Puritan Society

1.Discuss Puritan society and its development based on religious beliefs: what was
different about the Puritan migration compared to early English colonization? How did these differences structure Puritan society? What role did religion play in shaping the social and political structure of Puritan society? Examine daily life, religious beliefs and politics. What dissent took place in Puritan society and what were the consequences of this? How did the Salem Witch Trials start and why? What were the main characteristics believed to be of witches and how did the Salem Witch Trial initially follow this pattern and then change? Why? What was the larger consequence of the Salem Witch Trials?

2. Examine the transition and development of African slavery in the American
colonies: what was the structure and conditions of indentured servants? Why were the needed? What issues emerged with indentured servants and why did it ultimately shift to African slavery? What type of slavery existed in Africa before the Europeans arrived?
How did the Europeans take advantage of this? What was the Atlantic Slave Trade and
conditions of the Middle Passage? How was it similar to the descriptions of indentured
servants travel and treatment? What was the nature of early slavery in the colonies?
How and why did it shift to a race-based slavery and why was this largely focused in the south? How did this shift affect the culture of slaves and the free black population?

3. Examine the prelude to the Revolutionary War from the beginning of taxation until
the Declaration of Independence: what issues did the Seven Years War create that
would ultimately aid in leading to the Revolutionary War? Explain each of the tax acts and what they were along with the consequences of each one. How did women play a role in the early stages that helped lead to the Revolutionary War? Who were the Sons
of Liberty and what role did they play? What led to the Boston Massacre and what were
the consequences? How was the Boston Tea Party and the Intolerable Acts the final
straw for both the British and the Colonists? How did these lead to the Continental
Congress and ultimately the Declaration of Independence? What were the main themes
of the Declaration and its significance?

4. Examine the society and changing concepts of freedom during and after the war:
what were the main themes of Revolutionary language used before and during the
Revolutionary War? What were the main themes of the Declaration of Independence
and its significance? How did the Revolutionary War affect the nature of society for the various groups in the colonies? What roles did they play in the war and what conflicts did they find themselves in because of the war? Make sure to discuss women, loyalist and Quakers, slaves, and Native Americans. How did the concept of freedom and liberty come to change or represent a new message during and after the Revolutionary
War for these various groups?

5. Discuss the development of early Spanish and English colonization: how and why
did Spain support Christopher Columbus and what precedent did he set for future
colonization? Who were the Conquistadores and how did they shape the early Spanish
colonization and treatment of Native Americans? What issues emerged with this style and what was the second phase of Spanish colonization? How was it different? What problems still existed? What was the early structure of English colonization and how and why was it different from early Spanish colonization? What problems did Jamestown
encounter with early colonization and how and why did it become more successful? How
did tobacco, indentured servants, and tobacco brides play an important role in early
English colonization