1. COLONIAL
AMERICA

2. What is a colony? A colony is an area that is under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by citizens from that country.

3. The three colonial powers of North America from about the 1500’s on were Spain, Britain, and France. They each claimed huge areas of the continent, but soon realized that claiming and controlling this land were two very different things. Territory changed hands a lot, as you will see.

4. Around 1700, Spain, France and Britain still claimed the following territories.

5. Spain
France
England
Mississippi River

6. From 1756 to 1763, Britain and France were engaged in a War known as the Seven Years’ War. They battled for naval and colonial supremacy.

7. This war spilled over to their colonies in the Americas
This war spilled over to their colonies in the Americas. Because many groups of Native Americans allied themselves with the French, this war became known as the French and Indian War in the Americas.

9. When France lost the war in 1763, they suddenly were no longer a colonial power in America.

10. Under the Treaty of Paris of 1763, Great Britain gained Canada and all French land east of the Mississippi River. Spain received New Orleans and all French land west of the Mississippi.

11. Map #
Spain
France
England
Mississippi River

12. The American Revolution
Thirteen years later, in 1776,
Americans east of the
Mississippi River began their
fight for independence from
England. In 1787, British
territory became the United States.

13. Spain aided the Americans in their fight for independence
Spain aided the Americans in their fight for independence. One Spaniard who stood out in this effort was Bernardo de Galvez, for whom the city of Galveston was named. He was the governor of Spanish held Louisiana at the time.

14. Bernardo de
Galvez

15. Galvez aided the American colonists by: 1
Galvez aided the American colonists by: 1. opening the port of New Orleans to American ships 2. giving money, weapons, and other supplies to the Americans 3. recruiting soldiers to keep Louisiana and the Mississippi River out of British hands.

16. In 1800, Spain was forced to give its part of the Louisiana territory back to France because of a treaty with Napoleon. Spain, however, continued to administer (rule) it for the next three years.

17. Map #
Spain
France
United States
Mississippi River

18. In 1803, France, who had lost most of its holdings in the western hemisphere, sold its Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million. This doubled the size of the United States. This sale was known as the Louisiana Purchase.

20. With the signing of the Louisiana Purchase, Spain and the U. S
With the signing of the Louisiana Purchase, Spain and the U.S. quarreled about the border of their two lands. In 1819, the Adams-Onis Treaty settled this dispute. Spain gave Florida to the U.S. and agreed to the Sabine River as the eastern boundary of Texas. In return, the United States gave up all claims of Texas being part of the Louisiana Purchase.

21. Map #
Spain
France
United States
Mississippi River

22. Mexican Independence from Spain
In the early 1800’s, many Mexicans
were becoming unhappy with Spanish rule. The best jobs in Mexico were reserved for men sent from Spain as administrators. Also, Spain increased Mexican taxes to help pay for wars in Europe.

23. Mexican independence from Spain came about as a result of an Indian uprising led by a poor priest. In 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla issued a call for freedom from Spain. It was called the “Grito de Dolores,” or “Cry of Sorrows.”

24. Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla

25. Father Miguel Hidalgo’s “Grito”: “My children: a new dispensation comes to us today. Will you receive it? Will you free yourselves? Will you recover the land stolen 300 years ago from your forefathers? … We must act at once… Will you not defend your religion and your rights as true patriots?”

26. A few months later, in 1811, Father Hidalgo was caught and executed
A few months later, in 1811, Father Hidalgo was caught and executed. His cause, however, would continued for ten more years until its success in 1821, when Mexico broke free of Spanish rule.