Creating Anglo-America (1660-1750)

Flashcards covering key concepts from the 'Creating Anglo-America 1660-1750' lecture, including Bacon's Rebellion, Mercantilism, colonial crises, and distinctions between colonial regions.

Who was Nathaniel Bacon?

A leader who led a bloody battle against Governor Berkeley, seeing him as unfair, and drunkenly assembled a militia.

Who was William Berkeley?

The colonial governor of Virginia during Bacon's Rebellion, who faced criticism for new trade rules benefiting the wealthy and was accused of corruption.

What was Bacon's Rebellion?

The first armed insurrection by American colonists against Britain and the colonial government in Virginia, occurring in March 1676.

What were the immediate causes of Bacon's Rebellion?

Poorer Virginians and indentured servants were dissatisfied, tobacco prices fell, and they wanted expansion for plantations into Native American lands, which Governor Berkeley opposed to maintain peace.

What happened to Bacon's Rebellion after Nathaniel Bacon's death?

The rebellion faltered and died out after Bacon's death from dysentery shortly after his militia burned Jamestown.

What is Mercantilism?

An economic policy designed to maximize exports and minimize imports for an economy, aiming to accumulate gold and silver and achieve a trade surplus.

How did Mercantilism impact the American colonies?

It contributed to their growth, health, and prosperity by focusing on their colonial contribution to the empire and providing a secure economy, but it also restrained further economic growth and endeavor.

What was 'Salutary Neglect'?

A period where colonies were allowed to prosper with less strict enforcement of British policies like the Navigation Laws, as long as they adhered to mercantilist principles.

What were the Navigation Laws?

Laws that mandated all colonial commerce be carried on English vessels, required New World and European goods to first land in England for duties, and forbade colonies from manufacturing or exporting certain 'enumerated products' like wool or beaver hats.

What were the disadvantages of Mercantilism for the colonies?

It stifled economic opportunity, kept colonies economically dependent, limited them to the English market, disallowed banks, and caused a chronic shortage of specie (hard money).

What was a significant outcome of Bacon's Rebellion regarding labor?

It helped end the Headright System and indentured servitude because freed white indentured servants proved to be a threat of rebellion, leading plantation owners to seek a new, more controllable, and permanent labor force in African slaves.

What major trade system emerged after Bacon's Rebellion due to the shift to slavery?

The 'Triangular Trade' became a key component of the Atlantic trade system, where every part of the British empire contributed to or benefited from slavery.

What policy changes resulted from Bacon's Rebellion?

Although it didn't lead to political gains for lower classes, it did lead to reduced taxes, a more aggressive Indian policy, and the opening of western lands to small farmers to prevent future uprisings.

What was the 'Restoration' period (1660-1688) in relation to the colonies?

A period when colonies lost rights and privileges ('colonial autonomy'), marked by attempts to enforce Navigation Acts and consolidate colonies, such as the creation of the Dominion of New England.

What was the significance of the 'Glorious Revolution' for the colonies?

It reinforced a sense of shared legacy of freedom and Protestantism with England, allowing local elites to reverse changes made during the Restoration, resulting in events like the Maryland Protestant rebellion and Leisler's Rebellion in NY.

What was the 'Mayflower Compact' and why was it important?

An agreement for self-government signed by English settlers at New Plymouth in 1620, important as an early form of self-government based on the consent of the people and considered America's first constitution/representation of democracy.

What was the message of John Winthrop's 'City Upon a Hill' sermon for the Puritans?

The Puritans must be a unified, moral, and godly society to serve as an example for the rest of the world, emphasizing community and religion as cornerstones.

What characterized diversity in the Middle Colonies?

The presence of many religious groups (Lutherans, Mennonites, Quakers) and ethnic groups (German, Swedish, Portuguese, Poles, Flemish), which prevented a single regional culture from developing due to clashes.

How did William Penn's 'Frame of Government of Pennsylvania' reflect Quaker beliefs?

Penn believed government belonged to the people and should be based on the idea that everyone is guided by God, thus encouraging representation.

What was the Quakers' stance on slavery and what were their actions?

Quakers focused on eliminating slavery among their members, eventually expelling slave owners after 1774, and pursued actions like the 'Free Produce' movement to cut economic incentives for slavery.

What was the primary crop and economic driver in the Chesapeake Colonies?

Tobacco, which was sold at auctions, indicating a large supply and fluctuating prices based on demand.

What did the Maryland Act of Toleration (1649) protect?

It protected religious freedom only for Christians; non-believers in Jesus (and slaves who disobeyed) could face severe punishment including loss of land or life.

How did Virginia Laws for Blacks (1619-1792) define the status of slaves?

Slaves were considered property, allowing owners to kill them without penalty during punishment (Law XXXIV), established racial hierarchies, stated that conversion to Christianity did not grant freedom (Law XXXVI), and a child's status (slave or free) was determined by the mother's status.

What were important crops in the Southern Colonies (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia)?

North Carolina was important for pines (naval stores like tar, turpentine, lumber); South Carolina and Georgia relied on rice and indigo.

Why were rice plantations particularly harsh places to live and work?

They required flooding fields using tides and harvesting in stagnant water, exposing enslaved people to disease.

What religion dominated the Southern Colonies?

The Anglican Church dominated the Southern Colonies, though there wasn't religious harmony throughout all English North American colonies due to intolerance and shared hatred for Anglicanism among other groups.