Midterm Study Guide – Periods 2-4
PERIOD 2: 1607-1754 - Overview
SummaryBeginning in 1607, England, France, and Spain all established settlements in North America. Differences in imperial goals, cultures, and North American environments led these nations to develop diverse patterns of colonization. The growth of slavery, triangular trade, Enlightenment ideals and Protestant evangelism helped shape English colonial society and the economy. The French and the Spanish traded and intermarried with Native Americans, and attempted religious conversions. As a result of these differences and growing conflicts between Europeans and Native Americans, distinctive colonial and native societies emerged, leading to a struggle to control resources and the beginning of the Seven Years War.
BEGINNING=Foundingof Jamestownsettlement inVirginia,1607.
WhatdoIneedtoknow?
1. SuccessandFailuresofEuropeancolonization,(interactionbetweenNativesand Europeancolonists,EuropeansandAfricans,WorkSystems,etc.)
a. Examples: Pueblo Revolt, King Phillip’s War, Slave Trade, Middle Passage, Stono Rebellion, Bacon’s Rebellion
2. HowdidEnglandbecomethedominantcolonialpower? Whatweretheregional DIFFERENCESamongEnglishcolonies!?
a. Examples: New England Puritans, City Upon A Hill, , Middle Colonies Merchant class, Quakers, Chesapeake Tobacco, Southern Colonies, Cash Crops, slavery
3. EffectsofmajorsocialmovementsEnlightenmentandGreatAwakeningoncolonial Americanidentity
a. Examples: John Locke “Natural Rights”, Benjamin Franklin, Jonathan Edwards “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, George Whitefield, Reason
END=StartoftheFrench&IndianWar1754betweenEnglandandFranceforcontrolofthe AmericasandtheOhioRiverValley
Period Perspectives From the establishment of the first permanent English settlement in North America to the start of a decisive war for European control of the continent, the colonies evolved. At first, they struggled for survival, but they became a society of permanent farms, plantations, towns, and cities. European settlers brought various cultures, economic plans, and ideas for governing to the Americas. In particular, they all sought to dominate the Native Americans. The British took pride in their tradition of free farmers working the land. The various colonies developed regional or sectional differences based on many influences including geography, climate, natural resources, economic motivations, and religious backgrounds of their settlers. They largely viewed the American Indian as an obstacle to colonial growth. With their emphasis on agriculture came a demand for labor, and this led to a growing dependence on slavery and the Atlantic slave trade to power the economy. The start of the Seven Years' War signified the maturity of the British colonies and the influence of European conflicts in the power struggle for control in North America.
PERIOD 2: 1607-1754 - Main Themes
Themes Applied to this period
National Identity - Colonial unity or lack thereof – regional identities develop independently - Rise of self-sufficiency – self-government, autonomy, rugged-individualism,
religious freedom
Work, Exchange, and Technology - Labor – mostly unfree (indentured servants replaced by African slaves) - Plantation farming – southern and Chesapeake (tobacco, rice, indigo) - Commerce – New England
- Worker Revolts – Bacon’s Rebellion, New York Slave revolt, SC revolt, Stono River Migration and Settlement - Reasons for Colonial Settlement – religion, free enterprise, social mobility
- Regional differences – political, social (including religious), economic - New England, Middle, Chesapeake, South
- Tidewater/backcountry difference – East vs. West tensions, Bacon’s Rebellion - Forced Migration – slave trade and middle passage
Politics and Power - Mercantilism – conflict over land, salutary neglect, navigation laws - Colonial settlement – Proprietary, Royal, Charter – founders – nicknames
- Settlers vs. Native Population conflict – Powhatan, King Philip’s War, Pueblo Revolt America in the World - Global Age - Role of the Columbian Exchange and Triangular Trade, spread of disease
- Dutch vs. French vs. Spanish vs. British Colonial differences – Spanish Colonial Class system, Dutch East India Trading, conflicts over land
Geography and Environment - Economic growth vs. Human/Environmental Exploitation – exploitation of natural resources
- Use of land for farming, lumber, fishing, domestication of animals
- Ideas of land ownership vs. communal land – conflict between Natives and Settlers
Culture and Society - Influence of Puritan thought – City on a Hill, Anglicization
- First Great Awakening – influence of the Enlightenment, natural rights, - Role of women – shift from early settlement to later colonialism
Period 3: 1754 – 1800 - Overview
Summary Maneuvering and fighting for control and dominance between Europeans and Native Americans eventually resulted in a global conflict known as the Seven Years or French and Indian War. Following the conclusion of this struggle for imperial control, Britain attempted to reassert control over its colonies, while colonial reaction intensified. In less than fifty years the British went from consolidating its control along the Atlantic coast of North America to watching thirteen of its colonies unite in revolt and establish an
independent nation. New experiments with democracy and Republican forms of government amid the rise of growing regional identities led to the formation of political parties, while boundary conflicts led to competition for land resources, increased western migration, and cultural blending.
WhatdoIneedtoknow?
1. HowandWhytheFrenchandIndianWarwasamajorturningpointinUSHistory. Werecolonists more“American”or“British”?
a. Examples: End of salutary neglect, Rise of Taxation (Stamp Act, etc.), Resistance to Revolution (Sons of Liberty)
2. CausesandconsequencesofAmericanRevolution
a. Examples: Pauline Meier, “From Resistance to Revolution” Describe the process, Gordon Wood, “Radicalism of the American Revolution” How radical?
b. Why did colonists win?
3. CompareandContrasttheArticlesofConfederationtotheConstitution
a. Examples: Land Ordinance, NW Ordinance, Shays’ Rebellion, Weaknesses of AOC, Federalists, Great Compromise, 3/5 Compromise, checks and balances, Whiskey Rebellion
4. WhyPOLITICALPARTIESFORMED®ionalidentities
a. Examples: Hamilton’s economic plans, Jefferson’s agrarian ideology, Washington’s presidency, French Revolution, Washington’s Farewell Address & Foreign Policy Effect
Period Perspectives After the Seven Years' War ended in 1763, the British desired more revenue to pay for protecting their empire while many American colonists saw themselves as self-sufficient. These clashing views resulted in the colonies declaring independence, winning a war and founding a new nation. Initially governed by Articles of Confederation with a weak federal government, the new United States soon replaced it with a new constitution that created a federal government that was stronger, though still with limited powers. Out of the debates over the new constitution and policies emerged two political parties. The test of the stability of the American system came in 1800, when one party, the Federalists, peacefully transferred power to the other, the Democratic Republicans. Throughout this period there was a continuous westward migration resulting in new opportunities, blended cultures, and increased conflicts with the American Indians and other European nations.
Period 3: 1754 – 1800 - Main Themes
Themes Applied to this period
National Identity - Principles of the American Revolution – Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness
- Republican self-government – Enlightenment ideals, Separation of Powers, Natural rights, Declaration of Independence, Common Sense
- Voting and citizenship – Constitutional Compromises over slavery, Bill of Rights, - Political Parties – state’s rights vs. strong centralized power
Work, Exchange, and Technology - Emerging Sectionalism – Industrializing north vs. agrarian south vs. frontier west - Taxation without Representation – British imposed taxes and acts
Migration and Settlement - Regional differences – sectionalism over western frontiersmen and eastern elite - English population growth and expansion – Alien and Sedition Act (limit migration),
conflict with Indian groups
- Fluctuating European settlement – Britain, Spain, and France
Politics and Power - Challenging British imperialism – Declaration of Independence, Olive Branch Petition - American Revolution – causes and consequences
- Conduct of the war – battles, turning points, leaders
- Articles of Confederation vs. The New Constitution – compromises, structures, leaders
- Federalism is born – strict v loose construction and subsequent interpretation, Whiskey Rebellion
- First American party system – power of the national government in question, creates two party system
- Hamilton’s economic plan – components conflict between Jefferson and Hamilton America in the World - European involvement in colonies – French and Indian War, elimination of salutary
neglect, Taxes and Acts
- Alliances among competing European powers – France’s assistance in the revolution, neutrality during French Revolution
- America as a sovereign nation – Hamilton Plan
- The balance of foreign involvement – Washington’s Farewell address, XYZ Affair, Jay’s Treaty, Pinckney’s Treaty
- Future inspired revolutions – Haiti, France, Latin America
Geography and Environment - Western Movement – cultural blending and tensions arise (west vs east, Indian populations, European rivalries)
Culture and Society - Rights of the individual and the ideas of the Enlightenment – Bill of Rights, based on Great Awakening ideas of equality
- Increased awareness of the inequality in society – slavery, west vs. east tensions - Role of women – motherhood republicanism
PERIOD 4: 1800-1848 - Overview
Summary After the peaceful transfer of political power following the 1800 election, the new republic struggled to define and extend democratic ideals in the face of rapid economic, territorial, and demographic changes. In 1826, in the midst of the years covered in this period, the young nation celebrated its 50th birthday with great optimism. The founders of the country were passing on and leadership had passed to a new generation. The United States
developed the world’s first modern mass democracy, a new national culture, and a growing market economy. However, sectional interests began to clash, as slavery, wealth disparities, reform efforts, and foreign relations issues threatened to challenge the nation’s ideals moving into the Antebellum Era.
Beginning=ElectionofThomasJefferson(RiseoftheRepublicans)in1800. Peacefultransitionofpowerfrom FederaliststoRepublicans.
WhatdoIneedtoknow?
1. WhyREGIONALIDENTITIESarosebetweenNorth,South,andWestandhowtheMARKETREVOLUTION affectedeachregion.
a. Examples: Eli Whitney Cotton Gin, Transportation Revolution (Steamboats, National Road, etc.), immigration and nativism, early factory system, support/opposition to slavery
2. HowAmericansocietybecamemoreDEMOCRATIC(forwhitemen)intheJacksonianAgeandhow varioussocialmovementsattemptedtoimprovesociety.
a. Examples: Second Great Awakening, Abolitionist Movement, Temperance, Seneca Falls Conference, Utopian Communities, Transcendentalism, Public Education, Jackson’s actions as president (Indian Removal, Death of B.U.S., etc.)
3. ReasonsforGrowthofPOLITICALPARTIES
a. Examples: First Party System (Republicans and Federalists) changes to Second Party System (Democrats and Whigs), Loose vs Strict interpretation of Constitution, Anti‐Jacksonians become Whigs, various third parties arose
4. TheriseoftheSLAVERYissue,andhowslaverydividedthecountryeconomically,socially,andpolitically beginningofSECTIONALISM
a. Examples: American System, Tariff of Abominations, B.U.S., Missouri Compromise, Gag Rule 5. HowStateschallengedFEDERALauthority,supremacyoffederalgovernmentoverthestates a. Examples: Hartford Convention, Nullification Crisis, Marshall Supreme Court, Nullification, Force Act 6. Americaasaworldpower…oratleasttryingtobe.=)
a. Examples: Barbary Wars, War of 1812, Monroe Doctrine
End=Mexican/AmericanWarandTreatyofGuadalupe…HIDALGO!1848!BeginningofSectionalism
Period Perspectives The new republic worked to define itself during a time of rapid demographic, economic, and territorial growth. It increased suffrage; reformed its schools, prisons, and asylums; and developed its own art, literature, and philosophy. These changes took place as a market economy emerged and people benefited from the addition of fertile land farther west and advances in industry and transportation everywhere. The country focused on expanding its borders and trade while avoiding European entanglements.
PERIOD 4: 1800-1848 - Main Themes
Themes Applied to this period
National Identity - American Identity separate from Europe – Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Second Great Awakening, Prison and Education reform, Utopian Societies
- Democracy is defined – Jacksonian democracy, Abolitionism, and Temperance - America as an independent nation – War of 1812, Monroe Doctrine
- Sectionalism vs. Nationalism – Plantation vs. Industrial System Work, Exchange, and Technology - Interstate commerce conflict – state vs. federal power
- Industrialism of the North vs. Plantations/Cash crops of the South - Transportation – Canals, Railroads, Toll Roads, American System - Farming technology – cotton gin and Steele plow
- Industrial technology – steam engine, sewing machine, spinning jenny, water frame, interchangeable parts
Migration and Settlement - Regional differences (Sectionalism) – political, social (including religious), economic – North vs. South vs. West
- Technology – Telegraph and Railroad
- Westward expansion – Oregon/Santa Fe Trail, Mormons, Settlement of Texas, Conflict with Mexico, conflict with Indians and Europeans
- Slavery in the South – slave trade
- Movement of American Indians West – Indian Removal Act, Trail of Tears - Early immigration – Irish, Germans (cities, west of Appalachians)
Politics and Power - Federal vs State Rights! – court cases, Nullification, - New Political Parties – Federalists, Democrats, Whigs
- Gaining new land and territory expansion – Adams-Onis, Louisiana Purchase, 54-40 or Fight
- Slave vs. Free state states fight for power! – Missouri Compromise - New rules about elections/citizenship – 10-12th amendments
America in the World
- War of 1812 – Impact on America’s role in the world
- Mexican American War – Impact on America’s role in the Americas
- European vs. American interests in the Americas – 54-40 or Fight!, Adams-Onis Treaty, Oregon trail, Settlement of Texas
Geography and Environment - Western Movement – Frontier is being “civilized”
- Industrialization of the North – pollution, urbanization, deforestation - Plantations of the south – deforestation, large scale farming
Culture and Society - New ideas about religion – Second Great Awakening, Methodist Church, AME Church, etc.
- Equality Movements - Abolition, Temperance, Suffrage
