Columbian culture and biological exchange
Native Americans suffered because of their isolation from the rest of the world :
Europe, Africa and Asia had been trading knowledge and technologies for ceturies.
Europeans had learned to use iron, had acquired gunpowder
The most disastrous consequences of the long-term isloation was biological
Asians, Africans and Europeans had developed an immune system that protected them from most diseases. Native Americans were bigger and healthier than Europeans they were helpless against diseases.
Smallpox, measles and influenza killed millions of people
The indigineous population of Mexico in 1519 – over 17mln
On average the population of Native American people dropped 90% on the first century of contact
The epidemics cleared the way for European conquest.
Slave trade
Europeans used the new lands as sources of precious metals and plantation agriculture. Both were to complex operations that required extensive and supervised labor. Attempts to enslave Native Americans failed so Europeans turned to the Africa slave trade as source of labor
First colonies
Beginning in 1519, Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, and England established colonies in the Americas
Spain made a great mining and agricultural empire in Mexico, South America and the Caribbean
Portugal created slave -based agricultural colony in Brazil
In North America the French and Dutch established rudimentary European societies and, more importantly elaborate long-term trading networks with the indigenous peoples.
Only the English established colonies of agricultural settles interested in the aqcusition of land.
New Spain
New World gold and silver mines were the base of Spanish wealth and power of the next hundred years.
Spanish Catholic missionaries - Jesuits, Franciscans and Dominicans attempted to convert Native Americans to Christianity. They established missions in New Mexico and Florida. Spanish Jesuits even built a mission outpost in Virginia.
New France
New France concetrated on two activities: fur trade and Catholic missions. They success of New
New Netherlands
In 1609, Henry Hudson hired by the Dutch explored the river that now bears his name. The Dutch established a string of agricultural settlements between New Amsterdam ( New York City) and Fort Orange (Albany, New York ) after 1614
The Dutch settlement was prosperous and tolerated different religions and it attracted a steady and diverse stream of European immigrants.
English Settlements
English migrants came to America for two reasons :
Religious persecution of Puritans who became willing to immigrate to America
The scarcity of land in England. The population of England doubled from 1530
Growth of the English colonies
Virginia
in 1619 the Virginia Company turned to growing tabacco. Under the new plan colonist received
Maryland
Chesapeake tabacco growers needed able-bodied servants. Most of those imported to Virginia and Maryland were young, poor, single men.
Horrific death rate due to disease, bad water, and hostile native peoples.
Too few women in the Chesapeake