American Pageant Notes:
How did John Calvin's teachings result in some Englishmen wanting to leave England? Some Puritans were motivated by Calvin to break off from England and the rest of their religious group to start brand new lives.
Explain the factors that contributed to the success of the Plymouth colony. The strong Puritan faith created a close religious community along with the available resources such as fur, fish, and lumber that helped the economy. Leaders such as William Bradford also kept the colony in order.
Why did the Puritans come to America? The Puritans no longer felt they had safety for themselves or their religion in England, so the Massachusetts Bay Company was formed to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the Puritans to start a new life.
How democratic was the Massachusetts Bay Colony? Explain. The colony was far from being a democracy, giving most rights exclusively to Puritan men or in some cases all men. For example, only Puritan men were allowed to vote in the colony.
What happened to people whose religious beliefs differed others in Massachusetts Bay Colony? The most common consequences for not having Puritan beliefs in the colony were fines, floggings, and as in the case of Anne Hutchinson, banishment. It was very rare that someone would be hanged but it did happen in extreme cases.
How was Rhode Island different than Massachusetts? Rhode Island had complete freedom of religion, and was a safe haven for people of any religion to seek refuge. This religious tolerance made the colony very unique and independent.
In what ways did the British North American colonies reflect their mother country? English influence is shown in the New England farming communities, Massachusetts becoming a fishing colony because most settlers had been fishermen in England, town names, and some political practices such as ruling with an iron hand.
Describe how Connecticut, Maine, and New Hampshire were settled. Connecticut was settled by a group of Boston Puritans, attracted by the valley of the Connecticut river. Maine had been settled by some fishermen and fur traders for sometime before the establishment of the Plymouth colony, was then purchased and kept as a part of Massachusetts until 150 years later. New Hampshire had also been settled for fishing and trade and was made a royal independent colony by the king.
Why did hostilities arise between Puritans and Native Americans? What was the result? The Puritans were spreading too far and invading the land of the Natives, and as a result, an epidemic was caused that killed over three-quarters of the natives. The epidemic was started by Europeans which already had the remaining Indians worried about the settlers.
Assess the following statement, "The British colonies were beginning to grow closer to each other by 1700." At this point, the colonies started to come together and carry out actions such as voting that depended on the others as a whole. The united colonies could also defend themselves together against the major threats of the Indians, the French, and the Dutch.
How did events in England affect the New England colonies' development? England imposed many changes and restrictions on the colonies. The Glorious Revolution angered the colonies caused them to fight back, and even tighter laws were re-enforced in return.
Explain how settlement by the Dutch led to the type of city that New York is today. New York had always been a sort of aristocratic colony with a lot of life and diversity, and being owned by the Dutch West India Company, business and stock were an important role. The importance of stock by the Dutch companies can be compared to today's Wall Street. All of these factors foreshadowed how New York City would be to this day.
"Vexations beset the Dutch company-colony from the beginning." Explain. Since the establishment of the Dutch company-colony there were constant issues that threatened the company such as the angry Indians retaliating the atrocious actions of the Dutch with massacres.
Do the Dutch have an important legacy in the United States? Explain. The Dutch have an important legacy mainly when it comes to New York because it seems to be the colony that absorbed the most Dutch influence.
What had William Penn and other Quakers experiences that would make them want a colony in America? Penn and other Quakers experienced a lot of discrimination by the people of England and even their own families. They wanted to come to America to be able to have religious freedom within their own piece of land to live in.
Why was Pennsylvania attractive to so many Europeans and Native Americans? Pennsylvania was such an attractive colony because it was very liberal. There was freedom of religion in this Quaker haven, and the quality of life was very good.
What do the authors mean when they say that the middle colonies were the most American? These middle colonies had good abundant soil to grow crops on and sustained other important resources. The rivers were also a key within these colonies. Another characteristic of these colonies was that they were racially diverse and religiously tolerant than the rest.
"The picture of colonial America that is emerging from all this new scholarship is of a society unique -and diverse- from its inception." Explain. This statement shows how far America had come from the time of the beginning of colonization, and how many changes have been brought about to shape America into its current state.
American Spirit Notes:
The Pilgrims Leave Holland: This shows how the Pilgrims had difficulty at first adjusting to their new lives in the colonies, especially because of the natives. They would have many conflicts with the Indians but would eventually be able to grow into their new land.
Framing the Mayflower Compact: The main idea and goal of the Mayflower Compact was to create fair and equal laws to all. This would establish the colony inhabited by the Pilgrims with the religious tolerance they came to America for.
Anne Hutchinson is Banished: This segment from Anne Hutchinson's case shows how important religion was to the colony and if it was misinterpreted, there would be severe consequences. This is an example of only one major case regarding religious issues and shows how everyone within the colony had to be careful with expressing their faith in the correct form.
Puritan Mistreatment of Quakers: This document shows how severe the hatred Puritans had towards the Quakers was, with varying punishments. Since Quakers did not take oaths, they would be fined, which shows that even their simplest belief could have put them in trouble with the Puritans.
Mary Rowlandson is Captured by Indians: This incredible story of survival shows how faith played a huge roll in Rowlandson's survival by often making references to the Lord. This story also shows how dangerous the Natives were and what horrible things they had done to the colonists.