7.2 - Colonial Developments

Seventh Grade - Seventh Social Studies - 7.2 - Colonial Developments

From EngageNY

European exploration of the New World resulted in various interactions with Native Americans and in colonization. The American colonies were established for a variety of reasons and developed differently based on economic, social, and geographic factors. Colonial America had a variety of social structures under which not all people were treated equally.

7.2a Social, economic, and scientific improvements helped European nations launch an Age of Exploration.

• Students will explain the significance of the technological developments and scientific understandings that improved European exploration such as the caravel, magnetic compass, astrolabe, and Mercator projection.
• Students will examine the voyage of Columbus, leading to the Columbian Exchange and the voyages of other explorers such as Champlain, Hudson, and Verrazano.

7.2b Different European groups had varied interactions and relationships with the Native American societies they encountered. Native American societies suffered from losses of life and land due to the Encounter with Europeans justified by the “Doctrine of Discovery.”

• Students will compare and contrast British interactions with the Wampanoag, Dutch interactions with the Mahican, Mohawk or Munsee, French interactions with the Algonquin, and Spanish interactions with the Muscogee.
• Students will investigate other Native American societies found in their locality and their interactions with European groups.
• Students will examine the major reasons why Native American societies declined in population and lost land to the Europeans.

7.2c European nations established colonies in North America for economic, religious, and political reasons. Differences in climate, physical features, access to water, and sources of labor contributed to the development of different economies in the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies.

• Students will investigate the reasons for colonization and the role of geography in the development of each colonial region.
• Students will examine the economic, social, and political characteristics of each colonial region.

7.2d In New York, the Dutch established settlements along the Hudson River and the French established settlements in the Champlain Valley. Dutch contributions to American society were long-lasting.

• Students will compare and contrast the early Dutch settlements with French settlements and with those in the subsequent British colony of New York in terms of political, economic, and social characteristics, including an examination of the patroon system.
• Students will examine the changing status and role of African Americans under the Dutch and English colonial systems.
• Student will examine Dutch contributions to American society, including acceptance of a diverse population, a degree of religious toleration and right to petition. Students will examine Dutch relations with Native Americans.

7.2e Over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries, slavery grew in the colonies. Enslaved Africans utilized a variety of strategies to both survive and resist their conditions.

• Students will describe the conditions of the Middle Passage.
• Students will explain why and where slavery grew over time in the United States and students will examine the living conditions of slaves, including those in New York State.
• Students will investigate different methods enslaved Africans used to survive and resist their conditions, including slave revolts in New York State.
• Within the context of New York State history, students will distinguish between indentured servitude and slavery.

∗ For this document, the term “Native Americans” is used with the understanding that it could say “American Indians.”