Study guide: Colonial North America in Context
Explain colonization, regional economies and unequal power.
Ideas to explain in your own words
- European powers claimed lands already inhabited and governed by Native nations. Spanish, French, British and Dutch colonies differed in location and economic emphasis. Their claims were not proof of Native consent. Use specific places rather than imagining all colonies shared one system or culture.
- Colonial economies included farming, crafts and commerce, but labor arrangements differed in freedom and power. Wage work received payment; apprenticeship trained a trade under an agreement; indentured service bound labor for a term; slavery imposed ownership and coercion. These categories cannot be treated as equally free choices.
- Broad patterns in the thirteen British colonies included New England’s maritime commerce, middle colonies’ grain production and southern colonies’ plantation agriculture. These patterns were not uniform. Atlantic trade linked regions, and slavery existed beyond the plantation South. Regional labels cannot erase individual lives or Native homelands.
- Some colonies had assemblies where selected representatives made decisions, yet voting and officeholding were restricted. Women, enslaved people and many others were excluded from political power. Comparing a representative institution with full equality requires examining who could actually participate, not merely whether an assembly existed.
Useful vocabulary
- Spanish colonization
- colonial expansion including Florida and the American Southwest
- French colonization
- colonial expansion including the St. Lawrence valley
- Wage work
- work performed for agreed pay
- Apprenticeship
- training in a trade under an agreement with a skilled worker
- New England maritime activity
- shipping and fishing associated with northern coastal colonies
- Middle-colony grain production
- grain growing associated with colonies such as Pennsylvania
- Assembly
- a representative decision-making body
- Voting restriction
- a rule limiting who could cast a ballot
Watch your reasoning
- Mixing up Spanish colonization and French colonization. Re-read what each note says before choosing.
- Adding a detail that is not on the card. Point to the words that help explain your answer.
A worked review example
Worked example: The card says: “A historical card identifies Spanish missions in the Southwest.” That matches Spanish colonization. Spanish colonization is colonial expansion including Florida and the American Southwest. Compare the note for British colonization: British colonization is colonial settlements including the thirteen eastern mainland colonies. That is a different clue.
Make a practice plan
- Read or listen to the notes in the four lessons. An adult can read aloud.
- Try each lesson’s main question and three practice questions. Say, draw or write what helped you choose.
- Use the review cards, then try the changed card in any lesson you want to practice again.
- Complete the four-box task. Then try the separate subject-test cards.