Transcript American Life in the 17th Century (1607

AP US History
Mr. Long
 Characteristics of Southern Colonies
 Disease took its toll early (10yrs cut from life expectancy)
 50% of babies died
 Settlements grew slowly
 Men outnumber women 6:1
 Colonies have their early struggles but the colonists
push through these tough times.
 The South was bad for settlement but great for tobacco
 Tobacco= cash crop/savior of the south
 Supply
Price
= Farmers plant more/more land
 More Crop = Need for More Labor
 Where will this new source of labor come from?
 Indentured Servants: Chief source of labor for the
early colonies was white indentured servants from
England.
 4-7 yr terms in exchange for passage to new world and
eventual “freedom dues”
 Reasons for Ind. Servants:
1. The Settlers (south) were not reproducing fast enough
2. African slaves are to expensive
3. Indians die to quickly
 Headright System:
 Whoever paid for the passage of the indentured servants
got 50 acres of land (Masters are reaping the benefits)
 As time progressed land became more scarce and the
indentured servants would have to hire themselves back out.
 By 1700 over 100,000 indentured servants had come to New
World.
 ¾ of population in Maryland and Virginia
 Bacon’s Rebellion:
 1676
 1,000 indentured servants/poor farmers under Nathaniel
Bacon went on a rampage of plundering and pilfering
 Reason: Colonial government would not protect rural
farmers from Indian attacks.
 Why did this scare Virginians?
 What is the Result?
 Plantation owners (minority) looking for less troublesome workers.
“Eyes turn to Africa”
 In 17th Century most African slave labor still went to
sugar plantations in Caribbean.
 African slaves don’t become substantial source of labor in
North America until 1700.
 Reasons for Increase in African Slaves:
1.
2.
3.

Bacon’s Rebellion
Wages went up in England = less poor whites coming to
New World
In 1698 the Royal African Company lost its charter (had
monopoly on slave trade)
By 1750 African Slaves = ½ Population in Virginia and
outnumber whites in S.C. 2:1
 Middle Passage: Name given to the trip from West
Africa to the New World on slave ships.
 These trips were fatal due to conditions (20% death rate)
 Slavery began for economic reasons but by 1700
racial differences begin molding the American
system.
 Slave Codes:
1.
2.
3.
As early as 1662 (S.C)
Made slavery extremely tough life (lifetime terms for slave and
children)
Created a distinction between white servants and black slaves
 Deep South (Caribbean):
 Toughest conditions for slaves (heat, work is harder, no
women, high death rate)
 Chesapeake:
 Tobacco is an easier crop to work
 Plantations bigger (more slaves) and closer together so
there is more contact with friends and relatives.
 More females = family life is possible = natural
reproduction = less cost for masters.
 Revolts:
 Many revolts due to a “natural desire for freedom”
 Stono Revolt:
 1739
 Slave revolt in S.C.; slaves attempted to reach Spanish Florida
but were stopped by colonial militia.
 Slavery defines the social structure of the South
 As it spread the gap between wealthy and poor increased
 Large Spread Out Plantations
 No real towns (very rural society)
 Southern Life revolved around plantation system!
 Southern Aristocratic Structure
1.
Plantation Owners: hard working businesslike lot. They owned
land and controlled the politics but nothing like the aristocrats in
Europe. This is a distinct American Culture
2.
Small Farmers: far below plantation owners. Owned small plots
and few slaves. There were subsistence farmers. (farmed to
survive).
3.
Landless Whites: former indentured servants. No land, so many
had to hire themselves out.
4.
Indentured Servants: Serving 4-7yr service terms
5.
African Slaves:
 Characteristics of Northern Colonies:
1.
Settlers added 10yrs to lifespan (clean water, cool temp
= less spread of disease)
2.
Migrated as families, not singles (natural
reproduction)
 Long life= stability (multi-generational guidance)
3.
Small villages/towns: result in close knit groups
(religion, geography)

Towns were orderly (Education, church led to
democratic gov)
Halfway Convent & Salem Witch Trials
 At this time the zeal of the Puritans seems to be
diminishing
 Halfway Convent: The practice that children of the baptized
but not yet converted “elect” could also be baptized.
 Churches wanted membership up
 Many thought this weakened the Puritan church
 No distinction between “elect” and church membership anymore.
 Jeremiad: form of preaching, preachers scolded parishioners for
their waning piety (warned of the pain of Hell)
 Salem Witch Trials (1692): A group of young girls accused an
older women of being a witch and practicing witchcraft on them
New England Way of Life
1.
Puritan Work Ethic:



NE had bad soil = no real need for slaves, but there is a
need for industry
Puritans were hard workers
Bad soil and strong sermons = not as many profit
hungry farmers
2. Indian Relations

Ideals of land differed greatly

Whites = money, Indians = life/religion
New England Way of Life
3.
Good Harbors

They were expert ship builders and fisherman (cod)
4. Movement

B/C there was bad soil many settlers spread out across
the continent (west) which spread NE ideals





Organized towns
Democracy
Schools
Religion
Etc.
Early Settlers Days and Ways (1600-1700)
 The overwhelming majority of settlers wee small
farmers
 Compared to England the colonists of America lived in
abundance
 Cheap Land
 Lots of Food
 High Wages (3x more than England)
 Americans have their own culture
 Those who tried to live by old world society led to
rebellion (Bacon’s)
Early Settlers Days and Ways (1600-1700)

Overall New World = Equality and Democracy
(for whites)

Colonists are framing their own identity by 1700
Self Government
2. Self Taxation
3. Land Owners
4. Religious Freedom
1.
AP US History
Mr. Long
 Look for distinguishing characteristics the
colonies shared!
 America has a distinct social, economic and political
structure: An “American Way of Life”
 Other British colonies DID NOT
 There is serious population growth in the New World
 1700: 300,000 people
 1775: 2.5 Million people
 Most of this population boom is from natural fertility (whites in the
North, blacks in the South)
 Political Consequences for England
 1700: 20 English for 1 colonists
 1775: 3 – 1
 We begin to see a power shift but colonial focus is still to
the East (England) not West yet.
 America is a melting pot from the beginning
Germans: 6% by 1775
1.
Fleeing Religious persecution, economic oppression
and ravages of war.
Settled mainly in Pa (Pa Dutch)




Built solid, permanent homes
No deep rooted loyalty to English (TREND)
Scots-Irish: 7% by 1775
2.



Did not get along w/ Catholics in Ireland, economic
(restrictions by English on wool)
Settled in Pa (West) down Alleghany barrier down to
S.C.
Had no love for English (treatment in Ireland, English
made them move)(TREND)
Other European Groups: 5% by 1775
3.
No loyalty to British (TREND)

Africans: 20% by 1775
4.
90% of African population is in the South by 1775 (Slaves)

Diversity

NE: mostly original Puritan immigrants = least ethnic diversity
Middle: bulk of white immigrants = variety of people but mostly
white
South: Black and White (Diverse)


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Mixed African tribes = Unique African American culture forming.
 We see the foundations for a multicultural American
National Identity!

Compared to Europe, America is a shining land
of equality and opportunity (except slavery)
Cheap/Accessible Land-Majority of population were
small farmers.
2. Social Mobility- possible to go from indenture d
servant to landowner (Rare in OW)
3. Wages are higher- 3x higher then England
4. Freedom of Religion
5. Democracy in infancy
1.
 Prior to Revolution we see rising worries of
“Europeanization” in NW
 10% of Bostonians/Philadelphians owned 2/3 of taxable




wealth.
Poor in NW increased (Widows, Orphans from war) but
still less then England
NE farm size shrinking (no land left) due to generation
of dividing
South: wealth in hands of few (plantation owners)
Slaves could not dream of escalating in class (Whites
feared uprising)
Agriculture = biggest workforce/leading industry
1.


90% of population involved
South: tobacco, rice; Middle: Grain “Bread” colonies
Christian minister- most honored position (remember why many colonists
came)
Physicians- not highly esteemed (poor training)
Lawyers- were looked down upon b/c noisy trouble making windbags
Fishing-
2.
3.
4.
5.



major industry in NE (Bad farm land, rocky)
Stimulated Ship building industry
More money then in Incan/Mayan conquests
Manufacturing (Secondary importance)
6.


Not many skilled craftsman in colonies so they are expensive (Rely on
England)
Lumber is the most important product (1/3 of English ships built in NW)
 Trade imbalances
 Population boom in colonies means they need more
goods from England but England doesn’t need more
goods from NW = money problem
 Results:
 Search for new foreign markets = French West Indies/Spain
 Molasses Act (1733): Prohibits the colonists trading with
French West Indies.
 Becomes a source of REVOLUTIONARY FUEL and leads to
increased smuggling/bribing
 Great Awakening: period of religious revival in
American religious history.
 The religious zeal (fire) of the Puritans had steadily
decreased as time went on in colonies: WHY?
 They are not being persecuted anymore
 Time has passed (Think of retreat highs)
 Two burdens of the Puritan Church
1. Elaborate theology
2. Compromising efforts to liberalize membership
requirements

Biggest Threat to Puritan Church = Arminianism
Jacob Arminius preached that individual free will not God’s
divine decree determined a person’s fate (antipredestination)


All humans not just elect could receive God’s free grace!
 Jonathan Edwards:
 preached of the follies of believing in salvation through
good works and affirmed the need for complete
dependence on God’s grace.
 Painted the picture of Hell and Eternal Torments in detail
 Great orator
 George Whitefield:
 Great orator, it is said he could make people weep by
merely speaking
 Led tremendous revival meetings in NE
 Old Lights v. New Light
 The Old Lights (orthodox clergy) did not agree with the
emotional spirituality of New Lights b/c they get their
authority from education.
 This create schisms which created more denominations and more
competitiveness in churches
 MOST IMPROTANT: It broke down
sectional/denominational lines among Americans and was
the first spontaneous mass movement of people.
UNITY!
 Colonies had Two House Legislature
 Upper House: appointed by the crown in royal colonies
(8) or proprietor (3)
 (2) colonies self-governed (Conn, RI)
 Lower House: Elected by the people (property owners)
Self Taxation w/ Representation = colonies hold dear
to themselves
 Governors
 Often able, some very corrupt
 Hard to enforce laws from 3,000 miles away (colonists
saw them as bothersome)
 Colonists wouldn’t pay them if they didn’t get their way
 Colonial Assemblies
 Found ways to assert authority and get their own way
(don’t pay governors)
 Local Governments
 North: Town Meeting (Fit their society)
 Middle: Mixed government (Town meeting/county gov)
 South: County Government (more autocratic)
 Remember: The colonies have been left to their own vices
to run their own governments. (Independent minds)
 Seeds of Democracy are planted in America
 Free speech/press: Zenger, representative gov, equality of
economic opportunity, toleration, education, etc.
 Colonists are still English in most customs but we
begin to see trends towards a new “American Culture”
 REMEMBER:
 Colonists now have fewer ties to England, its been over
100 years since Jamestown.
 They feel like their own nation = natural desire for
freedom
 Similarities of Colonies by 1750
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Basically English in language and custom
Protestant in religion
Some degree of ethnic/religious tolerance (not blacks)
Social mobility possible (not slaves)
Self government (not complete democracy)
Communication was improving (roads, waterways)
Like a Patchwork Quilt each part slightly different but
held together by common origins, ways of life, and
common beliefs in toleration, economic
development and self-rule