1400’s - European Nations sent out explorers in search of a more direct route to the Far East (China and India),
hoping to set up more trading with the people there.
The trip around Africa was too long.
Key nations involved in exploring:
Spain
England
Portugal
Holland
France
Sweden
Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer hired by Spain, stumbled onto what is now known as the West Indies.
Columbus thought that he had arrived in India.
Explorers were hoping to find a “shortcut” to the Pacific Ocean through the newly discovered land.
• NEW FRANCE - the area from Louisiana and Missouri west to Texas and North to Oregon. Mostly Fur trappers.
• NEW SPAIN - Florida, and West from Texas to the Pacific Ocean. Mostly gold hunters.
• NEW NETHERLANDS, featuring NEW AMSTERDAM (New York) - Trading with local natives, exporting, fishing,
and fur trapping.
ENGLAND ENTERS THE NEW WORLD
The English, from Great Britain (or “England”) started late. Private investors established COLONIES (territories
owned by a larger, more powerful nation far away), rather than have them FUNDED (to agree to give money) by the
government.
None of the English companies ever made a profit, but people from Great Britain kept coming for 3 main reasons:
1. Religious freedom
2. Economic freedom
3. Adventure
All of the colonies struggled because the main thing that they were hoping to find, gold, was virtually non-existent in
the east.
Three things saved the Virginia colony:
1. Learning to grow tobacco from the natives.
2. The arrival of women.
3. The arrival of the first slaves from Africa.
England would dominate the Eastern coast of the New Land, dividing the colonies into three areas:
New England
Middle Colonies
Southern Colonies
THE VIRGINIA COLONIES
In 1606, the British settled Virginia for the third time.
Captain John Smith took over control of the colony.
1. He convinced the settlers to stop wasting time looking for gold.
2. Ordered the civilians to begin planting, or they would starve.
3. He set up better relations with the natives, trading for food.
Their salvation came in 1612 with the rise in popularity of tobacco in Europe.
To meet the rising demand, they needed help.
By 1620, they were exporting 30,000 lbs. a year.
In 1619, the first known sale of African slaves to Virginian colonists occurred.
In 1619, Virginians elected members to the House of Burgesses, who worked with the Governor to make laws. This is
important because it was the first taste of DEMOCRACY (people choosing their leaders) in the new lands.
THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES
1620 - Arrival of the first group of PILGRIMS - (People who settle new lands in search of freedom).
They were known as SEPARATISTS – (Protestants from England who want to separate from the Church of England).
They board the Mayflower, and 3½ months later land at Plymouth, MA.
While on board, they set up rules for their new land. Each member signed the rules, called the “Mayflower Compact”.
The Compact is seen as the first written CONSTITUTION (written set of rules) originating in the new lands because it
called for laws based on equality.
1630 - Puritans settled several miles north of Plymouth.
The Puritans tried to get King Charles I to REFORM (To change something and make it better) the Church of
England.
The King put many Puritans in jail.
Eventually King Charles granted them permission to leave England and set up the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The Puritans left England for three reasons:
1. They believed that God was going to do terrible things to England.
2. They wanted to be able to worship freely.
3. They wanted to be able to live free of PERSECUTION (harassment based on ones race or religion).
Puritans set up a society based on God’s laws, as explained in the Bible.
Only church officials and male landowners were allowed to vote.
John Winthrop was appointed (not elected) Governor.
Winthrop changed the laws to permit any Puritan man the right to vote.
He also set up a new government model:
A Governor elected by the men.
An assembly, known as the General Court, elected by the men.
This government was very similar to the Virginia model.
Winthrop’s society was so successful that people began coming by the thousands.
This became known as the GREAT MIGRATION (large movement of people).
Virginians and New Englanders brought with them British ideas of government, such as:
1. Magna Carta
13th Century document which outlined England’s plan for a representative democracy.
2. English Bill of Rights, created by England’s rulers William and Mary.
This was a list of rights that English land-owning men were guaranteed by law.
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