American Revolution Notes

Age of Exploration

            -Columbus found Americas in 1492

            -First Spanish settlement in Florida in 1565

            -First British settlement in Jamestown in 1607

            -First French settlement in Quebec in 1608

America was found when Columbus wanted to find a sea route to China, when they found the rivers, they explored the backcountry and found all the land for business opportunities such as animals and farming.

French In America 

1.    1608 - After the settlement of Quebec, they began to explore the Great Lakes area and found the Mississippi River 

2.    1673 - Explorers went from end to end of the Mississippi

3.    1682 - After sailing the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico land which is now Louisiana was claimed for the King of France

4.    1688-1699 - The first French and Indian war ended indecisively

5.    1702-1713 – Queen Anne’s War ended with the transfer of Acadia, Hudson Bay and Newfoundland to England

6.    1715 – French start building forts along the Mississippi from New Orleans to Montreal

7.    1744-1748 – Second French Indian War ended indecisively but interrupted French fort buildings

8.    French begins building forts along the Ohio Valley to claim the land

9.    The Virginian Governor sent George Washington to move French out of the valley and build a fort near Pittsburg, but they were driven away

10.1754-1763 – After a slow start in America Britain wins Canada and takes all French colonies in the Americas. Then they sign the Treaty of Paris and Britain takes everything east of the Mississippi and Canada

11.1763 – The French abandon all North America 

Spanish in America

1.    1492 - Spain sends explorers 3000 miles

2.    1513 – Juan Ponce de Leon sailed around the end of Florida 

3.    1519 – Hernandez Cortez begins colonization and conquered the Aztecs

4.    1539 – Hernando de Soto explores Southern US from Tampa, South Carolina and the Mississippi.

5.    1545 – Cabrillo led an expedition to Californian Coast

Spanish Conquistadors were brutal and called the Natives pagans and savages. They established the Encomienda system which is a religious feudal system which aimed to indoctrinate the natives whilst they paid tribute in return for protection and religious instruction.

·      The system was used to abuse, oppress and exploit people whilst eroding culture, rights and religion.

·      The Spanish were feared and hated, even after the end of the Encomienda system

Early British

·      The first British colony was established in Virginia in 1607. By 1650, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maryland had been founded by Britain.

·      New York was seized from the Dutch in 1664

o   At the start of the 18^th Century there were 250000 people

o   Between 1700 and 1763 it reached 2 million

o   By 1770 it reached 2.3 million

o   The population…