Introduction

Colonization and Settlement focuses on the era from 1607, when Jamestown was founded as the first permanent English colony in North America, to 1760, as the Seven Years’ War ended and Great Britain became the supreme European power on the continent. The volume concentrates on a century and a half during which the interaction among Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans created a host of new and continually changing cultures and societies. During this period, Europeans struggled to establish colonies (which subsequently evolved in unexpected and complex ways); Indians struggled to maintain their cultures, lands, and independence; and black men, women, and children struggled against the barbarity of slavery. The remarkable societies and unresolved problems thereby left a legacy that Americans still confront today.

While the encyclopedia’s geographic spotlight shines most brightly on the eastern portion of the continent that would become the new United States, people and events in other parts of the North American mainland are also illuminated. Readers will find topics ranging from Spanish Florida to Russian Alaska, from Puritan Massachusetts to French New Orleans, and from Virginia’s Powhatan Confederacy to California Indians. The entries reflect a major trend in historical interpretation during the past few decades by including not only the rich and politically powerful but also poorer people, immigrants, women, Native Americans, and African Americans. Thus, John Winthrop, John Smith, and Jonathan Edwards appear alongside Anthony and Mary Johnson, William Moraley, Cornstalk, and Squanto. In addition, important environmental issues are treated, as humans, other animals, and plants transformed the North American physical landscape in ways that remain with us in the modern United States.

ENTRIES A TO Z