Transcript America: Past and Present —Families in an Atlantic Empire

America: Past and Present
Chapter 3: Putting Down Roots—Families in an Atlantic
Empire
SOURCES OF STABILITY: NEW ENGLAND COLONIES
OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
Replicating a traditional family life and social order led to
greater stability and longer life in New England versus
the Chesapeake (Virginia and Maryland).
Gotta love those Puritans!
Various local societies reflected: a. supply of labor
b. abundance of land c. demographic patterns
d. commercial ties w/ Europe
What two things pulled American settlers together?
language and religion
Immigrant Families and New Social Order
Puritans believed that God ordained the family for
human benefit
The family was to be patriarchal
Family was the source of their societal and cultural
identities
20,000 + came to NE before the English Civil War (1642)
Great Migration-1630s and early 1640s
Life expectancy in NE was greater than that in
England proper
*pure drinking water, cool climate, dispersed population
Grandparents were “invented”
Social and economic stability were enhanced
Commonwealth of Families
Single life morally suspect and physically difficult
Young men and women initiated their own courtships
Parents discouraged union with immoral partners
Children usually accepted this guidance
Men offered land to the marriage
Women’s dowries=1/2 the value of the land
Land and home represented survival and hard work
Small farms produced food and surplus
Surplus was used for barter
Farms were not self-sufficient
Towns were collections of families-people rarely moved
Single newcomers were not readily accepted
Church government was built on familial connections and “election”
Half-Way Covenant adopted in 1662
Allowed sacraments based upon the spiritual traditions and
reputations of grandparents
Parents did not need to show evidence of election
Massachusetts General Court mandated the teaching of reading
(1642)
For religious and moral purposes
15 families must open elementary school
New-England Primer taught children the alphabet
Allowed publications like The Day of Doom to sell
fate of sinners on Judgment Day
First seminary, Harvard, founded in 1638
Yale in 1702
Women’s Lives in Puritan New England
All work, no play, but impressive church
attendance!
Quakers gave women a larger role in
religious affairs. WHY?
Women’s production of food essential
No property rights
Divorce was difficult and uncommon (you
could run…quickly)
Anne Bradstreet poet-wrote of affection
for husband
Rank and Status in New England Society
Lack of wealth and title made social status a tricky thing to judge
“Natural leaders” became provincial gentry
Winthrops, Dudleys, Pynchons
Sumptuary laws were passed-only wealthy can wear fine
apparel
Economic status was more fluid than was “planned”
Most northern colonists were yeomen-independent farmers
Economic independence was highly likely in this region
Possession of land gave agrarian families a sense of independence
from external authority
Some NE families placed their adolescent children in nearby homes
for 4-5 years as an apprentices
THE PLANTERS’ WORLD
Why were the regions so different? You know the answer—
plantations!
Family Life in a Perilous Environment
70-85% of white immigrants to this region in the 1600s were not free
Most were young men, aged 18-22
Ratio of men to women was 6 to 1 before 1640, 2½ to 1 by 1700
High mortality rates brought life expectancy to 43 for men, women ↓
Average marriage lasted 7 years
Few children were raised by birth parents
Women had great value, sort of…
Infant mortality was 25%, another 25% died before age 20
Young women in servitude lost several reproductive yearsvulnerable to sexual exploitation by their masters
Rank and Status in Plantation Society
Indentured servants and slaves were imported for plantation labor
Tobacco was the staple of the Chesapeake region
Planters dominated society
Freemen were the largest class—these survived their period of
indenture
Indentured servants were below planters and freemen
Slaves were at the bottom
A longer-lived creole class (native born Americans) developed after
1680
NOT mulatto—don’t get confused!
Built Williamsburg, College and William and Mary
Key to the success of this class was slavery
This class did not want education for other classes
Creoles sent sons to university in England or Scotland
Even William and Mary did not suffice
Opportunities for advancement decreased during 17th c.
Gentry consolidated its hold on political and econ. instit.
Brother Ali
The Travelers
RACE AND FREEDOM IN BRITISH AMERICA
Roots of Slavery
Africans first landed in VA in 1619 as a cargo of slaves stolen by
a Dutch trader from a Spanish merchant ship in the Caribbean.
Slavery grew quickly in the 1700s
Males outnumbered females 2 to1
English masters saw slavery as a great way to civilize Africans
Why is Anthony Johnson important? His life illustrates the complexity
of race relations in early Virginia. What happened to his land when
he died?
Race was only a single factor shaping relations among colonists
Slavery was assumed to be a lifelong legal status after 1680
11,000+ slaves were sold to Virginians between 1695-1709
Slaves were legally considered to be property
Race mixing was not acceptable to English colonists
Mulattos were considered black for legal purposes
Lineage was traced through slave mothers
Constructing African American Identities
* The size and density of the slave population determined in large
measure how successfully black would maintain a separate
cultural identity.
60% of SC lowland population was black
These men and women were on isolated rice plantations, and their
contact with whites was limited (creole languages). They also
developed elaborate kinship networks.
Native-born blacks looked with contempt on slaves who had just arrived
from Africa. Newly arrived slaves were more likely to run away,
assault their masters and organize rebellions.
40% of VA population was black
Gullah (creole language spoken on some Sea Islands and other pidgin
languages developed (A pidgin is a simplified language that
develops as a means of communication between two or more
groups that do not have a language in common.)
Slaves mixed African culture with Christianity, music and art
Mainland slaves had a longer life expectancy than island slaves
*Major turning point of African American people occurred in early
decades of 18th c. Blacks living in England’s mainland
colonies began to reproduce successfully. WHY? Even with
imported slaves the creole population was always much larger than
that of the immigrant blacks.
Slave rebellions were often rumored and planned
The Stono Rebellion was most successful (Sept 1739)
150 SC blacks rose up and killed several planters
They hoped to reach freedom in FL
Local militia killed a majority
This persuaded whites everywhere that their own blacks might secretly
be planning a bloody revolt.
18% of mariners were African American in 18th c.
* These men brought news of distant rebellions and spread
radical political ideologies to other slaves.
COMMERCIAL BLUEPRINT FOR EMPIRE
Salutary neglect (British policy of avoiding strict
enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep the
American colonies obedient to Great Britain.)
reigned until Charles II.
The beginnings of enforced mercantilism developed.
Response to Economic Competition
Yes, our old friend Adam Smith (18th c. Scottish
economist) coined the term mercantilism
Aspects of this system developed over timea.king needed money,
b. English merchants wanted to exclude Dutch rivals from
American markets,
c. Parliament wanted to improve navy,
d. and almost everyone agreed England needed a more
favorable trade balance.
An Empire of Trade
Navigation Act of 1660-most important piece of
imperial legislation drafted before the American
Revolution.
• Required trade to be conducted with crew that were
75%+ English
• Permitted domestic shipbuilding
• Limited trade of colonial goods to English or colonial
ports for enumerated goods-tobacco, sugar, cotton,
indigo, dye-woods and ginger.
• Rice and molasses added in 1704, rosins, tars and
turpentines in 1705
• Required colonists to pay import duties
Staple Act of 1663 prohibited almost all non-Brit imports to the
colonies unless first transshipped through England
Dutch trade was excluded and colonial expenses rose dramaticallyespecially for small planters
New Englanders simply ignored regulations
Navigation Acts of 1673 were passed to rectify this situation
• Enhanced collection of import duties at colonial ports
• GB did not have enough agents to enforce the law
• Those who did collect taxes were unpopular
(Think Edmond Randolph-most hated man in Mass.)
• 1696 Parliament est. vice-admiralty courts to settle disputes that
occurred at sea-no juries, nor cross examination.
William III established the Board of Trade to more closely regulate the
colonies
COLONIAL GENTRY IN REVOLT, 1676-1691
Different factions fought with each other over political viability
Civil War in Virginia: Bacon’s Rebellion
Bacon envied gov’t patronage.
Governor Berkeley denied a-fur trading license to Nathaniel Bacon
These were reserved for Berkeley’s cronies
Berkeley then refused to send an army to retaliate against natives
Bacon volunteered to raised troops for free
In exchange for the right to fight other Indians
Berkeley said “NO”-build forts instead (by his friends?)
Both Berkeley and Bacon appealed to the populace
Bacon burned Jamestown-forced governor to leave
Women made political views clear during rebellion (Sarah Glendon)
Bacon died of dysentery and the rebellion subsided
Berkeley recalled to England
• *Planter elite did not see the legitimate
grievances and Bacon’s followers were
demanding substantial reforms, not
just a share in the governor’s fur
monopoly.
• This was a sign of rebellion against
“greedy royal appointees”
The Glorious Revolution in the Bay Colony
Politic crisis between new merchants (Anglican) and
Puritans emerged then…
Metacomet (King Philip) declared war on New Englanders
The spark that ignited King Phillip's War was a report from
a Native American Christian convert (“Praying Indian")
early Harvard graduate, translator, and adviser to
Metacom named John Sassamon. Sassamon told
Plymouth Colony officials the news of King Philip trying
to arrange Native American attacks on widely dispersed
colonial settlements. Before colonial officials could
investigate the charges, John Sassamon was murdered;
his body was found beneath an ice-covered pond,
allegedly killed by a few of Philip's Wampanoag angry at
his betrayal. [Other texts mention a stolen cow.]
On the testimony of a Native American witness, Plymouth Colony
arrested three Wampanoags, including one of Metacomet's
councilors. A jury having some Indian members convicted them of
Sassamon's murder; they were hanged on June 8, 1675 at
Plymouth. Some Wampanoag believed that both the trial and the
court's sentence were an insult to Indian sovereignty. In response,
on June 20, a band of Pokanoket, possibly without Philip's approval,
assaulted several isolated homesteads in a small Plymouth colony.
Laying siege to the town, they destroyed it five days later and killed
several settlers and others coming to help the settlers
The Narrangansetts joined Metacome
Thousands died, debt remained-Over 600 colonists
and 3,000 Native Americans had died, including several hundred
native captives that were tried and executed or sold as slaves in
Bermuda.
*King Philip's War was proportionately one of the
bloodiest and costliest in the history of America.
In her book, The Name of War, Boston University Professor Jill Lepore
theorizes that King Philip's War was the beginning of the
development of a greater American identity, for the trials and
tribulations suffered by the colonists made them into a group
distinct from their English ties.
Tribes lost most of their power, creating a political vacuum that spurred
bickering among factions of English in Connecticut, Massachusetts,
Plymouth, and Rhode Island.
The colonists argued over topics ranging from colonial boundaries to
blame for the bloody conflict from which they had just emerged.
This factionalism eventually drew the attention of England's imperial
authorities who, until this point, had largely ignored the activities of
New Englanders.
In 1686, Royal officials finally created the Dominion of New England,
which put the New England colonies under the rule of New York's
Governor Edmund Andros. (pronounced Andrews)
Ironically, even though New England's colonies had prevailed on the
battlefield, King Philip's War led to the loss of much of their
political autonomy.
The colonial charter was rescinded, the Dominion of NE created
By James II, no lover of Parliament
Sir Edmund Andros was selected as governor – abolished elective
assemblies, enforced Nav. Acts, declared town meeting illegal,
packed courts with supporters.
Andros was overthrown after the Glorious Revolution
He was “peacefully” arrested
Increase Mather convinced William to abandon the Dominion
Massachusetts received new royal charter in 1691-gov. chosen by
king
The franchise was granted to male property owners
Colonial government became more secular
Contagion of Witchcraft
Instability of Mass. gov’t led this to be a major colonial
crisis
Increase Mather and others did urge restraint here-troubled
over spectral evidence (dreams and visions)
You know how it turned out (summer 1692)
19 dead
Why?
a. religious discord-factions over choice of a minister
b. economic tensions-poorer farmers accused
commercially oriented
c. misogyny
d. fear of Native American attacks
So much for moderation…
The Glorious Revolution in New York and Maryland
Glorious revolution in NY more violent than in Mass. Bay-religious and ethnic
differences
English newcomers and Anglo-Dutch v. older Dutch elite
Jacob Leisler leads the fun in NYC (1689)
Seizes the local fort in the name of Wm and Mary
Royal governor Sloughter tells him to surrender (1691)
He refuses-Was Sloughter sent by James or William?
Is quickly arrested, tried and executed
He was pardoned by Parliament a few years after his death
John Coode leads a more healthy protest in Maryland
Protestant Association forces the resignation of the governor
Maryland becomes a royal colony, excluding Catholics from public service
1715 crown restored proprietorship to the fourth Lord Baltimore
who had been raised as a member of the Church of England
Calvert family ruled until 1776
• COMMON EXPERIENCES, SEPARATE CULTURES
Political experiences converged despite regional cultural differences