Early America A look at some early colonists and their motivation - PowerPoint Presentation

Early America A look at some early colonists and their motivation

Why go to the new world? Religious Freedom Pilgrims – sought a more pure practice of their religion free from persecution Colonists sought freedom to practice their religion as they saw fit Economic interests Expansion at home made land and resources scarce, creating massive poverty The search for wealth by acquiring more resources, such as cotton and tobacco, to send to the factories at home

Discovery of “The New World” Who discovered the New World? Leif Ericson – Viking explorer Who first came to the New World in the 1000s Amerigo Vespucci – America’s namesake Christopher Columbus – Landed on the North American continent in 1492 Columbus is generally given credit for “discovering” the New World

Christopher Columbus Italian Explorer Landed in the New World by accident Looking for East Asia Contracted and financed by Queen Isabella of Spain to find a path to Asia Spain wanted to enter the spice trade Landed on what is today the Island of El Salvador on October 12, 1492 Since he thought he had landed in the East Indies, he called the inhabitants he met “Indios” Columbus is given credit for discovering the New World because he established the first permanent settlements there

What did Columbus find? Columbus had extensive contacts with the native inhabitants of North America When he landed, he found great native societies There were large and complex cities and villages In both the north and south, Columbus found that there was much social, economic, political, and cultural diversity among the different societies

So, this map is good….

And Later………

Why go to the New World Political Turmoil Protestant v. Catholic King v. Parliament Class v. class English Civil War Forced out Religious and Political Exiles Move to survive

The Pilgrims Religious purists from the outskirts of London who set sail for Virginia in 1620 The Church of England kept too many Catholic Rituals The Pilgrims preferred to leave than conform Set sail aboard the Mayflower A navigation error had them land in Plymouth, Massachusetts, instead of Virginia No charter for that area Relied on the natives for survival

The Mayflower Compact Harsh conditions caused civil unrest in the group Mutinies Disorder Wrote and agreement that bound the Pilgrims together in a “civil body politick” Kept the groups and colony from falling apart One of the earliest examples of a Constitution in the New World

The European Colonies in America

Two of the earliest British Colonies in the Americas, founded by the Plymouth Company and the London Company. Note the overlapping area that was to be shared by the two companies, but not settled. He location of Jamestown is circled.

The London Company Charter – permission and consent from the King Charter granted to found a settlement in Virginia 144 men and boys formed the company that would construct and operate the settlement Cash crops – tobacco, cotton Exploration and expansion

Captain John Smith Earliest and strongest governors of the London Company Founded and provided leadership the colony of Jamestown, Virginia, England’s first permanent colonial settlement Improved relations with the natives The natives had made life miserable for the colonists early on The native ambushed the colony and stole provisions

Smith’s Captivity Smith was taken captive by the native Algonquin tribe after a battle He was delivered to the Algonquin Chief Powhatan Powhatan’s daughter Pocahontas Befriended Smith and pled for his life Powhatan, impressed by Smith’s courage and trinkets, let Smith return to his colony Smith’s friendship with Powhatan and Pocahontas helped the colony prosper Painting of Pocahontas protecting the injured Captain Smith and saving his life

William Penn Founder of the Colony of Pennsylvania (Penn’s Woods) Land given to him by the King Quaker religion proved troublesome for some in his new area Southeastern colonies broke off to for the colony of Delaware One of the first advocates of colonial unification The colonies act as one Called for a United States of Europe that would become one economic and military interest His ideas were the forerunner of the United States of America

William Penn Early American philosophical thought Promised Pennsylvanians “liberty of conscience, due process, and no taxation without representation…” Made sure that rich and poor alike had a voice in the political process Died in 1718, broken and penniless Owed investors for the colony Bad business deals Debtors prison

John Winthrop Devout Puritan Believed that God was going to curse England Wanted to leave and practice his faith in its truest form Sought a Charter for the Massachusetts Bay Colony Farming community Strict, severe religious obligations

John Winthrop Formed tightly-knit towns instead of loosely organized counties Every activity, political or otherwise, was undertaken in the service of God

Roger Williams and Anne Hutchison Puritans came to the New World to exercise freedom of religion Puritans believed that every worshipper should experience God directly through faith, prayer, and study of the Bible Little tolerance for the other religious practices Roger Williams and Anne Hutchison represented two of the most serious challenges to Winthrop’s ultra-religious Massachusetts Bay Colony

Religious Dissent Williams Colony had no authority to punish people for different religious practices. That is God’s job. Questioned the colony’s charter, since the land was never purchased from the natives Exiled from the colony after repeated criticisms of colonial practice Hutchison Questioned the purity of the colonists Fomented religious anarchy in the colony Exiled to Rhode Island for her beliefs

Puritan Ne’er–Do-Wells Anne Hutchinson Roger Williams

Puritanism in Massachusetts Bay Religious practice in Massachusetts Bay was very strict and dogmatic Every activity revolved around spiritual living and living a Godly life Neighbors watched each other for the slightest violations of religious practice to report to the local ministers The pilgrims who left Europe to escape religious persecution began practicing their own form of it in the New World

Salem Witch Trials (1692-1693) A childish hoax gone out of control Young girls in Salem Village claimed to be possessed by the devil They accused many of the women in the Village of being witches On little more than manufactured and spectral evidence, 18 people were convicted of witchcraft, hanged, and dozens more were jailed One of the biggest examples of mass hysteria in American history How Can You Identify a Witch?

Salem Witch Trials (1692-1693) Some Major players Abigail Williams (11) and Betty Parris (9) began to act strangely and accused several townswomen of bewitching them Thomas Putnam – accused over forty people of witchcraft Ann Putnam – accused over sixty people of witchcraft Tituba – a slave who initially confesses to witchcraft so that she could act as a witness (lie) and save herself from torture and murder Giles Corey – one of the few men executed for non-cooperation in the trials The people and their stories are the subject of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible , which you will read in your English class this year

Why it Matters This is a perfect example of what can happen in a society with no laws other than religious ones A great part of any religion is faith, and thus guilt or innocence would depend greatly on someone’s “faith” Religious hysteria can be used by dishonest people to their advantage for profit 78% of the people executed during the Salem Witch Trials were women 25 Disturbing Facts