COLONIALISM IN NORTH AMERICA

European Exploration: Exploration between 1500-1700 made Europeans realize the world is really BIG = Lots of opportunities to get rich! Europeans want markets + raw materials= race for global dominance 4 countries in the race for North America France, England, Spain & Russia

Colonialism Colonialism is when one country populates and controls land outside its own borders usually to extract wealth & resources to help build an empire

Mercantilism Mercantilism was the primary system of trade used from the 16th to 18th Century. European countries accumulated as much wealth as possible through trading with their colonies….buying basic natural resources (timber, fur, fish etc) and selling products back to the colonies The French, Spanish & British competed for wealth & colonies

British Mercantilist System

SPAIN Spain had colonies stretching from South America to BC They had problems colonizing/ settling all this land, and couldn’t defend all that space from attack Spain stayed in the South (Mexico Argentina speak Spanish!)

BRITAIN Britain colonizes in Eastern America Settlers attracted by promises of land ownership, freedom, independence and opportunity Many settlers are religious Puritans who go to America to practice their religion freely!

FRANCE France established colonies along the St Lawrence River and extending inland. Catholic Priests, called Jesuits, tried to convert the First Nations to Catholicism to build closer ties and loyalty to France (Britain is Protestant)

JESUITS IN NEW FRANCE

COLONIES Colonies were ruled and governed by the home country… They existed to make the home country rich by supplying raw materials, which the ‘home’ country would use to manufacture goods to sell. Colonies were not allowed to sell resources to anyone else, and had to buy manufactured goods from the ‘mother country’

IMPACT ON FIRST NATIONS Trade did bring metal utensils (pots, knives) and guns which improved the FN standard of living. Europeans unintentionally brought new diseases that devastated many First Nations communities Smallpox went on to kill more than 50% of First Nations in North America Europeans thought they were superior, viewed the First Nations as ‘godless savages’ that need to be civilized. They viewed the ‘new world’ land as uninhabited and claimed ownership They didn’t understand why the First Nations were so upset !

ESSENTIAL QUESTION HOW DID EUROPEAN COLONIZATION INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH AMERICA ?