colonial society, dissention, african slave trade cont

Colonial Society and the African Slave Trade

Overview

• The video continues from the previous one discussing colonial society, dissent, and the African slave trade.

• Focuses on the Middle Colonies, New Netherlands, and their unique identities.

The Middle Colonies

• Positioned between New England and the Chesapeake regions, the Middle Colonies had a distinct identity that differed from New England and Chesapeake colonies.

New Netherlands

• First multiethnic colony with a diverse population: Dutch, Germans, French, English, Scandinavians, and Africans (both free and enslaved).

• 18 different languages spoken and a variety of religions (Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims).

The Dutch West India Company

• Controlled trade and established a monopoly on trade by 1621.

• The establishment of a thriving black market appeared due to dissent against the Company's monopoly, leading to the legalization of private business by 1639.

New Sweden

• Founded in 1638 in the Delaware Valley, but was eventually absorbed by New Netherlands.

• Introduced the log cabin to North America, symbolizing the American frontier.

Fur Trade and the Beaver Wars (1648-1657)

• Dutch competed with the French fur trade, leading to conflicts known as the Beaver Wars.

• Alliances formed between Dutch/Iroquois against French/Mohawks and Susquehannocks, resulting in high casualties and spread of diseases among Native Americans.

• Technically, Iroquois were victorious but suffered irreversible population loss.

Transition to British Control

• By 1664, King James II ordered attacks on New Netherlands, leading to British control and reorganization into New York and New Jersey.

• New Jersey originally formed as East and West Jersey but later merged due to religious upheaval.

Pennsylvania

• Founded by Quakers, appealing to the lower class and advocating for social equality and church critique.

• William Penn petitioned King Charles II and established Pennsylvania as a holy experiment promoting tolerance and equality.

• Philadelphia founded as "City of Brotherly Love," with strong executive power and inclusion of Quakers in leadership positions.

• Enforced religious tolerance, allowing non-Quakers to live in Pennsylvania; first abolition societies began in this colony.

Southern Colonies: Carolinas and Georgia

Carolinas

• Originated with the intention to replicate Caribbean colonies, particularly Barbados' sugarcane economies.

• Instead, they focused on rice cultivation and a planter elite class with significant political sway in governance.

• Enslaved Africans in Carolina were less supervised, enabling preservation of cultural traditions and formation of Gullah, a mixed language.

• The Carolinas separated into North and South by 1712, with different agricultural focuses.

Georgia

• Established in 1732 as a refuge for debtors, led by James Oglethorpe.

• Initially prohibited cash crops, alcohol, and slavery, leading to economic struggles.

• By 1752, restrictions lifted, transformed into a royal colony, adopting cash crops and slavery, resembling Carolina's structure.

Iroquois Confederacy

• A confederation of five tribes in New York, governed by a system known as the Great Law of Peace.

• Promoted unity among tribes and peace, balancing interests and providing means to remove political leaders.

• Inspired Ben Franklin and influenced the Articles of Confederation.

New France

• Sought to expand despite slow growth; claimed Mississippi River and its tributaries for the Louisiana Territory.

• French economic policy of mercantilism dictated colony operations; exported raw materials to France.

• French missionaries faced difficulty in converting Native Americans, who preferred their traditional beliefs.

New Spain: Pueblo Revolt (1680)

• Pueblos revolted against Spanish authority due to the encomienda system and a drought leading to crop failure.

• Under the leadership of Pope, different Pueblo tribes united, driving out Spaniards for 12 years, reverting to traditional practices.

• Spanish reconquered in 1692 but allowed some traditional practices to persist, ending the encomienda system.

Spanish Florida and Texas

• Few settlements and developments, acting as buffer zones against French and English encroachment.

• Enslaved individuals sought refuge in Florida, leading to the formation of the first free black community in North America: Gracia Real De Santa Teresa De Mose, established by Francisco Menendez in 1738.