American History
Pre-Revolution 1600s
American History
People
American History Pre-Revolution 1600-1700s
American History Pre-Revolution 1700s
End of Salutary Neglect Leading to Revolution
100
-Established 1607 -Named for James I (1566-1625), Queen Elizabeth's successor in England. -James I granted charters for charter colonies in the New World -In 1607, the Virginia Company of London settled here, the first permanent English settlement -Swampy location led to disease adn contaminated water sources -Depite location and hostile relations with Native Americans, John Smith's harsh, charismatic leadership of the colony kept it from collapsing -In 1619, African slaves arrived here, becoming the first group of slaves to reach a British settlement
Jamestown
100
-1632 to 1704 -was a major English political philosopher of the Enlightenment -Isaac Newton theorized Natural Law in the realm of science; __ followed him, trying to identify Natural Law in the human realm -His assertion of Natural Law changed the perspective of the social contract theory; he believed that if the above rights were not protected, governments could be overthrown justly -Prior to ___, there existed a theory of social contracts--people accept certain restrictions on themselves for the benefit of their society; these restrictions are upheld by a sovereign power -his ideas became the indirect theory of American political activity for leaders such as Benjamin Franklin
John Locke
100
-1600-1700s -European merchants purchased African slaves with goods manufactured in Europe or imported from Asian colonies -These merchants sold slaves in the Caribbean for commodities (sugar, cotton, tobacco) -Caribbean commodities were later sold in Europe and North America -useful for all parties because it was an exchange of goods, not money
Triangular Trade
100
-1748 to 1763 -Also known as the 7 Years War in Europe -Rivalry between France, Britain, and various Native American tribes over land in the Ohio region -it was one of a series of wars fought between France and England throughout the world at the time -battles continued on European and American fronts until Britain gained control of Canada -It was in these conflicts that George Washington first appeared as an able military leader
French and Indian War
100
-1750s to 1770s -Court orders that authorized customs officials to conduct non-specific searches to stop colonial smuggling -Allowed for the searching of homes, warehouses, and shops -James Otis served as a prosecutor in a failed Massachusetts legal case; he argued that these searches were contrary to natural law -Later, the Fourth Amendment would protect citizens against "unreasonable searches and seizures"
Writs of Assistance
200
-1600s -Poor workers, convicted criminals, and debtors received immigration passage and fees in return for a number of years at labor on behalf of a planter or company -Servants entered into their contracts voluntarily and kept some legal rights -However, servants had little control over the conditions of their work and living arrangements; system led to harsh and brutal treatment
Indenture System
200
-1708-1778 -Britain's capable and energetic prime minister -after several humiliating defeats, he led Britain to virtually destroy the French empire in North America by focusing on the French headquarters in Canada -The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended hostilities
William Pitt
200
-1650 to 1673 -certain goods shipped from a New World port were to go only to Britain or to another New World port -Enumerated goods from the colonies, like sugar, cotton, and tobacco, were to be provided only to England -Served as the foundation of England's worldwide commercial system -Though for the benefit of all subjects of the British Empire, its provisions benefitted some New World colonies at the expense of others -Intended as a weapon in England's ongoing struggle against its rival, Holland -led to increased tensions between Britain and the colonies
Navigation Acts
200
-1720s to 1740s -a series of emotional religious revivals occurring throughout the colonies and prevalent in New England -Preachers proclaimed a message of personal repentence and faith to avoid hell -suggested an equality between an authority (God) and a fixed standard (the Bible) -helped lay the foundation for a written "contract" which would be important to the establishment of the future United States Constitution -George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards became the most dynamic preachers of this time
The First Great Awakening
200
-1763 -Was a result of Pontiac's Rebellion, a Native American uprising against the British for their mistreatment -Forbade white settlement west of the Appalachians to reduce friction between Native Americans and the settlers -Stated that Native Americans owned the land on which they were residing -Outraged colonists believed that the successful outcome of teh French and Indian War should have allowed settlement in the Ohio Valley
Proclamation of 1763
300
-1619 -Representative assembly -Election to a seat was limited to voting members of the charter colony, which at first was all free men; later rules required that a man own at least fifty acres of land to vote -first representative house in America -Instituted private ownership of land; maintained rights of colonists
Virginia House of Burgesses
300
-1706-1790 -Was a colonial writer, scientist, diplomat, printer, and philosopher -Published the Pennsylvania Gazette and wrote Poor Richard's Almanac -Served in the Second Continental congress and was a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence
Benjamin Franklin
300
-1650 to 1673 -Boosted the prosperity of New Englanders, who engaged in large-scale shipbuilding -hurt the residents of the Chesapeake by driving down the price of tobacco -transferred wealth from America to Britain by increasing the price Americans had to pay for British goods and lowering the prices Americans received for the goods they produced -mercantilism also helped bring on a series of wars between England and Holland in the late 1600s
Effects of the Navigation Acts
300
-Post 1740s -America's religious community came to be divided between those who rejected it and those who accepted it -More denominations of Christianity were formed -While it created conflict among those who argued the points of religion, its ideas helped build connections between people living in different colonies -a number of colleges were founded by those who accepted the Great Awakening, including Princeton, Brown, and Rutgers
Effects of the First Great Awakening
300
-1764 -It taxed goods imported to America to raise revenue for England after it incurred debt during the French and Indian War -Strictly enforced, unlike the Molasses Act of 1733 -Taxed goods included imports such as wine, cloth, coffee, and silk
Sugar Act
400
-System, introduced in 1618, used by the Virginia Company to attract colonists; it promised them parcels of land (roughly fifty acres) to emigrate to America. -Also gave nearly fifty acres for each servant that a colonist brought, allowing the wealthy to obtain large tracts of land.
Headright System
400
-1703 to 1758 -preacher of the Great Awakening who emphasized personal religious experience, predestination, and dependence of man upon God adn divine grace -one of his well-read sermons was "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" -While he is known for being one of the most prominent Calvinists, the Great Awakening was paritally responsible for the spreading of the idea that salvation was possible without predestined election, an important Calvinist belief
Jonathan Edwards
400
-1754 -Delegates of seven colonies met in New York to discuss plans for collective defense -Pennsylvania delegate, Benjamin Franklin, proposed a plan for an intercolonial government; the plan was later rejected by the colonial legislature as demanding too great a surrender of power -while the other colonies showed no support for the idea, it was an important precedent for the concept of uniting in the face of a common enemy
Albany Plan
400
-1700s -Connects to the idea of Deism, in which the universe was created by God and then abandoned; no supernatural controls would be exerted and all things were explainable by reason -philosophy dictated that human reason was adequate to solve mankind's problems and, correspondingly, much less faith was needed in the central role of God as an active force in the universe -idea moved from Europe to become the New World's seed of culture, intellectualism, and society -some important writers include Isaac Newton, John Locke, and Rene Descartes, whose basic tenet of philosophical theory existed in the phrase, "I think, therefore, I am."
The Enlightenment
400
-1765 -Act that required the colonies in which British troops were stationed to provide soldiers with bedding and other basic needs -Colonists reacted negatively, fearing a standing army and disliking the additional costs -After the emergence of the United States Constitution, the Third Amendment protected citizens against the stationing of troops in their homes
Quartering Act
500
-1600s -Because slaves were only a small percentage of the population, they began at almost the same level of indentured servants -later in the century, Africans came to be seen as lifelong slaves whose status would be inherited by their children -increased importation and population of Africans in the southern colonies began
Black Slaves in the 1600s
500
-1712 to 1770 -British Prime Minister who set out to solve the large national debt incurred in recent English wars -Created a series of acts that raised taxes on American goods, leadin gto rebellious activities -His acts included the Proclamation of 1763, Sugar Act (1763), Stamp Act (1765), and Quartering Act (1765)
George Grenville
500
-1699 -All wool that was produced in the colonies could only be exported to Britain -act restricted Ireland in its wool manufacturing, resulting in many Irish immigrants moving to the American colonies -the act was meant to protect Britain's own exports of wool at the expense of both the colonies and Ireland
Wool Act
500
-1763 -Ended the Seven Years War -From France, Britain took Canada and some of what would become the United States east of the Mississippi River -France lost all of its North American holdings -Spain took the Louisiana Territory -Treaty marked the end of salutary neglect, a relationship in which the British Parliament had somewhat ignored the colonies, allowing them to develop their character without interference
Treaty of Paris 1763
500
-1766 -Act giving Britain the power to tax and make laws for the Americans in all cases -followed repeal of the Stamp Act -colonists ignored the wording of it
Declaratory Act
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