Discovery, Conquest, Encounter

Spain and the New World Christopher Columbus was a Genoese sailor in the service of Spain. –He Spent Years Trying to Gain a Sponsor for His Voyages –Columbus was Convinced that Asia was Only 3000 Miles West of Europe Spanish Monarchy Had Two Goals in Subsidizing Columbus: –Finding New Trade Routes—Why? –Converting Pagan Peoples to Christianity—Why?

Christopher Columbus “Letter to the Sovereigns on His First Voyage” How did Columbus perceive the people he encountered? –What did he admire about them? –In what way(s) did he consider them inferior? –Why did Columbus feel that his discoveries would greatly benefit Spain? How do you think these perceptions shaped the interaction between Europeans and Native Americans? –How do the peoples Columbus encountered seem to have perceived the Europeans?

Bartolome de las Casas “The Very Brief Relation of the Devastation of the Indies” What is de las Casas’ Background? –What is his attitude toward the Native Americans of Hispaniola? –Toward his fellow Europeans? –What are the atrocities he witnesses? What institution do the Spanish come to employ in the Caribbean? –Why? –What especially embitters de las Casas towards his fellow Europeans?

The English Colonization of North America What experience was the model for all subsequent English colonization? –How would this influence the interaction between English setters and native peoples? What was the first permanent English colony in the New World? –Who were the first settlers? –What was the colony’s history?

John Smith and Powhatan “The Chesapeake Indians” and “Speech to Captain John Smith” How does John Smith describe the Native Americans of Virginia? –Who does most of the work in the tribes he observes—how might this color his perception of these people? What does Powhatan propose in his speech to John Smith? –What is his major argument? –Do you think that the English would find this line of reasoning compelling?

New England Pilgrims, Puritans, and Presbyterians were all dissenters from the Church of England –Pilgrims just wanted to be left alone to worship God –Their Puritan cousins wanted worldly and spiritual success –They came to New England to show how successful the Godly could be.

John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, and the Massachusetts General Court “A Model of Christian Charity,” Two Poems, and “Provoking Evils” “A Model of Christian Charity” –How does Winthrop view social divisions? –In what way(s) does he justify them? –What is the covenant between God and the Puritans? –How democratic do you think their society was? “Two Poems” –What impression do these poems give you of life in Puritan New England? “Provoking Evils” –Why does the court feel God is punishing New England? –What must the people do? –How tolerant of diversity does Puritan New England appear to have been? –What do you think this atmosphere would have led to?

The Origins of Slavery in British North America The Chesapeake Bay colonies’ labor force was primarily indentured servants at first –What were indentured servants? –Africans initially treated much as white indentured servants Chattel slavery of Africans was increasingly preferred— why? –Bacon’s Rebellion (1676) –Religion played a greater role in establishing African slavery than ethnic difference—why?

The Virginia General Assembly and Venture Smith “Acts Defining Slavery” and “A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, A Native of Africa” “Acts Defining Slavery” –How does the status of Africans in Virginia gradually decline? –What term do these statutes use to refer to English settlers? –What is especially significant about the third example? “A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, A Native of Africa” –What do you find noteworthy about Venture’s early life? –How did he become a slave? –Where did he spend his servitude? –What do you find noteworthy about Venture’s life as a slave? –How did he gain his freedom?

Benjamin Franklin “Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries, &c.” What does Franklin feel is the chief difference between Europe and America? How does he feel about slavery—what does he see as its effects? What is Franklin’s forecast for the future of the British Empire? How does he seem to feel about ethnic diversity?

Next Class Read: Start 500 Years Section 2 Topic: The Age of Reason and the New Republic