UNIT 1: The Americas - European Colonization, Origins of a New Society to 1754, Founding Values of American Culture
About 500 years ago, frequent contact began among Native Americans, Europeans, and West Africans on the shores of North America. This contact grew as more and more Europeans established settlements on the continent. After 1492, the Spanish began building an empire in the Americas. In the 1600s, French traders began to settle in present-day Canada and establish fur-trading posts along the waterways of the region. Also during this time, the English were establishing colonies along the Atlantic Coast. The English colonies developed diverse economies and prospered with little direct interference from England.
As European settlers migrated into Native American territory, they forced the local Indians to relocate into lands already occupied by other Native American groups. Native Americans were also victims of new diseases brought by the Europeans. Meanwhile, enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the colonies, often suffering brutal treatment during their voyage and in their new lives in North America. As English colonists pushed west, tensions with both the French and the Native Americans grew.
During this first unit of the course, the routines and expectations of class will be established as we examine a few of the most significant events up to the Revolution that helped shape the economic, political and social values for the rest of our nation’s history.
Think About
What examples of democracy were present in the colonial period? Why did the colonies evolve different societies and economies? How did both the Enlightenment and Great Awakening affect colonial attitudes? Why do you think the end of the French and Indian War was an important turning point?
Key Themes and Vocabulary
Early Americans
The Invasion and Settlement of North America: 1550-1700
Columbus
Early Settlements
Creating a British Empire in America: 1660-1750
Dominion of New England
Middle Passage
African-American Culture
Growth and Crisis in Colonial Society: 1720-1765
Middle Colonies Cultural Diversity
The Enlightenment
Benjamin Franklin
French and Indian War
About 500 years ago, frequent contact began among Native Americans, Europeans, and West Africans on the shores of North America. This contact grew as more and more Europeans established settlements on the continent. After 1492, the Spanish began building an empire in the Americas. In the 1600s, French traders began to settle in present-day Canada and establish fur-trading posts along the waterways of the region. Also during this time, the English were establishing colonies along the Atlantic Coast. The English colonies developed diverse economies and prospered with little direct interference from England.
As European settlers migrated into Native American territory, they forced the local Indians to relocate into lands already occupied by other Native American groups. Native Americans were also victims of new diseases brought by the Europeans. Meanwhile, enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the colonies, often suffering brutal treatment during their voyage and in their new lives in North America. As English colonists pushed west, tensions with both the French and the Native Americans grew.
During this first unit of the course, the routines and expectations of class will be established as we examine a few of the most significant events up to the Revolution that helped shape the economic, political and social values for the rest of our nation’s history.
Think About
What examples of democracy were present in the colonial period? Why did the colonies evolve different societies and economies? How did both the Enlightenment and Great Awakening affect colonial attitudes? Why do you think the end of the French and Indian War was an important turning point?
Key Themes and Vocabulary
Early Americans
The Invasion and Settlement of North America: 1550-1700
Columbus
Early Settlements
Creating a British Empire in America: 1660-1750
Dominion of New England
Middle Passage
African-American Culture
Growth and Crisis in Colonial Society: 1720-1765
Middle Colonies Cultural Diversity
The Enlightenment
Benjamin Franklin
French and Indian War