Chapter 3: Section 2

U.S. and Canadian History

2.1 Exploration and Colonization

Main Idea

European colonization of North America brought settlers from several countries and permanently changed life on the continent.

Beginning

❖ 1400s Native Americans lived on the continent and adapted to the environment that they lived in.

Europe meets Native America

❖ 1492 Columbus sails from Spain and arrived in the islands of the Caribbean.

❖ Part of a period of European exploration of the Americas.

❖ They came in search of the three G’s:

➢ God, Gold, and Glory.

❖ Native Americans were forever changed with the arrival of Europeans:➢ they brought

diseases and made large settlements that displaced them.

Continued...

❖ late 1500s Europeans began to colonize or build settlements and develop trade in lands that they controlled.

❖ St. Augustine, Jamestown, Plymouth, New Sweden, etc.

❖ mostly small settlements where people farmed, traded furs, or did craft work.

❖ European powers began to fight over land: British and French fought more than once over their colonies.

Slavery in the Colonies

❖ The south had plantations, or large farms that grow crops for profit.

❖ They needed more than just the regular labor force.

❖ Thousands of Africans were forced into slavery and brought to the colonies.

King Cotton

As the production of cotton increased in the South, the population of slaves dramatically increased.The Southern economy would become more and more dependent on slave labor.

2.2 Settling Quebec

Main Idea: Conflict between the British and the French shaped the

development of Canada.

❖ As the colonies grew the British and French competed with each other over land.

Founding New France

❖ 1534 Jacques Cartier claimed the area around the Gulf of the St. Lawrence as New France.

❖ he traveled farther to present-day Montreal.

❖ Exploration opened up valuable fur trade with Native Americans.

❖ French traders exchanged goods for beaver pelts.

Beaver Pelt “High Hats”

Continued...

❖ 1600s Samuel de Champlain built Quebec-the first major settlement of New France.

❖ 1672 Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette left New France and explored the Mississippi River.

❖ They learned that the river ended in Spanish Territory into the Gulf of Mexico.

Life in New France

❖ Most people in New France farmed.

❖ The soil was not as productive as in the American colonies and the South.

❖ Colder climate and shorter growing season.

❖ Population of New France never grew very large.

❖ The French generally got along better with Native Americans.

Voyageurs

❖ They were adventurous men who traveled the area to trade with Native Americans for furs.

Missionaries

❖ They were sent by the Roman Catholic Church to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

The British Take Control

❖ British and French were rivals for control of the region.

❖ 1754 they went to war over an area of the upper Ohio River.

❖ The bigger issue was which culture would be a stronger influence in North America.

❖ Britain had a greater military and financial resources-they conquered Quebec in 1760 and gained control of New France.

Continued...

❖ Britain needed the French subjects in Quebec on their side because there was trouble with the American colonies.

❖ Quebec Act-1774

➢ established a French law system.

➢ allowed freedom to practice their religion(Catholic)

➢ Following the American Revolution many colonists loyal to Britain traveled to Quebec.

2.3 Revolution and

IndependenceMain Idea: The American colonists fought for and won independence from

Britain.

❖ American colonists began to have problems with their ruling country-Britain on how to govern their new land.

Trouble in the Colonies

❖ 1700s British government passed several new laws for taxes in the colonies-a tax is a fee demanded by the government to pay for public services.

❖ Angry about the new taxes the colonists protested, or objected to, British control.

❖ 1773-Boston Tea Party-angry colonists dumped a shipment of tea from Britain into Boston harbor in protest of taxes on tea.

❖ To punish the colonies Britain passed more laws.

❖ these punishments made the colonist more determined to govern themselves.

❖ The colonists were ready for revolution.

The American Revolution

❖ April 19, 1775-violence erupted in Lexington and Concord, MA.

❖ British soldiers sent to destroy military supplies of colonial rebels.

❖ One rebel, Paul Revere, alerted the Minutemen, colonists who were standing ready to fight at only a minute’s warning.

❖ These problems led to the armed conflict known as the Revolutionary War.

1776 colonial leaders signed the Declaration of Independence, claiming rights for America as an independent country.

continued...

❖ Benjamin Franklin traveled to France to ask for French support.

❖ The French loaned money and sent troop and ships.

❖ Marquis de Lafayette became an officer in the Patriot army and helped General George Washington.

❖ General Washington led us to a final victory in Yorktown, VA and the British surrendered in 1781.

❖ the two sides signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783 which formally resolved the issues between Britain and the U.S. ➢ It recognized

American independence.

➢ set the borders of the U.S.

Lasting Effects

❖ Worldwide impact

➢ assistance from French aided the Americans but it also contributed to economic trouble for France and its own revolution.

➢ The American example also helped inspire revolutions in Haiti and Central America.

➢ Many who were still loyal to Britain moved to Canada, increasing the British presence there.

2.4 U.S. Constitution

Main Idea: After the Revolution, Americans created a government

based on a balance of power and the rights of the people.

❖ 1781-1789 the U.S. was government by the Articles of Confederation-was not effective.

A New Plan

● 1789 American leaders begin writing a constitution-a document that organizes a government and states its powers.

● The document needed to grant freedoms to individuals and limit government.

● Differences in northern and southern states had to be addressed.

❖ Officially approved in 1789.

❖ establishes government on five principles:➢ Separation of

Powers➢ Federalism➢ Democracy➢ Limited government➢ checks and

balances.

Bill of Rights

❖ The U.S. Constitution has lasted so long because it can be changed.

➢ Amendments-formal changes to the law can be added.

Continued...

Three branches of government

2.5 Expansion and

Industrialization

Main Idea: During the 1800s, the United States

expanded its territory and industries.

❖ after the Revolutionary War the territory of the U.S. stretched to the Mississippi.

❖ 1803 President Jefferson doubled the size by adding the Louisiana Purchase.

Settling the West

❖ Many Americans believed we had the right to expand our territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean-most of which was owned by Spain and then Mexico.

❖ The idea was called Manifest Destiny.

❖ 1804 Lewis and Clark explored the newly purchased land all the way to the Pacific and back again.

❖ The exploration helped the U.S. lay claim to territory in Oregon.

❖ 1840s thousands of American pioneers began settling the new territory.

❖ The demand for land also led to the Indian Removal Act which placed Native Americans in reservations away from their homelands.

Trail of Tears

❖ The forced removal of Cherokee from their lands.

❖ 116-day journey to Oklahoma.

Industrialization

❖ After independence industries grew, especially textiles.

❖ 1813 production of cloth was completely mechanized.

❖ Industrialization-the shift to large-scale production-continued to expand throughout the 19th century.

❖ The construction of the Erie Canal in 1825 and the completion of the Transcontinental railroad in 1869 helped make shipping and industry easier across the U.S.

2.6 Civil War and

Reconstruction

Main Idea: Differences between Northern and

Southern states led to the Civil War.

❖ The division between North and South became even worse with the issues of slavery and abolition.

Causes of the Civil War

❖ After the election of pro-abolition president Abraham Lincoln in 1860 11 Southern states would secede or leave the Union.

❖ Lincoln declared those states in rebellion.

❖ Confederate troops would attack Fort Sumter beginning the Civil War.

Conduct of the War

❖ It lasted 4 years-1861-1865

❖ the Confederates won many battles but the Union had a larger military and stronger economy with more resources.

❖ January 1, 1863-Emancipation Proclamation-freed all slaves in Confederate territory.

❖ Also 1863 Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address-to honor those who had died in that key battle.

Eventually the resources and economy of the North proved too strong, and the Confederacy surrendered in 1865.

Reconstruction After the War

❖ Racial tensions, desperate poverty, and hostility toward the U.S. government were still present in the South.

❖ Reconstruction-the effort to rebuild and reunite the states as one nation.

❖ Many southerners did not allow freed slaves to have the freedoms that they had earned.

❖ The government sent troops to protect them.

❖ 1877 Reconstruction ended and it would be almost a century before the federal government would help African Americans again.

2.7 World Conflict

Main Idea: In the 20th and 21st centuries, the United

States became increasingly involved in world affairs and

conflicts.

❖ As the population and prosperity grew so did economic power which made it difficult for the country to remain neutral.

World War I

❖ War broke out in 1914 in Europe: Russia, France and Britain-the allies-fought the Central Powers led by Germany.

❖ The U.S. had alliances with France and Britain.

❖ U.S. stayed neutral-didn’t take a side.

❖ German submarines sank the Lusitania-the U.S. could no longer remain neutral.

❖ When the war ended the peace treaty that was signed was very harsh with the Germans.

World War II and the Cold War

❖ The U.S. stock market crashed in 1929 and set off a series of events the led to worldwide economic trouble called the Great Depression.

❖ 1933 Adolf Hitler rose to power promising to restore Germany’s political power.

❖ He became a dictator and planned to conquer all of Europe.

❖ He invaded Poland in 1939 and started WWII.

❖ The U.S. stayed neutral until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

❖ After years of fighting Germany surrendered in May 1945.

❖ Japan continued to fight until we dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Human Cost

❖ The Holocaust-Hitler’s organized murder of Jews and other groups was responsible for an estimated 6 million people.

❖ Overall 50 million people were killed, mostly in Europe and the Soviet Union.

❖ The Soviet Union and the U.S. had many differences and entered into a Cold War-a long period of political tension without fighting.

❖ The Soviet Union promoted communism.

❖ The Cold War ended in 1991 with the end of the Soviet Union.

Terrorism and Modern Conflict

❖ Terrorism-a new type of warfare where terrorists use violence to achieve political results.