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Think about it.  Would your family uproot and move, at great risk to your lives, to a place that had no civilization or anything of value?  Do we see families moving to the middle of the desert in Arizona, or to cheap land in the middle of Wyoming?  Only very rarely.

Think about it.  Would your family uproot and move, at great risk to your lives, to a place that had no civilization or anything of value?  Do we see families moving to the middle of the desert in Arizona, or to cheap land in the middle of Wyoming?  Only very rarely.

[[England]]'s first settlement of [[North America]] was in 1585, on [[Roanoke Island]] in [[Virginia]].  More than 100 families settled there, but within a few years they had all disappeared.  It remains a mystery to this day what happened.  They could have died from disease or starvation.  They cCould have been killed by Indians.  No one knows the real reason for the disappearance of this settlement, and it's called the "[[Lost Colony]]."

 

This became [[England]]'s first settlement of [[North America]], first unsuccessfully in 1585 and then in a bigger way in 1587, on [[Roanoke Island]] in [[Virginia]].  More than 100 families settled there, and the first English child born in America was "Virginia Dare."  But within a few years they had all disappeared.  It remains a mystery to this day what happened.  They could have died from disease or starvation.  They could have been killed by Indians.  No one knows the real reason for the disappearance of this settlement, and it's called the "[[Lost Colony]]."

About the same time, however, England obtained a big victory in Europe.  Spain had ruled the high seas for most of the 1500s, but Sir Francis Drake was a superb sailor who sailed around South America and claimed California as "Nova Albion" for England while attacking Spanish ships and settlements in Central America in the 1580s.  He then led the English to a stunning victory over Spanish Armada in 1588, virtually destroying Spain's entire fleet of massive ships.  That left England, under Queen Elizabeth, with the ability to gain control of the oceans and world trade over the seas.  England could then protect its newly developing colonies against other European powers.

About the same time, however, England obtained a big victory in Europe.  Spain had ruled the high seas for most of the 1500s, but Sir Francis Drake was a superb sailor who sailed around South America and claimed California as "Nova Albion" for England while attacking Spanish ships and settlements in Central America in the 1580s.  He then led the English to a stunning victory over Spanish Armada in 1588, virtually destroying Spain's entire fleet of massive ships.  That left England, under Queen Elizabeth, with the ability to gain control of the oceans and world trade over the seas.  England could then protect its newly developing colonies against other European powers.

The Virginia colony, despite all its troubles, later produced four of our first five presidents.  Why?  Because it was big and prosperous.   

The Virginia colony, despite all its troubles, later produced four of our first five presidents.  Why?  Because it was big and prosperous.   

Let's turn to the Massachusetts settlements next.  Massachusetts had a much harsher climate than Virginia, particularly in the wintertime.  Its settlers were motivated by religion, not money.  They were unhappy with the oppressions of the Church of England, feeling it was too much like the Catholic Church.  Two different groups of these people set out for North America.  The first group, the Separatists or Pilgrims, wanted to separate completely from the Church of England and establish a religiously pure community.  The second group consisted of more mainstream Puritans who wanted to purify the church from within, without leaving it.  Both groups were types of Puritans, and both groups landed by chance within 100 miles of each other in Massachusetts.

Let's turn to the Massachusetts settlements next.  Massachusetts had a much harsher climate than Virginia, particularly in the wintertime.  Its settlers were motivated by religion, not money.  They were unhappy with the oppression by the Church of England, feeling it was too much like the Catholic Church.  Two different groups of these people set out for North America.  The first group, the Separatists (better known as Pilgrims), wanted to separate completely from the Church of England and establish a religiously pure community.  They came to America by way of Holland, to where they first fled from England.  The second group consisted of more mainstream Puritans who wanted to purify the church from within, without leaving it.  Both groups were types of Puritans, and both groups landed by chance within 100 miles of each other in Massachusetts.  But there were far more Puritan immigrants than Pilgrim ones.

The first group, the Pilgrims, set sail from Plymouth, England and intended to land near the mouth of the Hudson River (now New York City), which was the northern part of the Virginia Company's territory.  But their ship, the "Mayflower", was blown off course and they landed up on Cape Cod in Massachusetts in 1620.  Outside of any official government, they decided on the boat to establish the first civil government in North America by signing the Mayflower Compact.  They landed in December, and half of the people died due to disease in their first New England winter.  But the following spring a friendly Indian introduced them to corn, or maize, the marvelous food discovered by Indians.   

The first group, the Pilgrims, set sail from Plymouth, England and intended to land near the mouth of the Hudson River (now New York City), which was the northern part of the Virginia Company's territory.  But their ship, the "Mayflower", was blown off course and they landed up on Cape Cod in Massachusetts in 1620.  Outside of any official government, they decided on the boat to establish the first civil government in North America by signing the Mayflower Compact.  They landed in December, and half of the people died due to disease in their first New England winter.  But the following spring a friendly Indian introduced them to corn, or maize, the marvelous food discovered by Indians.   

But there's no free lunch, and these European nations were all-too-happy to use slavery to do the back-breaking work of gathering the raw materials, such as crops and minerals.  A slave trade developed to bring blacks from Africa to the New World in order to work the plantations for the settlers from [[England]] and other European powers.

But there's no free lunch, and these European nations were all-too-happy to use slavery to do the back-breaking work of gathering the raw materials, such as crops and minerals.  A slave trade developed to bring blacks from Africa to the New World in order to work the plantations for the settlers from [[England]] and other European powers.

The [[Spanish]] had a different system:  they used a modified form of [[feudalism]], known as the encomienda system, in order to force the Indians to do the hard work.  The "encomienda" was a grant by the King or Queen of Spain of power over Indians within a geographic region, a grant that was given to an "encomendero", who was the Spaniard in that region who would put the Indians to work.<ref>http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/papers/scott-m.html</ref>  The Indians themselves became known as the economiendas.

The [[Spanish]] had a different system:  they used a modified form of [[feudalism]], known as the encomienda system, in order to force the Indians to do the hard work.  The "encomienda" was a grant by the King or Queen of Spain of power over Indians within a geographic region, a grant that was given to an "encomendero", who was the Spaniard in that region who would put the Indians to work.<ref>http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/papers/scott-m.html</ref>  The Indians themselves became known as the economiendas.

A "triangular trade" supposedly existed from 1640-1720.  The three sides of the "triangle" were trade routes from West Africa to the New World America (the West Indies or the colonies), from there to Europe (England or continental Europe), and from there the boats presumably traveled back to West Africa to begin again.  The harshest part of this route was the taking of slaves, bound in chains from West Africa to the New World.  After the slaves disembarked, the New World would load goods onto the ships (such as raw molasses if the West Indies, or tobacco if Virginia) for transport to Europe.

A "triangular trade" supposedly existed from 1640-1720.  The three sides of the "triangle" were trade routes from West Africa to the New World America (the West Indies or the colonies), from there to Europe (England or continental Europe), and from there the boats presumably traveled back to West Africa to begin again.  The harshest part of this route was the taking of slaves, bound in chains from West Africa to the New World.  After the slaves disembarked, the New World would load goods onto the ships (such as raw molasses if the West Indies, or tobacco if Virginia) for transport to Europe.

== A Word About College Board Exams ==

== A Word About College Board Exams ==