Beginnings

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Beginnings The Old World Colonization of the
New World
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I. Two Worlds

• Before Columbus, the peoples of the Eastern and
  Western Hemispheres were unaware of each other

• Pre-1492 world map made in Europe

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• People had originally spread from Asia to the
  Americas across a land bridge, which had long
  since been covered up by a post-ice age rise in
  sea level

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• These places are often referred to as the
• Old World Europe, Africa, and Asia
• New World the Americas
• (no one cares about Australia just forget it!)

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II. Two Worlds Collide

• After the fall of the Roman Empire (in the 5th
  century AD, but you dont have to know this)
  Europe experienced a period of relative
  backwardness
• think Middle Ages, Black Plague, castles, etc.
• Then, in the 14th century (1300s), Europe
  experienced a Renaissance
• Rebirth of culture
• In other words, because of a boom in trade and
  wealth, Europeans began to advance culturally
  (art, architecture, science, etc.)

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• One important part of this cultural explosion was
  the Age of Exploration
• You already know this ? Columbus, Magellan, De
  Gama, etc.
• Europeans rediscovered the New World
• In fact, the name New World was a European term
  meant to show that these two new continents were
  new to them

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• European powers competed to grab as much of the
  new land as possible
• The Native American inhabitants were helpful-
  they agreed to have very low immunities to
  European diseases and to die off, leaving the
  land free to be conquered
• The Native American plagues killed 90 of the
  native population of the New World ? at least
  twice as devastating as the black plague in
  Europe.
• Immunities story (if time)

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• Successful colonists were the Spanish, French,
  English, and Portuguese
• How could you have guessed these countries?
• Germans, Poles, Swedes, Italians not so much

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III. Life in European-controlled America

• Scramble for wealth
• Some countries yielded immediate sources of
  wealth
• Gold, Silver, etc.
• Others had slower, longer-term wealth
• Farming, timber, etc.
• The original 13 American colonies, controlled by
  Britain, were in the latter category (no
  gold/silver)

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• Willing Colonization
• Many of the Europeans who came to the Americas
  were social outcasts
• e.g., the poor or those who wanted to practice
  unaccepted religions
• Think about it? if you are a wealthy person in
  Europe, you dont leave to go to a frontier with
  hostile Indians and few modern luxuries

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• Unwilling Colonization ? Slavery
• Not a ton of slavery in Europe
• already crowded
• plenty of people willing to work for cheap
• no need for slaves
• New World means land on an unimaginable scale
• Intense need for workers to do crappy jobs ?
  clearing land, picking cotton, pulling weeds,
  etc.

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• African slaves
• Why Africans?
• Native Americans have died off
• Europeans have trouble dealing with malaria which
  exists in most farmable areas Africans have much
  stronger immunities
• The Middle Passage
• Harsh and terrible transportation of Africans to
  the New World
• Millions of Africans brought ? may have a tiny
  bit of importance to later American history

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IV. Who is in Charge in the New World Europeans
or their Colonists?

• Europeans own the colonies
• However, it is often impractical for decisions
  about colonial issues to be made in Europe. Why?
• 6 week voyage across the ocean
• British colonists in American colonies already
  have an independent streak. Thats what caused
  them to move to the New World
• British colonists develop a tradition of
  independence and local authority, despite being
  officially ruled by Britain

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• There is a quiz to test comprehension of this
  lecture in the tests file.

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Hansen Name _____________________U.S.
History Period _________ Beginnings-
The Old World Colonization of the New
World Note-Taking Guide

• One important part of this cultural explosion was
  
• European powers competed to grab as much of the
  new land as possible.

• I. Two Worlds
• Before Columbus
• People had originally spread to the Americas from
  Asia
• Old World v New World

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• (cont.)
• IV. Who is in charge of the New World- Europeans
  or their colonists?

• I. Life in European-Controlled America
• Scramble for wealth
• Willing Colonization