The French & Indian War: The War That Made America

The other major event at this time in the colonies, besides the First Great Awakening (which was covered in last week's blog) was the French + Indian War. Essentially, the French and British were fighting in Europe and it bled over into the North American continent. Fighting broke out in 1754 and was concluded in 1763. The British won the war and gained essentially all the land EAST of the Mississippi River. This was is interesting because there were conflicts between the French/British, British/Colonists and Colonists/Natives.

For this week, watch this video and take good notes while you listen/watch. Summarize the important points (people, battles, places etc.) of this conflict in the comments section. What would've happened if the French had won the war?

The First Great Awakening: America's First Spiritual Revival

One of the most interesting aspects of the colonial era is the longer the British colonies were established, the less British they became. The colonists slowly what can essentially be called a "unique American culture" even though they were technically still the "property" of England.

The First Great Awakening (implying there was to be a 2nd G.A. later) occurred in the decades leading up to the French/Indian War. Preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield drew massive crowds and attention to spiritual matters. 

For this week's blog, you are going to visit this website which gives a brief overview of the importance of the First Great Awakening. Be sure to read not only the main page but also the extra links on the right-hand side of the screen.

Then please read Jonathan Edwards' most famous sermon: Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God. This message is considered the most important primary source from this era.

For the comment section, write your reaction to this period of colonial history. What did you think of the sermon? What was your favorite line/phrase?

Religious Freedom?: Salem Witch Trials

You should know by now that not every colony started in America was founded for religious freedom.  Most people think the thirteen original colonies were all about freedom from religious oppression in Europe, but people also came for adventure, profit, to escape a rocky past, for cheap land etc.  All of that being said, Massachusetts was known for its religious background.  Unfortunately, it was not always positive.

Massachusetts, well actually most of New England, was founded by Puritans.  This religious group took their spiritual life very seriously.  In fact, only church members were allowed to vote in Massachusetts.  Visit this website for a brief description.

The Puritans strict beliefs about the way life should be lived, coupled with their very paranoid attitude about the Devil, led to the infamous Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s.  Salem was not the only Massachusetts town that experienced a witch hunt, but it has become the most notorious due to Salem's tourist industry, a recent revival of interest in witchcraft and a famous play called The Crucible about the trials.

I visited Salem, MA last summer and spent some time at this museum.  When you visit this website, please look at three of the sections on the left side of the screen: 1692 Salem Witch Trials, FAQ & Kids' Questions.  Be sure to watch all of the videos in the Kids' Questions section.

For the comments section this week, reflect on the lifestyle and beliefs of the Puritans, as well as all you learned about the Witch Trials, and discuss whether or not the Salem Trials were legitimate.  Do you think there were witches in Salem?  If not, why do you think the Witch Trials happen?  Can you think of any modern examples where people get caught up in a mass hysteria movement and are blamed/accused of things that are not true?

Jamestown: Britain's First Successful Colony in America

After the Roanoke debacle, which we will cover in depth on Thursday, England once again turned her gaze to the Atlantic Coast of North America. In 1607 John Smith and others led a group to the Virginia Coast and established Jamestown. This colony's main goal was to make a profit off the land for the Virginia Company, which was a business back in England. Unfortunately, there was essentially zero gold in Jamestown so the profit would have to come from selling crops from the New World to people back home. Unfortunately again, the original Jamestown settlers did not come to farm (they came for gold) so they were unprepared and ill-equipped.

For this week's blog, visit this site about Jamestown. Be sure to watch the videos about Jamestown. Also, explore the "Jamestown Settlement" tab on the left hand side of the screen for more information. In the comment section, list the 20 most interesting things you learned about Jamestown from exploring this site.

Dividing The World: Treaty of Tordesillas

One of the motivations for all this European exploration was competition between rival countries. Generally speaking, there were two major rivalries at this time: Spain vs. Portugal + England vs. France. In the case of Spain and Portugal, both Catholic countries called on the Pope (leader of the Roman Catholic Church) to settle a dispute about which part of the world each country now "owned the right to explore".

In the 1490s, Pope Alexander VI decided to draw an imaginary line down the Atlantic Ocean. Spain was then "given the right" to explore any lands west of this line and Portugal "got" anything east. For the comments this week, read these three articles (1, 2 and 3). Do you think the Pope's decision was wise? What might have been an alternate solution? Also, did the Pope really have the authority to make this decision?

Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca: Lost in the "New World"

One of the more interesting, but often overlooked, Spanish conquistador stories is that of Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca. He and his men landed in Florida (Tampa Bay), wandered throughout Texas and eventually found fellow Spaniards years later in Mexico. All the while, their numbers dwindled from disease and the harsh conditions.

Read this article, this article and watch this video to get a more complete picture of this story. In the comments section, pretend you are De Vaca after finally finding fellow Spaniards after years of wandering. Write a letter home to your family describing the "New World" and your adventures. Be sure to use actual details from his story.

Age of Exploration: New Technology

The time in history when Europeans started exploring Africa and across the Atlantic Ocean is known as the "Age of Exploration". As you will come to learn in class, there are many factors that led to European exploration. One of the more interesting was new technology. Now, what was considered "new technology" in the 1400s is not exactly what we'd consider cool today; however some of these inventions were completely life altering.

Here is your assignment for this week. Visit this site and choose ONE of the technology items described on the page. Then do your own Google search on the item you chose. In the comments section, explain what the invention was, how it worked and how it changed the lives of explorers. The catch is, once an invention is selected from the page and written about in the comments, you cannot pick it. So, it's first come//first served this week!