APUSH Unit 2 Chapter 4

SLAVERY AND EMPIRE

• Atlantic Trade

  • Slaves were a profitable due to their labor producing goods and stimulating trade between the old and new world.

• Africa and the Slave Trade

  • Slaves were abundant because the coastal tribes were involved with trade with Europeans, causing them to have better weapons and take over other regions.

• The Middle Passage

  • Most slaves went to Brazil due to high death rate from sugar plantation work. Proportionately few came to North America.

• Chesapeake Slavery — “economy of scale”

  • Three types of slavery: tobacco based in Chesapeake, rice in south carolina georgia , and non plantation in new england and middle colonies

  • Chesapeake slavery was mostly in plantations, but some slaves did skilled work. slavery was very common in this region.

• Freedom and Slavery in the Chesapeake

  • Planters enhanced their power by laws that restrict the rights of blacks via special taxes and no voting rights.

• Indian Slavery in Early Carolina

  • Indians were enslaved and sent to Carribean. supplied by indian tribe

• The Rice Kingdom

  • Economically productive for plantations to be big. No heavy supervision. Slaves outnumbered whites.

  • Slaves were allowed leisure time after they were finished with their “task”

• The Georgia Experiment

  • Georgia was an attempt by proprietors to be an anti-slave colony with economic opportunities, but failed.

• Slavery in the North

  • In New England, slavery was small-scale and dispersed, even though there were small tobacco plantations. Slaves had some rights as they could bring whites to court, own property, and could not be tortured. 75% of elite owned at least one slave.

  • New York had slaves do work, but later switched to wage labor (short-term investment)

  How did African slavery differ regionally in eighteenth-century North America?

  Ans: In the Chesapeake, the slaves were used on tobacco plantations, which in the South it was used for rice and indigo plantations. In the North, the economy wasn’t primarily reliant on slaves. Slaves in the North did domestic work. Due to the “task” system in the South, there was a degree of autonomy among Southern slaves after they finished their work for the day. In the Chesapeake colonies, slaves had women and smaller farms, meaning they could have families. This let them have a perpetual supply of slaves, instead of importing more from the slave trade. In the South, it was mostly males and the conditions were harsh. They a distinctive Gullah culture combining all of their different cultures.

Key Terms

Asiento System: The term "asiento system" refers to a historical commercial arrangement in which a country granted exclusive rights to another country or company to import and export goods to its colonies. This system was commonly used during the colonial era, particularly in the Spanish and Portuguese empires. The asiento system often involved the trading of slaves, as well as other commodities.

SLAVE CULTURES AND SLAVE RESISTANCE

• Becoming African-American

  • Slaves from different regions of Africa were jumbled together with creoles and other slaves. They shared identity on slavery.

• African-American Cultures

  • Chesapeake was small farms, so they learned English and got Involved with the Great Awakening. They also were able to make families due to the healthy climate.

  • In the South, farms were bigger with slaves having more autonomy. They created their own distinct language.

  • In the North, slaves were more divided and had access to mainstream life with whites. They weren’t able to make a cohesive community.

• Resistance to Slavery

  • Slaves were resistant in different forms. They ran away, pretended to be free, and even had rebellions.

• The Crisis of 1739–1741

  • Stono Rebellion was by slaves using weapons from a store to escape to Spanish Florida for freedom.

  • New York Conspiracy was a conspiracy in which slaves and some white planned to burn down New York. It was believed that they wanted to seize weapons to take over the city to turn over to Spain or burn it down.

  What factors led to distinct African-American cultures in the eighteenth century?

  Ans: In the Atlantic Slave Trade, slaves were randomized in ships, and the slaves wouldn’t know one another. Because of this reason, the slaves had to mix their cultures with each other or with American culture. Slaves in the South were able to do that due to their autonomy from the “task” system.

AN EMPIRE OF FREEDOM

• British Patriotism

  • United sense of British identity caused by common enemy, common language, and mostly common religion, with a Parliament with the interests of merchants and aristocracy.

• The British Constitution

  • British people and the colonists were all hypocritical since they were advocates for freedom and liberty, but viewed every other nation as below them.

• The Language of Liberty

  • Liberty became opposing and rebelling against the arbitrary government. people began to protest about higher prices and navy’s impressment.

• Republican Liberty

  • Land-owning and economically dependent people had virtue, and they would think of the interest of the people. They were allowed to participate in political life.

• Liberal Freedom

  • Everyone was born free and had natural rights. The government gets consent for governing in order for them to protect land, liberty, and property. Mainly John Locke ideas.

  What were the meanings of British liberty in the eighteenth century?

  Ans: There were two meanings, republican liberty and liberal freedom. Republican Liberty referred to participation in civic life by virtuous people for the collective good of society. Liberal Freedom proposed for more individual rights and less government intervention. It proposed that everyone was equal and the government needs consent of the governed.

THE PUBLIC SPHERE

• The Right to Vote

  • Generally, white landowning males could vote. In some colonies, women could vote as well as free property-owning blacks. But it was mostly white males voting.

• Political Cultures

  • People were elected, or appointed by the British governors. It was mostly the wealthy and land-owning that could hold office.

• Colonial Government

  • “Salutary neglect” caused by the British being preoccupied with imperial conflicts caused the beginning of elected assemblies, which followed the will of the people. Governors had to cooperate with them.

• The Rise of the Assemblies

  • Future successful governors supported the assemblies. The assemblies drew on the ideas of English Country Party.

• Politics in Public

  • Politics and economy was discussed in groups with mainly people that owned land and were rich, but there were also ordinary citizens.

• The Colonial Press

  • Printing and literacy became common in the English colonies. New market for money and literacy probably led to influence in votes through pamphlets and the revolution.

• Freedom of Expression and Its Limits

  • Freedom of Expression was limited due to the government punishing and censoring through payments and jail time people who satirized or made fun of important people. This led to future freedom of speech in America due to colonial ideas about how important freedom of speech is for liberty.

• The Trial of Zenger

  • The importance of free speech was demonstrated by Zenger’s trial, who lambasted the government and was put in trial, but didn’t go to jail.

• The American Enlightenment

  • New ideas of education, research and experimentation. Rise of beliefs such as deism, Arminianism. Religion (christianity) could go along with science and nature.

  What concepts and institutions dominated colonial politics in the eighteenth century?

  Ans: There was republicanism and colonial assemblies. Colonial assemblies were caused by “salutary neglect” because the British was preoccupied with its imperial duties. Because of that, the colonies establish their own assemblies, which were more powerful that appointed governors. They represented the will of the people.

THE GREAT AWAKENING

• Religious Revivals

  • People thought that religion was being disregarded due to economic and political progress, so there were revivals in response to that all over the world.

• The Preaching of Whitefield

  • The preaching of Whitfield and others propagated ideas of freedom and liberty throughout the colonies.

• The Awakening’s Impact

  • The Awakening affected the colonies politically and socially, even though that wasn’t the reason. There was an increase in newspapers. People wanted to be their own judge instead of having other people do it for them.

  How did the Great Awakening challenge the religious and social structure of British North America?

  Ans: The Great Awakening had preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield had emotional and fervent sermons that affected its audience heavily. They said that salvation can be achieved through repenting and rejected ideas of predestination. This ultimately led to the church hierarchy being challenged, and the start of new beliefs, called “new lights” like presbyterian churches, baptist churches etc. These were due to the Enlightenment and the rationalism that came with it.

IMPERIAL RIVALRIES

• Spanish North America

  • Low population, urban clusters, got richer through indians. Took over a large area to act as buffers. Weak.

• The Spanish in California

  • Spanish came here due to the threat of Russian traders in Alaska. They had hella missionaries and converted hella Indians in the region. Disease devastated the population and the natives got forced to do labor and they also learned how to farm.

• The French Empire

  • Next to the British, and had smaller population compared to French. The French and British competed for indian alliances for deerskin.

• The Middle Ground

  • Middle of Indians, French, and British. British claims to a part of this territory led to the frenh and indian war and seven ears war.

• The Seven Years’ War

  • At first the British was losing men for two years. Later, the tides turned when william pitt funded the war hella.

• A World Transformed

  • There was lots of land redistributions. British took Spanish and French land, and traded it back for North American land. British had all of North America.

• Pontiac’s Rebellion

  • The Natives idea that they need to drive out the British for their independence after treaty of paris.

• The Proclamation Line

  • By the British government to prevent conflicts with Natives. The settlers ignored this law and expanded. Led to American Revolution later.

• Pennsylvania and the Indians

  • The Quakers left their political seats after the hostility toward Delaware Natives. This led to Paxton Boys killing hella natives and removed hope of friendship.

• Colonial Identities

  • In the colonies, they felt united with British. The British had new “subjects” and didn’t see them as the same and thought it would be hard to impose British policies to them. The colonists feared that their liberty was in jeopardy by being a part of British.

  What was the impact of the Seven Years’ War on imperial and Indian–white relations?

  Ans: It got worse because the Paxton boys killed a lot of Natives, and drove Natives out of territories. Pontiac Rebellion.