American Yawp, Chapter 4: Colonial Society

Consumer Revolution

When colonists were able to regularly buy their tools, clothes, and utensils rather than making it themselves. Average person's ability to spend money on consumer goods became a sign of their respectability.

Currency Acts 1751, 1764

Passed by Board of Trade restricting uses of paper money and forbade the colonies from issuing currency. Trade between colonies was greatly hampered.

Sugar Act of 1764

The first act that Parliament passed that raised taxes on the colonies. Indirect tax on imported foods from the West Indies. Colonists became so angry that Parliament lowered the duties.

Stamp Act

an act passed by the British parliment in 1756 that raised revenue from the American colonies by a duty in the form of a stamp required on all newspapers and legal or commercial documents

Townshend Acts

laws passed in 1767 that taxed goods such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea

Primogeniture

When a family's estate would descend to the oldest male heir

entail

A legal procedure that prevented the breakup and sale of estates

Virginia Laws

Kept wealth consolidated. Guaranteed that large planters would dominate social and economic life. Fostered economy dominated by tobacco. Regulated slaves to maximize profits.

James Oglethorpe

Founded Georgia. Originally banned slavery.

Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina

Written by John Locke, The constitution would have set up a feudalistic government headed by an aristocracy which owned most of the land, but it was never put into effect.

Task System

A system of slave labor under which a slave had to complete a specific assignment each day. After they finished, their time was their own. Used primarily on rice plantations.

Gang System of Labor

The organization and supervision of slave field hands into working teams on southern plantations. Led by a white slave "driver" that often used violence for motivation.

Low Country Slavery

Carolinas. Less supervision due to owners leaving to avoid risk of malaria on rice plantations. Unparalleled amount of autonomy compared to slaves in other areas. Enabled a slave culture that retained many African practices.

Stono Rebellion

The largest slave uprising in the mainland colonies in South Carolina in 1739. Slaves attempted to march to Spanish Florida for their freedom.

Fort Mose, Florida

A free black settlement on Georgia-Florida border.

Quakers and slavery

Were first group to turn against slavery. Slave owners were disowned and could be expelled for their meetings.

Difference in Colonial Politics v Modern Politics

Lack of distinct, stable political parties. Caused rise of various interest groups based on class distinctions, ethnic ties, and religious ties.

3 Main Categories of Political Structures

Provincial, proprietary, and charter.

pronvincial colonies

Tightly controlled by Crown. British King appointed all provincial governors. Crown governors could veto any decision made their colony's legislative assemblies.

Proprietary Colony

Key difference from provincial colonies- governors were appointed by a lord Proprietors, an individual who purchased or received the rights from the Crown. Therefore had more freedoms and liberties.

Charter Colonies

Most complex system. Formed by political corporations or interest groups. Drew up a charter clearly designating powers of executive, legislative, and judiciary branches of government. Rather than appointed governors, charter colonies elected their own from property-owning men in the colony.

council

Essentially the governor's cabinet. Often composed of prominent individuals of the colony. Governor appointed these men. Appointees were often subject to approval from Parliament.

assembly

Composed of elected, property owning men whose official goal was to ensure Colonial law conformed to English law. Approved new taxes and budgets. Many saw it their duty to check the power of governor.

civic duty

The notion that men had a responsibility to support and uphold the government through voting, paying taxes, and service in the militia.

John Locke and Thomas Hobbes

philosophers that contributed greatly towards the development of the Social Contract Theory/the notion of civic duty

Sentementalism

Contemporary literature movement. Created new ideas of romantic love. Americans began to view marriage as an emotionally fulfilling relationship v strictly economic partnership.

Coverture

Women lost all their political and economic rights to their husband.

Elopement Notices

Newspaper advertisements by deserted men and women denouncing their partners and catalogued misbehavior.

Print Culture

a culture in which books, journals, newspapers, and pamphlets had achieved a status of their own

The Eliot Bible

John Eliot was a Puritan missionary who translated the Bible into Algonquian and first published this translation in 1663.

Great Awakening

A revival of religious feeling in the American colonies during the 1730s and 1750s

Early Piety

Sermon that was printed and distributed. By Increase Mather. Talked about how faith had suffered. Contributed to religious revival known as Great Awakening.

John Edwards

Preacher in New England who helped set off the Great Awakening. Puritan theologian.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

One of Jonathan Edwards' most famous sermons, which warned listeners of Hell

George Whitehead

Famous preacher. Made revivals popular.

New Lights/Old Lights

The "New Lights" were new religious movements formed during the Great Awakening and broke away from the congregational church in New England. The "Old Lights" were the established congregational church.

Seven Years War

(1756-1763 CE) Known also as the French and Indian war. It was the war between the French and their Indian allies and the English that proved the English to be the more dominant force of what was to be the United States both commercially and in terms of controlled regions.

Society for Propagation of the Gospel/Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge

Missionary groups founded to evangelize Native Americans and limit Jesuit conversions

Neolin

A Native American religious prophet who, by preaching pan-Indian unity and rejection of European technology and commerce, helped inspire Pontiac's Rebellion. Said he received a vision from his deity, The Master of Life. Deity told him the only way to enter heaven would be by expelling the British from Indian country.

Pontiac's War

conflict between Native Americans and the British over settlement of Indian lands in the Great Lakes area

Pontiac

famous chief of the Ottawa who led an unsuccessful rebellion against the British (1715-1769)

Jeffrey Amherst

British General that held the Indians in contempt and discontinued the supplying of them

William Johnson

British diplomat that negotiated peace with Pontiac

Proclamation of 1763

A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalacian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east. Marked Appalachian Mountains boundary between Indian country and British colonies.

Crevecoeur

In Letters of an American Farmer, he praised life in America and, for the first time, explained what it meant to be an American.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

27 delegates from 9 colonies met from October 7-24, 1765, and drew up a list of declarations and petitions against the new taxes imposed on the colonies.