2.1 Contextualizing Period 2

Setting the Scene: 1607–1754

Period 2 covers the founding and growth of English colonies in North America, alongside French, Dutch, and Spanish colonial efforts. Building on Period 1's contact between Europeans, Africans, and American Indians, this era saw permanent settlements take root, economies diversify, and colonial societies develop distinct regional identities shaped by geography, labor systems, and religion.

Regional Variation Drives Development

Colonies developed differently based on environment, economy, and founding purpose. New England focused on family farms, trade, and Puritan religious community; the Middle Colonies featured diverse economies and ethnic/religious pluralism; the Southern colonies relied on cash crops (tobacco, rice) and increasingly on enslaved African labor, creating rigid social hierarchies.

Competition and Interaction

European powers competed for land, resources, and trade, leading to conflict with and among American Indian nations. Colonists relied on mercantilism, exporting raw materials to Europe. Meanwhile, the growth of the Atlantic slave trade intensified as labor demands rose, transforming colonial economies and societies, especially in the South.

Key terms

Mercantilism

Economic policy where colonies supply raw materials to and buy goods from the mother country to increase national wealth.

Cash crop

A crop grown for profit and export, such as tobacco or rice, central to the Southern colonial economy.

Regional variation

Differences among New England, Middle, and Southern colonies in economy, society, and religion, shaped by geography and settlement goals.

Atlantic slave trade

The forced transport of enslaved Africans to the Americas, which expanded to meet growing colonial labor demands.

Colonial competition

Rivalry among England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands for land, resources, and trade in North America.

Try an AP-style question

Period 2 is best characterized by…

1. the collapse of all colonies
2. the start of the Civil War
3. American independence
4. the growth of distinct European colonies