Ch. 16: Colonial Settlements Vocabulary: frontier, long hunters, indentured servants, Daniel Boone

Settling into Tennessee After Great Britain controlled the thirteen colonies, some colonists wanted to move across the Appalachian Mountains. They had heard this area was good for hunting and farming. The problem was that this land was already promised to the Native Americans.

Settling into Tennessee In 1769 American settlers began moving from Virginia and North Carolina across the mountains into what is now East Tennessee. They first built a town called Watauga, near the Watauga River. After that more people started coming. They came across right before the American Revolution, why do you think they came across the mountains when they did?

The Long Hunters Travelling alone, or in small groups, the long hunters made long trips into the forests of Tennessee and Kentucky. They hunted deer and started bartering with the Native Americans for guns, kettles, knives, mirrors, rum. The Native Americans traded furs and pelts from beaver, raccoon, foxes, and deer. One of the most famous long hunters was Daniel Boone.

Daniel Boone A skilled hunter and trapper, Daniel Boone is best known for widening the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap in the Appalachian Mountains. Even though, it could only be travelled on foot or horseback, it was the most travelled route to the West. More than 200,000 settlers travelled through the Cumberland Gap.

The Settlement of Nashville In 1779, two groups left from East Tennessee travelling to Middle Tennessee at the same time. The wanted to live next to the Cumberland River. They heard the area was good for farming.

The Settlement of Nashville James Robertson’s group brought cattle with them. First they headed to Kentucky, then they went south to the Cumberland River. They arrived in December. They built some cabins and a fort called Fort Nashborough.

The Settlement of Nashville John Donelson’s group decided to travel by boat. They followed the Tennessee River, until it met the Cumberland River. They had lots of problems. They were attacked by Native Americans, slammed their boats on rocks in the river, some of them even became sick with smallpox. Thirty-three people died before they arrived in Fort Nashborough.

Reasons for Colonial Settlement Many people travelled to North America because of religious freedom. In the early 1600’s people in Scotland were being arrested for practicing their Protestant religion. The English passed many laws that said it was illegal. In order to keep worshipping the way they wanted to the Scottish Protestants moved to Ireland. But even that wasn’t far enough away and the British government still came after them. Eventually they moved to North America, but the land in the thirteen colonies was already taken. They moved over the mountains and settled in Tennessee.

Indentured Servants and the Enslaved Many people wanted to come to North America for the opportunities that it presented: free land, religious freedom, try to make a fortune. Not everyone could afford to travel across the Atlantic ocean. People that agreed to work for someone else for up to seven years, after they arrived in the Americas were called Indentured Servants.

Indentured Servants and the Enslaved Slaves, on the other hand, were forcibly captured and sent to the Americas to work for free without ever being let go.

Indentured Servants and the Enslaved Often families that were taken into slavery were split up when they were sold. Since they would never be free, many slaves tried to run away to freedom. If they did not make it, they would be severely punished. Some famous people like Henry “Box” Brown, Harriett Tubman, and Fredrick Douglass were runaway slaves.

Questions about Chapter 16 1.What hardships did the settlers of Nashville who travelled by boat face? 2.What is Daniel Boone best known for? 3.Fort Nashborough eventually became what city? 4.What were four reasons that people wanted to immigrate to the Americas? 5.What is the difference between an indentured servant and a slave?