1. Unit 2
Key Themes

2. Identity (ID)
How did gender, class, ethnic, religious, regional, and other group identities change from ?

3. Racial Hierarchy
The Spanish & French colonies accepted intermarriage and cross-racial sexual unions with native peoples (resulting in mestizo and metis populations
The English colonies attracted both males and females who rarely intermarried with either native peoples or Africans, leading to the development of a rigid racial hierarchy.

4. Slavery
British belief in racial and cultural superiority led them to enslave black people in perpetuity which altered African culture & kinship relationships in the colonies (ex. Gullah)
Led the British colonists into violent confrontations with slaves.

5. Covert & Overt Resistance to Slavery
Covert resistance was common (ex. sabotage)
Limited, but significant examples of overt rebellion included-
Stono Rebellion (1739) South Carolina
Prosser’s Rebellion (1800) Virginia

6. Native Americans
The English increased, over time, their efforts to reinforce their cultural views
Example: Praying towns for the Wampanoag in Massachusetts which sparked King Phillip's War in the 1670s and 1680s

7. America in the World (WOL)
How did events in North America from 1607 – 1754 relate to developments in the rest of the world?

8. European Rivalries
Competition over resources between European rivals led to conflicts within North America
Sometimes conflicts in Europe spread to the colonies as the French, Dutch, Spanish, and British armed American Indian groups that they traded with

9. Examples
The Beaver Wars: The Iroquois (backed by the British & Dutch) vs. the French backed Algonquin over control of the fur trade in the mid 1600s
The Chickasaw Wars: The Chickasaw (English backed) vs. the Choctaws (French backed) over control of the Mississippi River as a trade route in the early-mid 1700s.

10. British vs. Colonial Goals
The goals and interests of British leaders at times diverged from those of colonial citizens, leading to mistrust on both sides of the Atlantic

11. Examples
The Molasses Act (1733) was designed to promote British Caribbean sugar. It placed a tax on foreign molasses imported to the colonies (used to make rum). Colonists began to smuggle it in instead.
The Wool Act (1699) was designed to protect the fledgling wool industry in England. It prohibited the export of wool from the colonies.