American History: the New World | Colonial history of the United States of America | Documentary
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This documentary traces the discovery of
America and early voyages by
European explorers. It shows
Indian civilizations encountered by the
Spanish, Spanish colonization,
English freebooters on the
Spanish Main, and the life of early settlers in
New England and the
South.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The colonial history of the
United States covers the history of European settlements from the start of colonization of America until their incorporation into the United States
. In the late
16th century, England,
France,
Spain and the
Netherlands launched major colonization programs in eastern
North America. Small early attempts often disappeared; everywhere the death rate of the first arrivals was very high.
Nevertheless successful colonies were established. European settlers came from a variety of social and religious groups. No aristocrats settled permanently, but a number of adventurers, soldiers, farmers, and tradesmen arrived.
Diversity was an
American characteristic as the
Dutch of
New Netherland, the
Swedes and Finns of
New Sweden, the English
Quakers of
Pennsylvania, the
English Puritans of New England, the
English settlers of
Jamestown, and the "worthy poor" of
Georgia, came to the new continent and built colonies with distinctive social, religious, political and economic styles. Non-British colonies were taken over and the inhabitants were all assimilated, unlike in
Nova Scotia, where the
British expelled the
French Acadian inhabitants. There were no major civil wars among the
13 colonies, and the two chief armed rebellions (in
Virginia in 1676 and in
New York in 1689–91) were short-lived failures.
Wars between the French and the British—the
French and Indian Wars and
Father Rale's War—were recurrent, and involved French support for
Wabanaki Confederacy attacks on the frontiers. By 1760 France was defeated and the British seized its colonies.
On the eastern seaboard of what would become the United States, the four distinct British regions were: New England, the
Middle Colonies, the
Chesapeake Bay Colonies (
Upper South) and the
Lower South. By the time European settlers arrived around 1600–1650, the majority of the
Native Americans living in the eastern United States had been ravaged by new diseases, introduced to them decades before by explorers and sailors.
Colonizers came from
European kingdoms with highly developed military, naval, governmental and entrepreneurial capabilities.
The Spanish and
Portuguese centuries-old experience of conquest and colonization during the
Reconquista, coupled with new oceanic ship navigation skills, provided the tools, ability, and desire to colonize the
New World.
England, France and the Netherlands started colonies in both the
West Indies and North America. They had the ability to build ocean-worthy ships, but did not have as strong a history of colonization in foreign lands as did
Portugal and Spain. However, English entrepreneurs gave their colonies a base of merchant-based investment that needed much less government support.
English colonies:
England made its first successful efforts at the start of the
17th century for several reasons. During this era, English proto-nationalism and national assertiveness blossomed under the threat of
Spanish invasion, assisted by a degree of
Protestant militarism and the energy of
Queen Elizabeth. At this time, however, there was no official attempt by the
English government to create a colonial empire. Rather, the motivation behind the founding of colonies was piecemeal and variable. Practical considerations, such as commercial enterprise, overpopulation and the desire for freedom of religion, played their parts. The main waves of settlement came in the 17th century. After
1700 most immigrants to
Colonial America arrived as indentured servants—young unmarried men and women seeking a new life in a much richer environment. Between the late 1610s and the
American Revolution, the British shipped an estimated 50,
000 convicts to its
American colonies. The first convicts to arrive pre-dated the arrival of the
Mayflower.
New England:
New England is the oldest clearly defined region of the United States. While New England was originally inhabited by
Indigenous peoples, English
Pilgrims and especially Puritans, fleeing religious persecution in England, arrived in the 1620-1660 era. They dominated the region; their religion was later called Congregationalism. They and their descendants are called
Yankees. Farming, fishing and lumbering prospered, as did seafaring and merchandising.
American History: the New World |
Colonial history of the
United States of America |
Documentary