The European Period Under British Rule 1763 1783

The European Period- Under British Rule 1763 -1783 and As A Spanish Province 1783 -1798 Coach Kuntz Mississippi Studies

The Treaty of Paris 1763 gave England all French lands east of the Mississippi River (except for New Orleans). Drawing Lines In order to avoid fighting with Native American tribes, the English Government issued the Proclamation of 1763. This prohibited English immigration into the territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. The British also divided the former Spanish Florida into two British Colonies– British West Florida and British East Florida

British West Florida includes what is today the southern part of Mississippi. The original boundary of West Florida in 1763: British West Florida The Mississippi River on the west The Chattahoochee River on the east The 31 st parallel on the north The Gulf of Mexico on the south But, when the British realized that Fort Rosalie was north of the 31 st parallel, they moved the boundary north to the 32˚ 28’ parallel (present day Vicksburg) to include the fort in 1764. Fort Rosalie was renamed Fort Panmure by the British

As the population grew in British West Florida, England divided the colony into four districts. Development of the British Natchez District The Natchez District began where the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers met and extended in a triangle south to the Gulf of Mexico. Former British officers were given thousands of acres of land in the Natchez district as payment for their services during the French and Indian War. Flourishing river trade and agriculture attracted many settlers. Tobacco was the principal crop in the district, but cotton, corn, and indigo were also grown.

Natchez during the American Revolution. Allegiance When the thirteen colonies declared their independence in 1776, the Natchez District remained loyal to England (Loyalists) because most of its prominent residents were former British soldiers. Some English residents who opposed the revolution even moved to Natchez from the Atlantic colonies. Natchez was important to the American colonies because of its location on the Mississippi River. The Spanish government sent the Americans arms and supplies up the Mississippi river. The citizens of Natchez could and sometimes did prevent those shipments from passing through Natchez.

The Continental Congress sent former Natchez resident, James Willing, on an expedition down the Mississippi River to Natchez and New Orleans. Natchez During the Revolution. The American Expedition The purpose of Willing’s mission: 1. Encourage Natchez citizens to join the American cause or 2. Persuade Natchez citizens to remain neutral and to not interfere with supplies being shipped up the Mississippi River When Willing arrived, he realized that many Natchez residents were loyalists…so he arrested some of them, confiscated their property, and took them as prisoners to New Orleans. Spain ordered Willing to leave New Orleans and take the prisoners with him. Spain was not at war with England did not want to provoke an English attack on New Orleans.

Natchez During the Revolution. Spain Joins the Fight Spain saw the American Revolution as an opportunity to regain Florida from the British, so Spain declared war on England in 1779. The Spanish attacked and easily captured Fort Panmure. The British citizens in Natchez refused to acknowledge Spanish occupation of Florida. In 1781, Natchez residents led a revolt and recaptured Fort Panmure. But only a few months later, the Spanish took the fort back and held it through the remainder of the war.

Where to Draw the Line Under the Treaty of Paris 1783, England recognized the American colonies as an independent nation, thus ending the American Revolution. England also ceded to the United States all land between the Atlantic Coast and the Mississippi River, and from Canada down to Florida (Florida was given to Spain). The Treaty of Paris did not clearly say where the America-Spanish Florida boundary was. The U. S. claimed the boundary should be the original boundary set in 1763– at the 31 st parallel. The Spanish claimed the boundary should be the amended boundary from 1764– at the 32˚ 28' parallel. Neither side wanted to give up Natchez, which fell in this disputed region. However, the United States was not powerful enough to fight Spain after just finishing a war with England, so Spain occupied and controlled the territory.

The Natchez district experienced continued growth and prosperity under Spanish rule Natchez Under Spanish Rule Spain’s liberal land grants, as well as the guarantee of religious freedom by the Spanish government, attracted many settlers. In fact, migration of English and Americans to the district was so rapid that a majority of the district spoke English by 1787. In 1789, Manuel Gayoso de Lemos was appointed governor of the Natchez District. He was both intelligent and extremely popular.

Natchez Under Spanish Rule By the 1780 s, Fort Rosalie was dilapidated. Rather than repairing it, Gayoso decided to build several new forts. They built Fort Nogales near Vicksburg and a fort further north on Chickasaw Bluffs These forts gave Spain control over the lower Mississippi and its tributaries. The population of the Natchez District continued to grow. By 1798, the white population numbered approximately 4, 500 and slaves numbered 2, 400. During the Spanish Period, cotton became increasingly important to the Natchez economy. Because of this, Spanish authorities encouraged settlers to bring their slaves to the district by offering additional land grants to slave owners. .

America Acquires Mississippi In 1795, Spain was fighting a war in Europe, so America decided to press its claim on lands north of the 31 st Parallel (the disputed region). Spain did not want to fight a war in Europe and with the United States. Under the Treaty of San Lorenzo (also called Pinckney’s Treaty), Spain gave the United States: 1. Spanish lands north of the 31 st Parallel 2. Free navigation of the Mississippi River 3. The right of deposit in New Orleans Spain also agreed to do what it could to stop Indians living in Spanish Florida from attacking American settlements along the border. On March 20, 1798, Spain officially transferred the territory to the United States.

Review: 1. How do scientists say the first Americans arrived on the continent? 2. What is the name of the land bridge that once connected North America and Asia? 3. The most important crop for southeastern Indians was ________. 4. Describe the relationship between Native Americans and the environment 5. Most southeastern Indians spoke __________ or some variation of this language. 6. Southeastern Indian nations did not have written language, but they invented written communication called ________. 7. Mississippi tribes were _________, meaning they traced their family line through their mothers. 8. What ceremony was the most important ceremony for southeastern Indians and required the sacrificing of the first fruits of a harvest in the hope that the rest of the harvest would be successful? 9. Most Mississippi tribes were organized by towns and villages that exercised some _____________. 10. The Choctaw and Chickasaw developed tribal councils composed of leaders called __________, 11. Be able to identify the locations of Mississippi’s Native Americans on a map. 12. The tale of Chata and Chicksah describes the origin of which tribes?

13. The Chickasaw were known for being hunters and ___________. Review: 14. The Chickasaw mostly allied with _______ and provided refuge to the _________ following the battle at Fort Rosalie. 15. Who was the second largest Native American nation in the southeast? 16. The Choctaw were more ________ than the Chickasaw. 17. Who did the Choctaw ally with at the battle at Fort Rosalie? 18. Who was at the top of the Natchez social structure, although he had no authority over the Natchez villages? 19. What did the Natchez build for their religious ceremonies? What was their most famous one called? 20. Where were the Natchez defeated that marked the end of their national identity? 21. What happened to many of the smaller tribes in Mississippi? 22. Why did farmers call for the relocation of Native Americans from Mississippi? 23. Which federal policy called for the forced relocation of Native Americans off of United States land? Which law did Congress pass in 1830 to enact this policy? 24. What was the name of the path that Native Americans were forced to take when relocating to Indian territory in Oklahoma?

25. Which Spanish sailor sailed west in search of India, but instead landed in the Bahamas? He’s credited with discovering the “New World”. 26. What was the purpose of the de Soto expedition? 27. ________ is credited as being the first European to see the Mississippi River. 28. What was the fate of de Soto and his expedition? (success/failure) 29. What did European powers discover was the real treasure in the southern woodlands? How did this system work? 30. What were the French takeaways from the Marquette and Joliet expedition? 31. Which French explorer reached the mouth of the Mississippi River and claimed all of its lands and tributaries for King Louis XIV? Review: 32. What was the goal of the d’ Iberville and Bienville expedition? The outcome? 33. As the governor of the Louisiana Province, ______ encouraged French settlers to move to the lower Mississippi Valley. 34. What was the first permanent settlement on the Mississippi River? 35. In 1722, what became the new capital of the Louisiana Province, replacing Mobile Bay? 36. Which code did Bienville create in order to regulate slavery in the Louisiana Province? 37. Why was the French and Indian War fought? 38. What impact did the Treaty of Paris 1763 have on England, Spain, and France’s new world colonies? 39. In 1763, who lost ownership of what would become Mississippi? Who gained this territory

40. After the Treaty of Paris 1763, England divided former Spanish Florida into ________ and _________ (which included present day Mississippi). 41. Why did England move the northern boundary of West Florida from the 31 st parallel to 32° 28’? 42. Who were given thousands of acres of land in the Natchez district? 43. What attracted many settlers to the Natchez District? 44. _______ was the principal crop of the Natchez District. 45. What was the political leaning of many in Natchez at the beginning of the American Revolution? 46. What was the importance of Natchez to the American colonies during the war? Review: 47. The Continental Congress sent ________ on an expedition to Natchez to turn the city’s residents to the American cause or to ensure their neutrality. 48. Who declared war on England quickly recaptured Fort Panmure (formerly Fort Rosalie)? 49. Why did Spain and the United States dispute the America-Spanish Florida boundary after the Treaty of Paris 1783? 50. _______ was selected as the Spanish governor of the Natchez District. He decided to build additional forts along the Mississippi. 51. What good increased in importance during the Spanish Period and increased the need for slaves in the Natchez District? 52. Why did Spain cede territory North of the 31 st Parallel to the United States? 53. Which treaty gave the United States land north of the 31 st Parallel, free navigation of the Mississippi River, and the right of deposit in New Orleans? 54. In which order did countries claim control of the area that would become Mississippi?