new trade routes to distant trading partners in the Far East, including: China, India and Japan.  Europeans were eager to buy Asian spices, perfumes, silks, and precious stones.

2. Colonial America #2 1492-1763 God, Gold and Glory The things that motivated the European explorers to settle and explore the New World all started with the letter G: Gold, God, and Glory.  Gold: To acquire riches for themselves and the country they represent. God: They hoped to convert native people to Christianity.  Glory: To bring power and prestige to their country (competition between monarchies).

3. Colonial America #3 1492-1763 Spanish Exploration Beginning with Christopher Columbus and later with Juan Ponce de Leon who explored Florida, Spain left a notable influence in the New World, especially in Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Spain was the leading European power in the early imperial rivalry for control of North America.

4. Colonial America #4 1492-1763 French Exploration French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and established a colonial empire in much of eastern North America, on a number of Caribbean islands, and in South America. Most colonies were developed to export products such as fish, rice, sugar, and furs. The French established forts and settlements that would become cities such as Detroit, St. Louis, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

5. Colonial America #5 1492-1763 Mercantilism A theory that holds that a country builds wealth and power by building its supplies of gold and silver. To achieve this goal, a country must export more than it imports. A country must also seek colonies which could supply raw materials and serve as a market for its exports.

6. Colonial America #6 1492-1763 1607 - Jamestown The first permanent English colony in the new world. Established by the Virginia Company for economic reasons – the Jamestown settlers came in search of gold. The group was not prepared for the harsh environment. Most died from starvation. Only 60 of the first 214 settlers survived.

7. Colonial America #7 1492-1763 1620 – the Mayflower/Pilgrims or Separatists The second English colony established in the new world founded for religious reasons. (Protestant). After landing at Plymouth, the Pilgrims (mostly families) established the first permanent settlement in New England. The Pilgrims pledged themselves to self-government by signing an agreement known as the Mayflower Compact. They agreed to form their own government and to obey its laws.

8. Colonial America #8 1492-1763 1630 – Puritans Another group of Protestants (mainly families) landed in Massachusetts Bay in 1630. The Puritans wanted to “purify” the Church and to establish a more virtuous society – a “City upon a Hill” as a symbol of goodness for all the world to see. They believed that hard work was the key to getting into Heaven.

9. Colonial America #9 1492-1763 New England Colonies One of the distinct regions of the English colonies that included: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island: The practice of religion, especially Puritanism remained important in New England.

10. Colonial America #10 1492-1763 Middle Colonies Located between New England and the Southern Colonies were the Middle Colonies: New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Most of the settlers came from the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, France and Scotland. People were attracted to a greater atmosphere of religious freedom.

11. Colonial America #11 1492-1763 Southern Colonies The Southern Colonies: Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia were well suited to growing cash crops. Settlers came from England, Scotland, and Ireland.

12. Colonial America #12 1492-1763 New York/Dutch Originally called “New Amsterdam” this Dutch (Holland) settlement was established on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. In 1664, the English took over New Amsterdam and renamed it New York.

13. Colonial America #13 1492-1763 Philadelphia/Quakers/William Penn The colony of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn in 1682, as a safe place for Quakers to live and practice their faith. Quakers have been a significant part of the movements for the abolition of slavery, to promote equal rights for women, and peace. Philadelphia became the hub of a major Quaker settlement with local Quakers founding schools, hospitals, almshouses and other institutions for the education and welfare of the population.

14. Colonial America #14 1492-1763 Maryland/Catholics Maryland was established by the English Lord Baltimore, who wished to create a haven for English Catholics in the new world at a time of many European wars of religion. Maryland was an early pioneer of religious tolerance in the English colonies.

15. Colonial America #15 1492-1763 Free Black Colonials Slavery was legal and practiced in each of the European colonies at various times. Not all Africans who came to America were slaves; a few came even in the 17th century as free men, sailors working on ships. In the early colonial years, some Africans came as indentured servants who were freed after a set period of years, as did many of the immigrants from the Britain. Such servants became free when they completed their term of indenture.

16. Colonial America #16 1492-1763 Thomas Hooker a prominent Puritan colonial leader, who founded the colony of Connecticut after severe disagreement with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. He is known as the “Father of Connecticut” was an outstanding speaker and an advocate of universal Christian suffrage.

17. Colonial America #17 1492-1763 Anne Hutchinson a famous early colonist of the Massachusetts Colony who was banished from Boston in 1637 for her religious beliefs (faith over works). She and several of her followers fled to the Rhode Island Colony.

18. Colonial America #18 1492-1763 Eliza Lucas Pinckney Eliza Pinckney changed agriculture in colonial South Carolina where she developed indigo as one its most important cash crops.

19. Colonial America #19 1492-1763 John Locke/Enlightenment  John Locke argued that all people have natural rights, including life, liberty, and property. He said that people automatically gained these rights when they are born and it is the government’s responsibility to protect these rights. John Locke was an Enlightenment thinker, who emphasized science and reason over faith and superstition, strongly influenced the American colonies in the eighteenth century. 

20. Colonial America #20 1492-1763 Charles Montesquieu Montesquieu's view of governments led to him to believe that government corruption was probable if a system of government didn't include balance of powers. He conceived the idea of separating government authority into the three major branches: executive, legislative and judicial.

21. Colonial America #21 1492-1763 Fundamental Orders of Connecticut An agreement between the colonial communities in Connecticut that established a representative government. It was based on the rights of the individual. It is considered the very first constitution of the American colonies

22. Colonial America #22 1492-1763 Virginia House of Burgesses The first democratically-elected legislative body in British North America. This group of representatives met from 1619 until 1776. The House of Burgesses first met in 1619 and served as a model for the U.S. Congress.

23. Colonial America #23 1492-1763 First Great Awakening The First Great Awakening was a revival that swept Protestantism in the British colonies and changed the fabric of religion in early America. The revival was a reaction to the logic and reasoning of the Enlightenment.

24. Colonial America #24 1492-1763 Rhode Island/Roger Williams Roger Williams helped to found Rhode island. Williams and others were forced into exiled from the Massachusetts bay colony for beliefs about separation of church and freedom of religion. Religion was free of choice, which means all religion was accepted.

25. Colonial America #25 1492-1763 Transatlantic Slave Trade Triangulartrade, or the transatlantic slave trade, was a trade route originating in Europe that was used to supply colonies in the New World with slave labor. Once in the New World, slaves would be traded for raw materials harvested on plantations, such as sugar, cotton, tobacco, and wood.

26. Colonial America #26 1492-1763 Plantation System The system used in the south that allowed for the rich of the south to have many slaves, and kept the poor the same way. A class system that did not allow for movement between classes.