History of the United States - Document study

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History of the United States - Document study

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USA United States of America, colonization, Jamestown, St Augustine, culture, urbanization, american history, urban geography

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Abstract

King James I of England witnessed Spain's growing prosperity through colonization and the English wanted their share of the wealth. However, England lacked the financial resources that Spain enjoyed, because unlike Spain, which was governed by an absolute monarch who could allocate funding for colonial missions, King James did not possess the absolute power to allocate state funds as he liked. Therefore, he had to privatize colonization and outsource it to private investors.

Exercise 1 - Jamestown, utopia for whom?
Exercise 2 - 10 that changed America: St Augustine, Florida
Exercise 3 - America's urban history

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[...] History of the United States - Document study Exercise 1 - Jamestown, utopia for whom? What possible foundational moments of America are evoked in the podcast? (What do you know about them?) The landing of the Mayflower: in 1620, after 10 weeks at sea, the boat Mayflower finally reached America. The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. The drafting of the Constitution. But Jamestown is the earliest foundational moment of America. What is the particularity of the foundation of Jamestown? [...]

[...] What is the Virginia Company? What are its goals? The Virginia Company was the private investor chosen by King James I of England to oversee colonization. The first goal of the Virginia Company was the pursuit of profit: they believed that America was rich in gold and precious metals, so they thought that they were going to get a high return on investment. Their second goal was to establish a community of Protestants, so they sold colonization to investors as a moral crusade. [...]

[...] We shall sail to them, and get along great, and trade riches, and bring them into the light." So, for money and land, and God and country, and really just to get out of crowded, dirty over-populated London, the men set sail to this beautiful, organized, perfectly cultivated farmland just waiting for them to make money and to do good while making it, which, I don't know, sounds a line a lot of modern companies are touting now. Jamestown was, arguably, the seed of the American entrepreneurial spirit. Exercise 2 - 10 that changed America: St Augustine, Florida Was St Augustine an English settlement at first? How do we know? St Augustine was not an English settlement at first, it was a Spanish military settlement founded in 1565. [...]

[...] This document was created by King Philipp II of Spain and conceived as an operating system for creating new settlements in America. How many laws are there in the document? What is law 112 about? There are 148 laws in the document. Law 112 stated that the plaza at the center of the town should be square or rectangular, as this shape is best for fiestas. What is a "grid"? A grid is a method of organizing cities using horizontal and vertical lines to create rectangular blocks; it is an easy and rational shape that anyone can understand. [...]

[...] 800 people lived together in St Augustine when the military settlement was founded. Among them were soldiers, priests and artisans, and only 26 women. Why is St Augustine a famous town in the USA? St Augustine is a famous town in the USA because it is the earliest example of a new city layout based on the grid with a central plaza. Exercise 3 - America's urban history For the culture, why is it important to study America's urban history? [...]

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