Colonizing North America

Colonizing North America

Roman Catholic Religion Until the 1500’s, the Roman Catholic Church was the only church in Western Europe.

Protestant Religion In 1517, German monk Martin Luther publicly challenged many practices of the Catholic Church. Soon after, he split with the Church. Believed Church had become too worldly. He opposed the power of popes. He objected to the Catholic teaching that believers could gain eternal life by performing good works. Luther argued that people could be saved only by faith in God. The Protestant Reformation divided Europe.

Jacques Cartier Sailed for the French During the 1530’s, traveled more than halfway up the river now known as the St. Lawrence.

Henry Hudson English explorer. In 1609 sailed for the Dutch. Entered present-day New York harbor. Continued to sail some 150 miles up the river that now bears his name. In 1610, sailing for the English, he spent a harsh winter in present-day Hudson Bay. His crew rebelled and set Hudson, his son, and seven loyal sailors adrift in a small boat, never to be seen again.

Samuel De Champlain In 1605, founded Port Royal, the first permanent French settlement in North America. Three years later, he led another group of settlers along the route Cartier had pioneered. On a rocky cliff high above the St. Lawrence River, Champlain built trading post of Quebec.

Peter Minuit In 1626, led a group of Dutch settlers to the mouth of the Hudson River. Bought Manhattan Island from the local Indians. Called his settlement New Amsterdam.

Quebec Three years later, Samuel De Champlain led another group of settlers along the route Cartier had pioneered. On a rocky cliff high above the St. Lawrence River, Champlain built a trading post known as Quebec.

New Amsterdam Dutch settlement established by Peter Minuit. From a tiny group of 30 houses, grew into a busy port.

With little gold or silver, focused on fishing, trapping, & trading Unlike Spain’s American empire. Coureurs de bois: French colonists who lived & worked in the woods. Runners of the Woods The French brought knives, kettles, cloth. Indians traded beaver skins and other furs.

Trading ports and good business sense The Dutch also built trading posts along the Hudson River. Most important port was Fort Orange, today Albany. Dutch merchants became known for good business sense.

Friendly relationships with Native Americans Unlike the Spanish, the French did not attempt to conquer the Indians. Because coureurs de bois did not build farms, they did not interfere with Indian lands. Many Indians taught the French trapping and survival skills, such as how to make snowshoes and canoes. Many coureurs married Indian women.

National & Religious Diversity The Dutch welcomed people of many nations & religions to their colony.

Expanded to Mississippi from Great Lakes to Louisiana French trappers followed St. Lawrence River into N America. Led by Indian guides, they reached the Great Lakes. Marquette and Joliet set out to reach the Mississippi in 1673. 9 years later, Robert de La Salle completed the journey to the Gulf of Mexico, naming the region Louisiana in honor of the French king, King Louis XIV. To keep Spain and England out of Louisiana, the French built forts in the north along the Great Lakes & New Orleans.

Acquired New Sweden (Along Delaware River) The Dutch enlarged New Netherland in 1655 by taking over the colony of New Sweden. The Swedes had established New Sweden along the Delaware River some 15 years earlier.

Influenced by African slave trade French colonists imported thousands of Africans to work as slaves on nearby plantations. In Louisiana, free and enslaved Africans together made up the majority of settlers.

Influenced by traditions like ice skating, St. Nick, & words The Dutch brought many of their customs from Europe to New Netherland. In winter, frozen rivers and ponds filled with skaters. Every year on Saint Nicholas’s birthday, Dutch children put out their shoes to be filled with all sorts of presents. boss, yachts, cookies, sleighs

The Search for a Northwest Passage Throughout the 1500’s, European nations continued to look for new ways to reach the riches of Asia. They wanted to discover a northwest passage: a shorter waterway through or around North America.

Missionary Work Catholic missionaries often traveled with fur traders. A missionary is a person who goes to another land to win converts for a religion. French missionaries worked to teach Native Americans about Christianity. The arrival of Europeans affected Native Americans in other ways: missionaries tried to convert Indians to Christianity.

Fur Trade / Rivalry Dutch traders sent furs to the Netherlands. The Dutch and the French became rivals in the fur trade. Both sought alliances with Native Americans.

Alliances with Native Americans Because the Dutch and the French became rivals in the fur trade, both sought alliances with Native Americans. Alliance: An agreement between nations to aid and protect one another. Dutch: Made friends with the Iroquois French: Helped by the Hurons

Diseases As in New Spain, European diseases killed thousands of Indians.

Overtrapping The scramble for furs also led to overtrapping. By 1640, trappers had almost wiped out the beavers on Iroquois lands in upstate New York.

Trade goods adopted by Native Americans Indians eagerly adopted European trade goods, such as copper kettles and knives. They also bought muskets & gunpowder for hunting & warfare. Alcohol sold by European traders had a harsh effect on Native American life.

Native American Warfare Fighting raged for years among the Europeans and their Native American allies. Rivalry over the fur trade increased Indian warfare as European settlers encouraged their Native American allies to attack one another.

Colonizing North America