Colonies
After King Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s, religious conflict ensued with the launching of the English Protestant Reformation (Pope would not annul his marriage w/Catherine of Aragon)
Protestant reformation:
Movement to reform the Catholic Church launched in Germany by Martin Luther. Reformers questioned the authority of the Pope, sought to eliminate selling of indulgences (remission of sin), and encouraged translation of the Bible from Latin.
The REformation was launched in 1530s when King Henry VIII broke w/Roman Catholic Church
Elizabeth promotes the exploration of other areas—which are failures, such as the disappearances of Roanoke and the inability to colonize NewFoundland. Even though the English were struggling, the Spanish were flourishing and were being enriched by the New World. Therefore, they tried to conquer England w/Spanish Armada, and failed miserably due to England’s naval superiority. Afterward, a peace treaty was created and the English began to colonize other areas.
Spanish defeat by the English was the beginning of the end of Spanish colonialism dreams—Netherlands and the Caribbean secure independence
Dampened Spain’s fighting spirit and helped ensure ENgland’ s naval dominance in the North Atlantic
England was on its way to becoming master of the world’ s oceans
England’s population was blooming—England planned to settle and explore other lands. Although English settlement had failed with other explorers, the Virginia Company guaranteed that the overseas settlers had the same rights as Englishmen. This helped reinforce the presence of the English when they settled overseas.
Primogeniture: only eldest sons were eligible to inherit landed estates, and youngest sons had to find jobs elsewhere which led to many explorers
Joint-stock company—forerunner of modern corporation —was perfected, and
investors were able to pool their capital
Joint stock company known as Virginia Company received charter from King James I of England for a settlement in the New World; His main attraction was gold
Charter guaranteed to overseas settlers the same rights of Englishmen that they would have enjoyed had they stayed at home
Jamestown was founded in 1607 in Virginia. Once ashore, settlers died from disease, malnutrition, and rivers. People there wouldn’t want to work and were ill prepared for labor, they began to suffer very quickly. They also entered a period known as the Starving Time because of the drought and other untimely events as well. However ultimately, due to the resourcefulness of both John Smith and John Rolfe, Virginia was able to eventually flourish.
John Smith was captured by Indigenous chieftain Powhatan whose daughter Pocahantas “saved” John Smith
The Natives’ ritual was intended to impress Smith with Powhatan’ s power and with the Natives’ desire for peaceful relations with the Virginians. Pocahontas was intermediary between Indians and settlers
Due to the Native and White settlement issues, many wars took place between the English and the Powhatan tribe. However, there were peace treaties made through the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. Unfortunately, that treaty was not followed after the second Anglo-Powhatan war, and the native Powhatan tribe was thought to be destroyed.
First Anglo-Powhatan War: Lord De La Warrs’ troops raided Natives’ villages, burned houses, confiscated provisions, and torched cornfields. A peace settlemtent was made through the marriage of Pocahantas and John Rolfe—the first known interracial union in Virginia
Second Anglo-Powhatan War: Natives made one last effort to dislodge Virginians and were again defeated
The peace treaty repudiated any thought of assimilating the native peoples into Virginia society or of peacefully coexisting with them. It banished the Chesapeake Natives from their ancestral lands and formally separated Natives from white areas—origins of reservation system
Horses catalyzed a substantial Indian migration onto the Great plains in the 18th century
Disease was the biggest disrupter
Epidemics often robbed natives of their elders who preserved the oral traditions that held clans together; devastated Native American bands had to reinvent themselves w/o benefit of accumulated wisdom
Trading Firearms intensified competition fueled by demands of European trade goods
Natives could not control their own place in Atlantic economy (couldn’t control prices)
Spain relaxed its grip on the Caribbean, so England had gained Native islands (Jamaica)
Sugar formed foundation of West Indies economy
Sugar was labor-heavy and to work plantations, enslaved Africans were imported
To control slave population, English authorities devised codes:
Barbados Slave Code: Denied most fundamental rights to slaves and gave captors virtulaly complete control over laborers, including right to inflict punishments for even slight infractions
Virginia: Child of Tobacco
John Rolfe became the father of the tobacco industry and he saved Virginia from financial difficulties. He perfected the raising of tobacco and eventually it was necessary to use slave labor to grow all the tobacco.
House of Burgesses:
Representative, self-government was born in Virginia
The assembly was the House of burgesses
Momentous precedent was thus established and the first of many miniature parliaments flourished in America
King James I grew hostile to Virginia—detested tobacco and distrusted representative House of Burgesses so he revoked the charter of the Virginia Company, thus making Virginia a royal colony under his control
Maryland was established as a plantation colony and was able to flourish with their tobacco. The colony was founded by Lord Baltimore who wanted religious freedom for all. However, due to the religious unrest between the Protestants & the Catholics, the Act of Toleration needed to be passed.
Act of Toleration:
guaranteed toleration to all Christians but decreed death penalty for Jews and atheists
The Carolinas were colonized after Charles II was restored to his throne. He gave the land to the Lords of Proprietors. These founders hoped to grow foodstuffs for exports, which they flourished in.
Carolina prospered by developing close economic ties w/flourishing sugar islands of English West Indies
North Carolina was created after poverty-stricken outcasts and religious dissenters decided to drift down there. They were poor but sturdy, and more humble compared to their neighbors South Carolina and Virginia. They eventually became their own royal colony.
Squatters were those without legal right to soil, and raised tobacco crops on small farms with little need for slaves
Irreligious and hospitable to pirates
Most democratic, most independent minded and least aristocratic of 13 English colonies
In Tuscarora War: North Carolinians crushed Natives in the war, selling hundreds of them into slavery and leaving the survivors to wander northward to seek protcetion of Iroquois. In another battle, the South Carolinians defeated and dispersed the Yamasee Natives
Iroquois Confederacy: Bounded native nations—Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas —great military power
Georgia was the last colony in the thirteen colonies.Georgia served as a buffer against Spanish colonies/attacks from the French in Louisiana.
Georgia wanted to protect neighboring northern colonies, produce silk and wine, and create a haven for debtors.
Est. by James Oglethorpe, who was a proponent for prison reform; also repelled Spanish
Religious toleration included all Christian worshippers except Catholics
England’s Southern colonies:
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia
Slavery was found in all plantation colonies, though only after 1750 in Georgia
Profitable staple crops were the rule, notably tobacco and rice, though to a lesser extent in North Carolina
Wide scattering of plantations
Farms slowed the growth of cities and made est. churches and schools difficult and expensive
The Protestant Reformation Produces Puritanism
Calvinism: Instigated by John Calvin
Spelled out basic doctrine:
God, Calvin argued, was all-powerful and all0good
Humans, because of corrupting effect of sin, were weak and wicked
God was also all-knowing–and he knew who was going to heaven and who was going to hell
Predestination: Since the first moment of creation, some souls had been destined for eternal bliss and others for eternal torment
Calvinists constantly sought in themselves and others, signs of conversion: God’ s free gift of saving grace
Puritans:
Henry VII broke teis w/Roman Catholic church in 1530 s and made himself head of CHurch of England
Action stimulated some English reformers to undertake a total purification of English Christianity
Puritans grew unhappy with slow progress of Protestnat Reformation in ENgland and didn’t want to associate themselves w/ the “damned”
Tiny group of Puritans known as SEparatists vowed to break away entirely from the Church of England
The Pilgrims End Their Pilgrimage at Plymouth
The Pilgrims sought out to find a Haven, since going to Holland did not work for them. Therefore, they all crowded on the Mayflower, and finally chose to settle in Plymouth Bay (they did not make their initial docking at Plymouth Rock). Before settling, they drew up the Mayflower Compact to establish precedents that they could live on. They struggled with their environment, and eventually prospered.
Mayflower Compact: simple agreement to form crudge gov. And to submit to the will of the majority under the regulations agreed upon
Pact was a step toward self gov.
adult male settlers assembling to make own laws in town meeting
The Separatist Pilgrims were dedicated extremists--the purest Puritans. Eventually, a group of non-Separatist Puritans, secured a royal charter to form the Massachusetts Bay Company. They proposed to establish the area, which resulted in the “Great Migration” where 70,000 refugees left England; not all were Puritans, and only about 20,000 came to Massachusetts. Many were attracted to warm and fertile West Indies, especially sugar-rich Island Barbados. More Puritans came to Caribbeans than to all of Massachusetts
John Winthrop became the first governor of Bay Colony, and his resourcefulness helped Massachusetts propers through fur trading, fishing, and shipbuilding.
Trouble in the Bible Commonwealth
Even though Bay Colony enjoyed social harmony, dissension soon appeared because Quakers, who did not agree with the Puritan clergy, were persecuted.
Anne Hutchinson: claimed that holy life was no sure sign of salvation and that the truly saved need not bother to obey the law of God or man. The assertion was antinomianism.
The Puritan magistrates banished her for her beliefs, she set out for Rhode Island, and settled in New York where she was killed by Indigenous people
Roger Williams also denied the authority of civil government to regulate religious behavior, wanted to make a clean break with the Church of England and challenged the legality of the Bay Colony’ s charter, and Williams was banished
Roger Williams escaped to the Rhode Island area and established the first Baptist church, with complete freedom of religion, even for Jews and Catholics. He did not demand oats regarding religious beliefs, no compulsory attendance at worship, no taxes to support a state church, and sheltered the abused Quakers (though he didn’t agree with their ideologies). Rhode Island was one of the most liberal English settlements. The puritan clergy sneered at Rhode Island and recognized it as a place for the “Lord’s debris” that had collected and rotted”.
Rhode Island was composed of outcasts, who also achieved freedom of opportunity
Rhode Island began as a squatter colony, and finally est. rights to coil when it secured a charter from Parliament
The settlers of new Connecticut River colony drafted FUndamental Orders
A modern constitution, which est. a regime democratically controlled by the citizens
Fishermen and fur traders in Maine—absorbed by Massachusetts Bay and remained part of Massachusetts for nearly 150 years before becoming a separate state
New Hampshire had fishing and trading and was absorbed by Bay Colony
The King separated New Hampshire from Massachusetts in 1679 and made it a royal colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth were two different colonies, but Plymouth was eventually absorbed by Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Local Wampanoag Natives befriended the settlers at first. However, as more English settlers arrived and pushed inland into the Connecticut River valley, confrontation between Natives and the whites ruptured these peaceful relations. The Hostilities exploded during the Pequot War, which resulted in the slaughter of their tribe entirely.
The Natives’ only hope for resisting English encroachment was intertribal unity; King Philip’ s War: Metacom–King Philip—forged alliances and mounted a series of coordinated assaults on English villages throughout New England.
Hundreds of colonists and natives were dead; Metacom’s wife and son were enslaved and he was beheaded
The New England Confederation was created. It was essentially an exclusive Puritan club that consisted of the Bay Colony and Plymouth, and two Connecticut colonies. The club was too exclusive though, even though it was the first notable milestone toward colonial unity. The English Civil War was distracting old England, throwing the colonists upon their own resources. The primary purpose of the confederation was defense against foes (Natives, French, and Dutch)
Confederation was an exclusive Puritan club; first notable milestone toward colonial unity
In England, king had paid little attention to American colonies during the early years of their plantings (Colonies were semi-autonomous)
However once Charles II was restored to the throne, he wanted immediate control over the colonies, which were already getting used to self-autonomy. Eventually, the Bay Colony’s charter was revoked by the London authorities
Sir Edmund Andros was the head of the new Dominion of England, which was designed to promote the efficiency of the English Navigation laws.
He established headquarters in Puritanical Boston, where he generated much hostility by his open affiliation with the despised Church of England. He ruthlessly curbed the cherished town meetings; laid heavy restrictions on the courts, the press, and the schools; and revoked all land titles. He taxed people without the consent of their duly elected representatives. He also wanted to enforce the Navigation Laws and suppress smuggling.
Dominion of England: Embraced New England, New York and West Jersey
Aimed at bolstering colonial defense in event of war w/Natives
Designed to promote efficiency in administration of the English Navigation Laws
Laws reflected intensifying colonial rivalries of the 17th century
Sought to stitch England’ s overseas possession more by throttling American trade with countries not ruled by the English crown
Americans hated the confinements and smuggling was common and an honorable occupation
Glorious (bloodless) revolution: dethroned James II and enthroned Protestant rules of William III and Mary II
When news of revolution reached America, Dominion of New England collapsed—Andros attempted to flee but he was shipped to England
Massachusetts was made into a royal colony
Revolution inspired many to strike against royal authority in America
“Salutary neglect”---Newly appointed royal governors Relaxed royal grip on colonial trade
The resented Navigation Laws were weakly enforced
Quakers were especially offensive to authorities both religious and civil. They refused to support the established Church of England with taxes. They built simple meetinghouses, congregated without a paid clergy, and “spoke up” themselves in meetings when moved. They abhorred strife and warfare and refused military service. William Penn was attracted to the Quaker Faith, and he wanted to create a “haven” for them , which he managed to do by securing an immense grant of fertile land from the king.
Pennsylvania welcomed many citizens including: carpenters, masons, shoemakers, and other laborers; his liberal land policy attracted immigrants
William Penn officially established Pennsylvania in 1681. Penn bought land from the Natives, and his treatment of the Natives were fair so there were amicable Indian-white relations. Penn’s new proprietary regime was unusually liberal and included a representative assembly elected by landowners. No tax-supported state church drained coffers or demanded allegiance. There was also a lot of diversity, which helped the colony prosper, along with the successful exports and businesses of the Quaker people.
Freedom of worship—Penn—under pressure from London—was forced to deny Catholics and Jews privilege of voting or holding office
No provision was made for Pennsylvania or military defense
No restrictions were placed on immigration and naturalization was easy
Ethnic groups were attracted
“Blue laws” prohibited stage plays, playing cards, dice, games, and excessive hilarity
The Middle Way in the Middle Colonies
The Middle colonies, which consisted of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, had features in common. The soil was fertile, which made agriculture easier and they were New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania heavily exported grain. The Rivers guaranteed fur trade and aided in milling/manufacturing the water-wheel power. The population was more ethnically mixed, most likely due to the heavy liberalism and toleration of religion.
Chesapeake: Disease-ravaged, families were both few and fragile
native-born inhabitants acquired immunity; more women had more families
White population of Chesapeake grew based on its own birth rate
Tobacco Economy
Chesapeake was hospitable to tobacco cultivation
Intense tobacco cultivation exhausted soil
The insatiable demand for new land resulted in commercial growers went farther up the river valleys, which also resulted more Native attacks
More tobacco meant more labor
African slaves were expensive and the Cheseapeake’ s high mortality rates made investment risky
Indentured servants: England’s surplus of displaced workers and farmers, desperate for employment
many were young men who fled England’s poverty;
They were voluntarily mortgaging their labor for several years to Chesepeake nobility
in exchange they received transatlantic passage and eventual freedom dues including an ax and a hoe, a few barrels of corn, a suit of clothes, and perhaps a small parcel of land
Virginia and Maryland employed head-right system: encouraged importation of servant workers—-whoever paid passage of a laborer received right to acquire 50 acres of land
Young white men were frustrated by their inability to acquire land and their failure to find single women to marry
Virginia assembly in 1670 disenfranchised most landless settlers
Bacon’s Rebellion:
A thousand Virginians broke out of control in 1676, led by Nathaniel Bacon. Many of the rebels were frontiersmen who had been forced into the untamed backcountry in search of land; they resented Virginian Gov. William Berkele’ s friendly policies toward the Natives, whose thriving fur trade the governor monopolized
When Berkeley refused to retaliate against a series of brutal native attacks on frontier settlements, Bacon and his followers took matters into their own hands; they killed friendly and hostile natives alike and chased Berkely from Jameston
As the civil war in Virginia went on, Bacon died from a disease and Berkeley crushed the uprising w/brutal cruelty
Bacon had ignited resentments of landless former servants and Lordly planters looked for less troublesome laborers and set their eyes on Africa
Rising wages in ENgland shrank pool of poverty willing to be indentured servants
Improving mortality rates made investment in slaves less risky
Native planters brought new rice and indigo planting to the Carolinas, swelling the demand for labor
In the wake of Bacon’s Rebellion, large planters were fearful of mutinous former servants
Royal African Company lost its crown-granted monopoly on carrying slaves to the colonies
Enterprising Americans cahsed in on slave trade and suppy of slaves rose steeply
Most slaves came from west of Africa—Stretching from Senegal to Angola; originally captured by AFrican coastal tribes who trade them in markets to European and American merchants
The captives were put onto the middle passage; survivors were then shoved onto auction blocks in New World ports
A few of the earliest African captives gained their freedom, and some even became slave owners themselves; as number of AFricans increased dramatically, white colonists reacted to this supposed racial threat
Statutes appeared that formally decreed the conditions of slavery for Africans
“Slave Codes” made blacks and their children the property for life of their white captors
Some colonies made it a crime to teach a slave to read or write (Education will make them more mutinous with more knowledge)
Not even conversion to Christianity could qualify a slave for freedom
Slavery might have begun in America for economic rweasons, but it racial dsicrimination also molded the AMerican slave system
As slavery spread, gaps in South’s social structure widened
Top of social ladder was small but powerful great planters who owned slaves and domains of land—planters ruled the region’ s economy and monopolized political power
Beneath the planters were small farmers, the largest social group—they tilled modest plots and might own one or two slaves, but they lived a ragged hang-to-mouth existence
Still lower on the social scale were landless whites, most of them former indentured servants
Beneath them were those persons still serving out the term of their indenture
Their numbers gradually diminished as black slaves increasingly replaced white indentured servants
Life in the New England Towns:
Sturdy New Englanders evolved a tightly knit society, the basis of which was small villages and farms
People with Puritan roots were at the forefront of the crusade for abolishing black slavery
Puritans ran their own churches and democracy in Congregational Church government led to democracy in political government.
Jeremiad, Half-Way Covenant
Salem Witch Trials:
A group of adolescent girls in Salem, Massachusetts, claimed to have been bewitched by certain older women. A hysterical “witch hunt” ensued, leading to the legal lynching in 1692 of 20 individuals, 19 of whom were hanged and one was pressed to death
Reign of horror in Salem grew not only from superstitions and prejudice sof the ajes but also wars with Natives, and usnettles social and religious conditions
Most accused witches came from families associated with Salem’s burgeoning market economy; their accusers came from farming families
Praying towns—A mere handful of Natives were gathered into Puritan “praying towns” to make acquaintance of the English God and to learn the ways of English culture
The New England Way of Life:
Climate: Summers were hot and winters were cruel
Soil and Climate of new England encouraged diversified economy
Tobacco did not flourish like it did in the South
Black slavery was modest scale—could not exist priftable on small farms
No broad fertile expanses—-mountains and rivers
English brought livestock—cleared forests for agriculture
Became experts in ship building and commerce
Early Settlers’ Days and Ways
Crude frontier life did not permit the flagrant display of class distinctions
Many uprisings across colonies when wealthy colonists attempted to recreate European social structures in the New World
REsentment against upper-class pretensions helped to spark outbursts like Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia
In New York, animosity between lordly landowners and aspiring merchants fueled Leisler’s Rebellion led by Jacob Leisler
A mingling of races
Colonial America was a melting pot
German Newcomers, several different Protestant sects, Scots-Irish, Irish Catholics
The Scots-Irish led armed march of Paxton Boys on Philadelphia in 1764, protesting the Quaker oligarchy’s lenient policy toward the Indians, and a few years later spearheaded the Regulator movement in North Carolina, an insurrection against eastern domination of the colony’s affairs
Other European groups: French Huguenots, Welsh, Dutch, Swedes, Jews, Irish, Swiss, and Scots; population was mainly Anglo-Saxon
African slave trade had mixed peoples from different tribal backgrounds—African Community had a lot of variation
Native Americans were Christianized
Gullah: A Creole language that combined words from English and a variety of African languages (Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa) in AFrican grammatical structure
It was Widespread in South Carolina and Georgia
Gullah did not take root in Cotton south where lowcountry slaves were outnumbered
Gullah passed into American speech (goober, gumbo, voodoo)
Ring Shout: A West AFrican religious dance performed by shuffling in a circle while answering a preacher’s shouts, was brought to colonial America by Africans and eventually contributed to development of jazz
The Banjo and bongo drum were other AFrican contributions to American culture
Spirituals: a type of religious folk song that is most closely associated with the enslavement of African people in the American South.
Christian slaves often used outwardly religious songs as encoded messages about escape or rebellion
Blacks in tobacco-growing Chesapeake region had a somewhat easier lot; Tobacco was a less physically demanding crop than those of the deeper South, and tobacco plantations were larger and closer to one another than rice plantation
Captive black population of Chesapeake area soon began to grow through its own fertility; slave imports to Chesapeake from West Indies and Africa dropped significantly
Deepr South remained heavily depending on continuing transatlantic slave trade
Enslaved AFricans also helped to built the country with their labor—few became artisans, carpenters, bricklayers
New York slave revolt in 1741: An Uprising of 2 dozen enslaved Africans, which resulted in deaths of 9 whites and execution of 21 blacks
Stono Rebellion of 1739; South Carolina slave revolt: 50 resentful blacks along Stono River tried to march to Spanish Florida, only to be stopped by local militia
The triangular trade was profitable: Exchange of rum, slaves, and molasses between the North American colonies, AFrica, and West Indies; profitable subset of Atlantic trade
Molasses Act: Passed by British Parliament, it aimed at stopping North American trade with the French West Indies. If successful, this scheme would have crippled American international trade and the colonists' standard of living. American merchants responded to the act by bribing and smuggling their way around the law. This foreshadowed the crisis with Americans revolting rather than submitting to Parliament
Most threatening to Calvinist doctrine of predestination was Arminianism, named after Jacobus Arminius, who preached that individual free will, not divine decree, determined a person’s eternal fate, and that all humans, not just the “elect”could be saved if they freely accepted God’s grace
The stage was set for religious revival—The Great Awakening: religious revival that swept the colonies. Participating minister placed emphasis on direct and emotive spirituality
First ignited in Massachusetts by Jonathan Edwards—proclaimed the folly of believing in salvation through good works and affirmed the need for complete dependence on God’s grace
Later, George Whitefield loosed a different style of evangelical preaching—preached message of human helplessness and divine omnipotence
Old Lights: Orthodox clergymen who were deeply skeptical of the emotionalism and theatrical antics of revivalists
New Lights: Defended Awakening for its role in revitalizing American religion
Awakening effects: first spontaneous mass movement of American people *united AMericans, emphasized direct, emotive spirituality which undermined the older clergy, whose authority had derived from their education and erudition; encouraged wave of missionary work among Natives and even among black slaves. It led to founding of new light centers—Princeton, Brown, Rutgers, and Dartmouth
Enlightenment: 18th century European philosophical movement that advocated the use of reason and rationality to establish a system of ethics and knowledge; provided framework for both American and French REvolution and rise of capitalism
They were for: Education, reason, toleration
Against: Traditional conventions, war, religion (based on faith, not reason)
John locke: English Philosopher; most influential Enlightenment thinkers
Advocated idea of a “social contract”in which gov. Powers were derived from consent of the government and in which gov. Serves the people; also said people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property
Poor Richard’s Almanack: Benjamin Franklin edited his contemporaries for Poor Richard’s Almanack. His famous publication contained sayings from thinkers of the ages, emphasized industry, morality, and common sense.
Pioneer Presses:
Hand-operated printing presses cranked out pamphlets, leaflets, and journals
News often lagged many weeks behind the event, especially in the case of overseas happenings
Newspapers were a powerful agency for airing colonial grievances and rallying opposition to British control
Zenger Trial: Zenger’s newspaper had assailed a corrupt royal governor in New York. Charged with seditious libel, the accused was hauled into court. The jurors returned a verdict of not guilty. The ZEnger decision was a banner achievement for freedom of the press and for health of democracy
Involved relatively few Europeans and relied on trade and intermarriage with Native AMericans to build economic and diplomatic relationships and acquire furs and othe products for export to Europe
Dutch Colonial Efforts:
New Netherland:
Dutch East India Company
Henry Hudson—ventured into Delaware Bay and New York Bay, ascended Hudson River; he filed a Dutch Claim to the area
Dutch West India Company—profitable enterprises in Caribbean
Company also est. outposts in Africa and a thriving sugar industry in Brazil
New Netherland in Hudson River Era was Est. by Dutch West India for quick profit fur trade; bought Manhattan Island from Natives
New Amsterdam—later NYC became a company team
New Amsterdam was run by/for Dutch company, in interests of stockholders
They had no enthusiasm for religions toleration, free speech, or democratic practices
governors were appointed by company as directors-general and they were harsh and despotic
Feudal estates fronted Hudson River and were known as patroonships
Natives retaliated against Dutch cruelties with massacres
New ENgland was hostile to the growth of Dutch neighbor
Swedes trespassed on Dutch preserves by planting New Sweden on Delaware River
Dutch dispatched small military expedition because they resented the Swedish intrusion on the Delaware—led by Peter Stuvyesant, swedish colonists were absorbed by New Netherland
England wanted New Netherland—In 1664, Charles II granted Duke of York the area
Peter Stuvyesant was forced to surrender
New AMsterdam became New York
England won harbor
French Colonialism:
France was a latecomer in desire for New World real estate
Dealed w/foreign wars and domestic strife, including frightful clashes between Roman Catholics and Protestant Huguenots:
On St. Bartholomew’s Day, 1572: more than 10,000 Huguenots were butchered
In 1598, Edict of Nantes, was issued by the crown, granting limited toleration to French protestants
Louis XIV took deep interest in overseas colonies
Beginnings of French empire were est. at Queebc, commanding the St. Lawrence River
The leading figure was Samuel De Champlain—Father of New France
French alliance with Huron Natives and Beaver Wars:
Champlain entered into friendly relations with nearby Huron Native tribes—he joined them them in battle against Iroquois tribes; France earned enmity of Iroquois tribes and hampered French penetration of the Ohio Valley—ravaged French settlements and frequently served as allies of the British in struggle for supremacy on the continent
A series of bloody conflicts occurred between 1640s/1680s during which the Iroquois fought the French for control of the fur trade in the east and Great Lakes region
Gov. of New France (Canada) finally fell under direct control of the king under commercial companies had faltered/failed
People had no representative assemblies or right to trial by jury
Protestant Huguenots were denied refuge in the new colony
French gov. Favored Caribbean island colonies, rich in sugar and rum, over Canada
Coureurs de bois: New France had beavers which they made into beaver pelts—French-fur trappers ranged over the woods and waterways of North America in pursuit of beaver
French voyageurs also recruited Natives into fur business
Fur trade drawbacks: Natives decimated by white men diseases and debauched by alcohol
Slaughtering beaver by boatload was wasteful and violated Natives’ religious beliefs and resulted in ecological damage
King William’s War (1689-1697):
War fought largely between French trappers, British settlers, and respective Native allies.
Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713):
Second in a series of conflicts between Euro powers for control of North America, fought between English and french colonists in the North and the English and Spanish in Florida. Under peace treaty, the French ceded Acadia (Nova Scotia), Newfoundland, and Hudson Bay to Britain; Britain also won limited trading rights in Spanish America, but these rights later fosters much friction over smuggling
The War of Jenkin’s Ear:
broke out in 1739 between the British and Spaniards; it was confined to the Caribbean Sea and Georgia where James Oglethorpe also fought
This small fight with Spain in America soon merged with large-scale War of Austrian Succession in Europe, and became King George’s War
King George’s War:
France allied itsself with Spain
New Englanders invaded New FaFrance
The New Englanders captured the French fortress of Louisbourg
Peace treaty of 1748: handed Louisbourg back to French—-New Englanders became mad because all their efforts went out the window
Chickasaw Wars: 1721-1738
Chickasaw Natives and the British fought against French and Choctaw and Illni Natives
Chickasaw won
The war was fought over land, primarily for control of the Mississippi river
The war weakened French hold on Mississippi Valley & Threatened its empire
Albany Congress:
in 1754, British gov. Summoned intercolonial congress to Albany, New York near Iroquois Native country. The immediate purpose was to keep the Iroquois loyal to the British.
The longer-range purpose at Albany was to achieve greater colonial unity, which became a common defense against France; Benjamin Franklin was leading spirit of Albany Congress
It began in America touched off by George Washington in Ohio Valley in 1754. This Launched Seven Years’ War, which was fought not only in AMerica but also in Europe, West Indies, in the Philippines, in Africa, and on the ocean
In Europe the principle adversaries were Britain and Prussia vs. France, SPain, Austria, and Russia
Americans was unified in French and Indian War
Opening clashes of French and Indian War went badly for British Colonists
General Edward Bradock and British regulars set out to capture Fort Duquesne
The expedition moved slowly
French and Indian forces were encotountered by British a few miles away from Duquesne
Braddock was wounded and the British force was routed
The british launched a full scale invasion of Canada and didn’t throw strength at Quebec and Montreal (which would have resulted in less supplies for French)
William Pitt: launched expedition in 1758 against Louisbourg, which ultimately fell after a siege
Battle of Quebec:
James Wolfe
French Marquis de Montcalm were fatally wounded
The French were defeated and city surrendered, Montreal fell quickly after
Peace Settlement in Paris:
The French power was thrown completely off continent of North America
French were able to retain several small but available sugar islands in West Indies and Gulf of St. Lawrence
France also ceded to Spain all trans-Mississippi Louisianaa
Spain turned FLorida over to Britain in return for Cuba
French, Spanish, and Native threat was mitigated
Treaty of Paris that ended Seven Years’ War dealt harsh blow to Iroquois, Creeks, and other tribes
The Spanish Removal from Florida and French removal from Canada deprived Natives of their ability to play off the rival European powers against one another
Pontiac’s Uprising: The Ottawa Chief Pontiac in 1763 led several tribes in a violent campaign to drive the British out of the Ohio Country. Pontiac’s Uprising laid seige to Detroit and eventually overran British posts west of the Appalachians
The British retaliated cruelly
The British commander ordered blankets w/smallpox to be distributed among Natives
British were reminded of necessity to stabilize relations with western Natives
Proclamation of 1763: prohibited settlement in area beyond Appalachians, because the colonists needed to work with natives fairly and prevent another violent campaign like Pontiac’s Uprising
After King Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s, religious conflict ensued with the launching of the English Protestant Reformation (Pope would not annul his marriage w/Catherine of Aragon)
Protestant reformation:
Movement to reform the Catholic Church launched in Germany by Martin Luther. Reformers questioned the authority of the Pope, sought to eliminate selling of indulgences (remission of sin), and encouraged translation of the Bible from Latin.
The REformation was launched in 1530s when King Henry VIII broke w/Roman Catholic Church
Elizabeth promotes the exploration of other areas—which are failures, such as the disappearances of Roanoke and the inability to colonize NewFoundland. Even though the English were struggling, the Spanish were flourishing and were being enriched by the New World. Therefore, they tried to conquer England w/Spanish Armada, and failed miserably due to England’s naval superiority. Afterward, a peace treaty was created and the English began to colonize other areas.
Spanish defeat by the English was the beginning of the end of Spanish colonialism dreams—Netherlands and the Caribbean secure independence
Dampened Spain’s fighting spirit and helped ensure ENgland’ s naval dominance in the North Atlantic
England was on its way to becoming master of the world’ s oceans
England’s population was blooming—England planned to settle and explore other lands. Although English settlement had failed with other explorers, the Virginia Company guaranteed that the overseas settlers had the same rights as Englishmen. This helped reinforce the presence of the English when they settled overseas.
Primogeniture: only eldest sons were eligible to inherit landed estates, and youngest sons had to find jobs elsewhere which led to many explorers
Joint-stock company—forerunner of modern corporation —was perfected, and
investors were able to pool their capital
Joint stock company known as Virginia Company received charter from King James I of England for a settlement in the New World; His main attraction was gold
Charter guaranteed to overseas settlers the same rights of Englishmen that they would have enjoyed had they stayed at home
Jamestown was founded in 1607 in Virginia. Once ashore, settlers died from disease, malnutrition, and rivers. People there wouldn’t want to work and were ill prepared for labor, they began to suffer very quickly. They also entered a period known as the Starving Time because of the drought and other untimely events as well. However ultimately, due to the resourcefulness of both John Smith and John Rolfe, Virginia was able to eventually flourish.
John Smith was captured by Indigenous chieftain Powhatan whose daughter Pocahantas “saved” John Smith
The Natives’ ritual was intended to impress Smith with Powhatan’ s power and with the Natives’ desire for peaceful relations with the Virginians. Pocahontas was intermediary between Indians and settlers
Due to the Native and White settlement issues, many wars took place between the English and the Powhatan tribe. However, there were peace treaties made through the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. Unfortunately, that treaty was not followed after the second Anglo-Powhatan war, and the native Powhatan tribe was thought to be destroyed.
First Anglo-Powhatan War: Lord De La Warrs’ troops raided Natives’ villages, burned houses, confiscated provisions, and torched cornfields. A peace settlemtent was made through the marriage of Pocahantas and John Rolfe—the first known interracial union in Virginia
Second Anglo-Powhatan War: Natives made one last effort to dislodge Virginians and were again defeated
The peace treaty repudiated any thought of assimilating the native peoples into Virginia society or of peacefully coexisting with them. It banished the Chesapeake Natives from their ancestral lands and formally separated Natives from white areas—origins of reservation system
Horses catalyzed a substantial Indian migration onto the Great plains in the 18th century
Disease was the biggest disrupter
Epidemics often robbed natives of their elders who preserved the oral traditions that held clans together; devastated Native American bands had to reinvent themselves w/o benefit of accumulated wisdom
Trading Firearms intensified competition fueled by demands of European trade goods
Natives could not control their own place in Atlantic economy (couldn’t control prices)
Spain relaxed its grip on the Caribbean, so England had gained Native islands (Jamaica)
Sugar formed foundation of West Indies economy
Sugar was labor-heavy and to work plantations, enslaved Africans were imported
To control slave population, English authorities devised codes:
Barbados Slave Code: Denied most fundamental rights to slaves and gave captors virtulaly complete control over laborers, including right to inflict punishments for even slight infractions
Virginia: Child of Tobacco
John Rolfe became the father of the tobacco industry and he saved Virginia from financial difficulties. He perfected the raising of tobacco and eventually it was necessary to use slave labor to grow all the tobacco.
House of Burgesses:
Representative, self-government was born in Virginia
The assembly was the House of burgesses
Momentous precedent was thus established and the first of many miniature parliaments flourished in America
King James I grew hostile to Virginia—detested tobacco and distrusted representative House of Burgesses so he revoked the charter of the Virginia Company, thus making Virginia a royal colony under his control
Maryland was established as a plantation colony and was able to flourish with their tobacco. The colony was founded by Lord Baltimore who wanted religious freedom for all. However, due to the religious unrest between the Protestants & the Catholics, the Act of Toleration needed to be passed.
Act of Toleration:
guaranteed toleration to all Christians but decreed death penalty for Jews and atheists
The Carolinas were colonized after Charles II was restored to his throne. He gave the land to the Lords of Proprietors. These founders hoped to grow foodstuffs for exports, which they flourished in.
Carolina prospered by developing close economic ties w/flourishing sugar islands of English West Indies
North Carolina was created after poverty-stricken outcasts and religious dissenters decided to drift down there. They were poor but sturdy, and more humble compared to their neighbors South Carolina and Virginia. They eventually became their own royal colony.
Squatters were those without legal right to soil, and raised tobacco crops on small farms with little need for slaves
Irreligious and hospitable to pirates
Most democratic, most independent minded and least aristocratic of 13 English colonies
In Tuscarora War: North Carolinians crushed Natives in the war, selling hundreds of them into slavery and leaving the survivors to wander northward to seek protcetion of Iroquois. In another battle, the South Carolinians defeated and dispersed the Yamasee Natives
Iroquois Confederacy: Bounded native nations—Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas —great military power
Georgia was the last colony in the thirteen colonies.Georgia served as a buffer against Spanish colonies/attacks from the French in Louisiana.
Georgia wanted to protect neighboring northern colonies, produce silk and wine, and create a haven for debtors.
Est. by James Oglethorpe, who was a proponent for prison reform; also repelled Spanish
Religious toleration included all Christian worshippers except Catholics
England’s Southern colonies:
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia
Slavery was found in all plantation colonies, though only after 1750 in Georgia
Profitable staple crops were the rule, notably tobacco and rice, though to a lesser extent in North Carolina
Wide scattering of plantations
Farms slowed the growth of cities and made est. churches and schools difficult and expensive
The Protestant Reformation Produces Puritanism
Calvinism: Instigated by John Calvin
Spelled out basic doctrine:
God, Calvin argued, was all-powerful and all0good
Humans, because of corrupting effect of sin, were weak and wicked
God was also all-knowing–and he knew who was going to heaven and who was going to hell
Predestination: Since the first moment of creation, some souls had been destined for eternal bliss and others for eternal torment
Calvinists constantly sought in themselves and others, signs of conversion: God’ s free gift of saving grace
Puritans:
Henry VII broke teis w/Roman Catholic church in 1530 s and made himself head of CHurch of England
Action stimulated some English reformers to undertake a total purification of English Christianity
Puritans grew unhappy with slow progress of Protestnat Reformation in ENgland and didn’t want to associate themselves w/ the “damned”
Tiny group of Puritans known as SEparatists vowed to break away entirely from the Church of England
The Pilgrims End Their Pilgrimage at Plymouth
The Pilgrims sought out to find a Haven, since going to Holland did not work for them. Therefore, they all crowded on the Mayflower, and finally chose to settle in Plymouth Bay (they did not make their initial docking at Plymouth Rock). Before settling, they drew up the Mayflower Compact to establish precedents that they could live on. They struggled with their environment, and eventually prospered.
Mayflower Compact: simple agreement to form crudge gov. And to submit to the will of the majority under the regulations agreed upon
Pact was a step toward self gov.
adult male settlers assembling to make own laws in town meeting
The Separatist Pilgrims were dedicated extremists--the purest Puritans. Eventually, a group of non-Separatist Puritans, secured a royal charter to form the Massachusetts Bay Company. They proposed to establish the area, which resulted in the “Great Migration” where 70,000 refugees left England; not all were Puritans, and only about 20,000 came to Massachusetts. Many were attracted to warm and fertile West Indies, especially sugar-rich Island Barbados. More Puritans came to Caribbeans than to all of Massachusetts
John Winthrop became the first governor of Bay Colony, and his resourcefulness helped Massachusetts propers through fur trading, fishing, and shipbuilding.
Trouble in the Bible Commonwealth
Even though Bay Colony enjoyed social harmony, dissension soon appeared because Quakers, who did not agree with the Puritan clergy, were persecuted.
Anne Hutchinson: claimed that holy life was no sure sign of salvation and that the truly saved need not bother to obey the law of God or man. The assertion was antinomianism.
The Puritan magistrates banished her for her beliefs, she set out for Rhode Island, and settled in New York where she was killed by Indigenous people
Roger Williams also denied the authority of civil government to regulate religious behavior, wanted to make a clean break with the Church of England and challenged the legality of the Bay Colony’ s charter, and Williams was banished
Roger Williams escaped to the Rhode Island area and established the first Baptist church, with complete freedom of religion, even for Jews and Catholics. He did not demand oats regarding religious beliefs, no compulsory attendance at worship, no taxes to support a state church, and sheltered the abused Quakers (though he didn’t agree with their ideologies). Rhode Island was one of the most liberal English settlements. The puritan clergy sneered at Rhode Island and recognized it as a place for the “Lord’s debris” that had collected and rotted”.
Rhode Island was composed of outcasts, who also achieved freedom of opportunity
Rhode Island began as a squatter colony, and finally est. rights to coil when it secured a charter from Parliament
The settlers of new Connecticut River colony drafted FUndamental Orders
A modern constitution, which est. a regime democratically controlled by the citizens
Fishermen and fur traders in Maine—absorbed by Massachusetts Bay and remained part of Massachusetts for nearly 150 years before becoming a separate state
New Hampshire had fishing and trading and was absorbed by Bay Colony
The King separated New Hampshire from Massachusetts in 1679 and made it a royal colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth were two different colonies, but Plymouth was eventually absorbed by Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Local Wampanoag Natives befriended the settlers at first. However, as more English settlers arrived and pushed inland into the Connecticut River valley, confrontation between Natives and the whites ruptured these peaceful relations. The Hostilities exploded during the Pequot War, which resulted in the slaughter of their tribe entirely.
The Natives’ only hope for resisting English encroachment was intertribal unity; King Philip’ s War: Metacom–King Philip—forged alliances and mounted a series of coordinated assaults on English villages throughout New England.
Hundreds of colonists and natives were dead; Metacom’s wife and son were enslaved and he was beheaded
The New England Confederation was created. It was essentially an exclusive Puritan club that consisted of the Bay Colony and Plymouth, and two Connecticut colonies. The club was too exclusive though, even though it was the first notable milestone toward colonial unity. The English Civil War was distracting old England, throwing the colonists upon their own resources. The primary purpose of the confederation was defense against foes (Natives, French, and Dutch)
Confederation was an exclusive Puritan club; first notable milestone toward colonial unity
In England, king had paid little attention to American colonies during the early years of their plantings (Colonies were semi-autonomous)
However once Charles II was restored to the throne, he wanted immediate control over the colonies, which were already getting used to self-autonomy. Eventually, the Bay Colony’s charter was revoked by the London authorities
Sir Edmund Andros was the head of the new Dominion of England, which was designed to promote the efficiency of the English Navigation laws.
He established headquarters in Puritanical Boston, where he generated much hostility by his open affiliation with the despised Church of England. He ruthlessly curbed the cherished town meetings; laid heavy restrictions on the courts, the press, and the schools; and revoked all land titles. He taxed people without the consent of their duly elected representatives. He also wanted to enforce the Navigation Laws and suppress smuggling.
Dominion of England: Embraced New England, New York and West Jersey
Aimed at bolstering colonial defense in event of war w/Natives
Designed to promote efficiency in administration of the English Navigation Laws
Laws reflected intensifying colonial rivalries of the 17th century
Sought to stitch England’ s overseas possession more by throttling American trade with countries not ruled by the English crown
Americans hated the confinements and smuggling was common and an honorable occupation
Glorious (bloodless) revolution: dethroned James II and enthroned Protestant rules of William III and Mary II
When news of revolution reached America, Dominion of New England collapsed—Andros attempted to flee but he was shipped to England
Massachusetts was made into a royal colony
Revolution inspired many to strike against royal authority in America
“Salutary neglect”---Newly appointed royal governors Relaxed royal grip on colonial trade
The resented Navigation Laws were weakly enforced
Quakers were especially offensive to authorities both religious and civil. They refused to support the established Church of England with taxes. They built simple meetinghouses, congregated without a paid clergy, and “spoke up” themselves in meetings when moved. They abhorred strife and warfare and refused military service. William Penn was attracted to the Quaker Faith, and he wanted to create a “haven” for them , which he managed to do by securing an immense grant of fertile land from the king.
Pennsylvania welcomed many citizens including: carpenters, masons, shoemakers, and other laborers; his liberal land policy attracted immigrants
William Penn officially established Pennsylvania in 1681. Penn bought land from the Natives, and his treatment of the Natives were fair so there were amicable Indian-white relations. Penn’s new proprietary regime was unusually liberal and included a representative assembly elected by landowners. No tax-supported state church drained coffers or demanded allegiance. There was also a lot of diversity, which helped the colony prosper, along with the successful exports and businesses of the Quaker people.
Freedom of worship—Penn—under pressure from London—was forced to deny Catholics and Jews privilege of voting or holding office
No provision was made for Pennsylvania or military defense
No restrictions were placed on immigration and naturalization was easy
Ethnic groups were attracted
“Blue laws” prohibited stage plays, playing cards, dice, games, and excessive hilarity
The Middle Way in the Middle Colonies
The Middle colonies, which consisted of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, had features in common. The soil was fertile, which made agriculture easier and they were New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania heavily exported grain. The Rivers guaranteed fur trade and aided in milling/manufacturing the water-wheel power. The population was more ethnically mixed, most likely due to the heavy liberalism and toleration of religion.
Chesapeake: Disease-ravaged, families were both few and fragile
native-born inhabitants acquired immunity; more women had more families
White population of Chesapeake grew based on its own birth rate
Tobacco Economy
Chesapeake was hospitable to tobacco cultivation
Intense tobacco cultivation exhausted soil
The insatiable demand for new land resulted in commercial growers went farther up the river valleys, which also resulted more Native attacks
More tobacco meant more labor
African slaves were expensive and the Cheseapeake’ s high mortality rates made investment risky
Indentured servants: England’s surplus of displaced workers and farmers, desperate for employment
many were young men who fled England’s poverty;
They were voluntarily mortgaging their labor for several years to Chesepeake nobility
in exchange they received transatlantic passage and eventual freedom dues including an ax and a hoe, a few barrels of corn, a suit of clothes, and perhaps a small parcel of land
Virginia and Maryland employed head-right system: encouraged importation of servant workers—-whoever paid passage of a laborer received right to acquire 50 acres of land
Young white men were frustrated by their inability to acquire land and their failure to find single women to marry
Virginia assembly in 1670 disenfranchised most landless settlers
Bacon’s Rebellion:
A thousand Virginians broke out of control in 1676, led by Nathaniel Bacon. Many of the rebels were frontiersmen who had been forced into the untamed backcountry in search of land; they resented Virginian Gov. William Berkele’ s friendly policies toward the Natives, whose thriving fur trade the governor monopolized
When Berkeley refused to retaliate against a series of brutal native attacks on frontier settlements, Bacon and his followers took matters into their own hands; they killed friendly and hostile natives alike and chased Berkely from Jameston
As the civil war in Virginia went on, Bacon died from a disease and Berkeley crushed the uprising w/brutal cruelty
Bacon had ignited resentments of landless former servants and Lordly planters looked for less troublesome laborers and set their eyes on Africa
Rising wages in ENgland shrank pool of poverty willing to be indentured servants
Improving mortality rates made investment in slaves less risky
Native planters brought new rice and indigo planting to the Carolinas, swelling the demand for labor
In the wake of Bacon’s Rebellion, large planters were fearful of mutinous former servants
Royal African Company lost its crown-granted monopoly on carrying slaves to the colonies
Enterprising Americans cahsed in on slave trade and suppy of slaves rose steeply
Most slaves came from west of Africa—Stretching from Senegal to Angola; originally captured by AFrican coastal tribes who trade them in markets to European and American merchants
The captives were put onto the middle passage; survivors were then shoved onto auction blocks in New World ports
A few of the earliest African captives gained their freedom, and some even became slave owners themselves; as number of AFricans increased dramatically, white colonists reacted to this supposed racial threat
Statutes appeared that formally decreed the conditions of slavery for Africans
“Slave Codes” made blacks and their children the property for life of their white captors
Some colonies made it a crime to teach a slave to read or write (Education will make them more mutinous with more knowledge)
Not even conversion to Christianity could qualify a slave for freedom
Slavery might have begun in America for economic rweasons, but it racial dsicrimination also molded the AMerican slave system
As slavery spread, gaps in South’s social structure widened
Top of social ladder was small but powerful great planters who owned slaves and domains of land—planters ruled the region’ s economy and monopolized political power
Beneath the planters were small farmers, the largest social group—they tilled modest plots and might own one or two slaves, but they lived a ragged hang-to-mouth existence
Still lower on the social scale were landless whites, most of them former indentured servants
Beneath them were those persons still serving out the term of their indenture
Their numbers gradually diminished as black slaves increasingly replaced white indentured servants
Life in the New England Towns:
Sturdy New Englanders evolved a tightly knit society, the basis of which was small villages and farms
People with Puritan roots were at the forefront of the crusade for abolishing black slavery
Puritans ran their own churches and democracy in Congregational Church government led to democracy in political government.
Jeremiad, Half-Way Covenant
Salem Witch Trials:
A group of adolescent girls in Salem, Massachusetts, claimed to have been bewitched by certain older women. A hysterical “witch hunt” ensued, leading to the legal lynching in 1692 of 20 individuals, 19 of whom were hanged and one was pressed to death
Reign of horror in Salem grew not only from superstitions and prejudice sof the ajes but also wars with Natives, and usnettles social and religious conditions
Most accused witches came from families associated with Salem’s burgeoning market economy; their accusers came from farming families
Praying towns—A mere handful of Natives were gathered into Puritan “praying towns” to make acquaintance of the English God and to learn the ways of English culture
The New England Way of Life:
Climate: Summers were hot and winters were cruel
Soil and Climate of new England encouraged diversified economy
Tobacco did not flourish like it did in the South
Black slavery was modest scale—could not exist priftable on small farms
No broad fertile expanses—-mountains and rivers
English brought livestock—cleared forests for agriculture
Became experts in ship building and commerce
Early Settlers’ Days and Ways
Crude frontier life did not permit the flagrant display of class distinctions
Many uprisings across colonies when wealthy colonists attempted to recreate European social structures in the New World
REsentment against upper-class pretensions helped to spark outbursts like Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia
In New York, animosity between lordly landowners and aspiring merchants fueled Leisler’s Rebellion led by Jacob Leisler
A mingling of races
Colonial America was a melting pot
German Newcomers, several different Protestant sects, Scots-Irish, Irish Catholics
The Scots-Irish led armed march of Paxton Boys on Philadelphia in 1764, protesting the Quaker oligarchy’s lenient policy toward the Indians, and a few years later spearheaded the Regulator movement in North Carolina, an insurrection against eastern domination of the colony’s affairs
Other European groups: French Huguenots, Welsh, Dutch, Swedes, Jews, Irish, Swiss, and Scots; population was mainly Anglo-Saxon
African slave trade had mixed peoples from different tribal backgrounds—African Community had a lot of variation
Native Americans were Christianized
Gullah: A Creole language that combined words from English and a variety of African languages (Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa) in AFrican grammatical structure
It was Widespread in South Carolina and Georgia
Gullah did not take root in Cotton south where lowcountry slaves were outnumbered
Gullah passed into American speech (goober, gumbo, voodoo)
Ring Shout: A West AFrican religious dance performed by shuffling in a circle while answering a preacher’s shouts, was brought to colonial America by Africans and eventually contributed to development of jazz
The Banjo and bongo drum were other AFrican contributions to American culture
Spirituals: a type of religious folk song that is most closely associated with the enslavement of African people in the American South.
Christian slaves often used outwardly religious songs as encoded messages about escape or rebellion
Blacks in tobacco-growing Chesapeake region had a somewhat easier lot; Tobacco was a less physically demanding crop than those of the deeper South, and tobacco plantations were larger and closer to one another than rice plantation
Captive black population of Chesapeake area soon began to grow through its own fertility; slave imports to Chesapeake from West Indies and Africa dropped significantly
Deepr South remained heavily depending on continuing transatlantic slave trade
Enslaved AFricans also helped to built the country with their labor—few became artisans, carpenters, bricklayers
New York slave revolt in 1741: An Uprising of 2 dozen enslaved Africans, which resulted in deaths of 9 whites and execution of 21 blacks
Stono Rebellion of 1739; South Carolina slave revolt: 50 resentful blacks along Stono River tried to march to Spanish Florida, only to be stopped by local militia
The triangular trade was profitable: Exchange of rum, slaves, and molasses between the North American colonies, AFrica, and West Indies; profitable subset of Atlantic trade
Molasses Act: Passed by British Parliament, it aimed at stopping North American trade with the French West Indies. If successful, this scheme would have crippled American international trade and the colonists' standard of living. American merchants responded to the act by bribing and smuggling their way around the law. This foreshadowed the crisis with Americans revolting rather than submitting to Parliament
Most threatening to Calvinist doctrine of predestination was Arminianism, named after Jacobus Arminius, who preached that individual free will, not divine decree, determined a person’s eternal fate, and that all humans, not just the “elect”could be saved if they freely accepted God’s grace
The stage was set for religious revival—The Great Awakening: religious revival that swept the colonies. Participating minister placed emphasis on direct and emotive spirituality
First ignited in Massachusetts by Jonathan Edwards—proclaimed the folly of believing in salvation through good works and affirmed the need for complete dependence on God’s grace
Later, George Whitefield loosed a different style of evangelical preaching—preached message of human helplessness and divine omnipotence
Old Lights: Orthodox clergymen who were deeply skeptical of the emotionalism and theatrical antics of revivalists
New Lights: Defended Awakening for its role in revitalizing American religion
Awakening effects: first spontaneous mass movement of American people *united AMericans, emphasized direct, emotive spirituality which undermined the older clergy, whose authority had derived from their education and erudition; encouraged wave of missionary work among Natives and even among black slaves. It led to founding of new light centers—Princeton, Brown, Rutgers, and Dartmouth
Enlightenment: 18th century European philosophical movement that advocated the use of reason and rationality to establish a system of ethics and knowledge; provided framework for both American and French REvolution and rise of capitalism
They were for: Education, reason, toleration
Against: Traditional conventions, war, religion (based on faith, not reason)
John locke: English Philosopher; most influential Enlightenment thinkers
Advocated idea of a “social contract”in which gov. Powers were derived from consent of the government and in which gov. Serves the people; also said people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property
Poor Richard’s Almanack: Benjamin Franklin edited his contemporaries for Poor Richard’s Almanack. His famous publication contained sayings from thinkers of the ages, emphasized industry, morality, and common sense.
Pioneer Presses:
Hand-operated printing presses cranked out pamphlets, leaflets, and journals
News often lagged many weeks behind the event, especially in the case of overseas happenings
Newspapers were a powerful agency for airing colonial grievances and rallying opposition to British control
Zenger Trial: Zenger’s newspaper had assailed a corrupt royal governor in New York. Charged with seditious libel, the accused was hauled into court. The jurors returned a verdict of not guilty. The ZEnger decision was a banner achievement for freedom of the press and for health of democracy
Involved relatively few Europeans and relied on trade and intermarriage with Native AMericans to build economic and diplomatic relationships and acquire furs and othe products for export to Europe
Dutch Colonial Efforts:
New Netherland:
Dutch East India Company
Henry Hudson—ventured into Delaware Bay and New York Bay, ascended Hudson River; he filed a Dutch Claim to the area
Dutch West India Company—profitable enterprises in Caribbean
Company also est. outposts in Africa and a thriving sugar industry in Brazil
New Netherland in Hudson River Era was Est. by Dutch West India for quick profit fur trade; bought Manhattan Island from Natives
New Amsterdam—later NYC became a company team
New Amsterdam was run by/for Dutch company, in interests of stockholders
They had no enthusiasm for religions toleration, free speech, or democratic practices
governors were appointed by company as directors-general and they were harsh and despotic
Feudal estates fronted Hudson River and were known as patroonships
Natives retaliated against Dutch cruelties with massacres
New ENgland was hostile to the growth of Dutch neighbor
Swedes trespassed on Dutch preserves by planting New Sweden on Delaware River
Dutch dispatched small military expedition because they resented the Swedish intrusion on the Delaware—led by Peter Stuvyesant, swedish colonists were absorbed by New Netherland
England wanted New Netherland—In 1664, Charles II granted Duke of York the area
Peter Stuvyesant was forced to surrender
New AMsterdam became New York
England won harbor
French Colonialism:
France was a latecomer in desire for New World real estate
Dealed w/foreign wars and domestic strife, including frightful clashes between Roman Catholics and Protestant Huguenots:
On St. Bartholomew’s Day, 1572: more than 10,000 Huguenots were butchered
In 1598, Edict of Nantes, was issued by the crown, granting limited toleration to French protestants
Louis XIV took deep interest in overseas colonies
Beginnings of French empire were est. at Queebc, commanding the St. Lawrence River
The leading figure was Samuel De Champlain—Father of New France
French alliance with Huron Natives and Beaver Wars:
Champlain entered into friendly relations with nearby Huron Native tribes—he joined them them in battle against Iroquois tribes; France earned enmity of Iroquois tribes and hampered French penetration of the Ohio Valley—ravaged French settlements and frequently served as allies of the British in struggle for supremacy on the continent
A series of bloody conflicts occurred between 1640s/1680s during which the Iroquois fought the French for control of the fur trade in the east and Great Lakes region
Gov. of New France (Canada) finally fell under direct control of the king under commercial companies had faltered/failed
People had no representative assemblies or right to trial by jury
Protestant Huguenots were denied refuge in the new colony
French gov. Favored Caribbean island colonies, rich in sugar and rum, over Canada
Coureurs de bois: New France had beavers which they made into beaver pelts—French-fur trappers ranged over the woods and waterways of North America in pursuit of beaver
French voyageurs also recruited Natives into fur business
Fur trade drawbacks: Natives decimated by white men diseases and debauched by alcohol
Slaughtering beaver by boatload was wasteful and violated Natives’ religious beliefs and resulted in ecological damage
King William’s War (1689-1697):
War fought largely between French trappers, British settlers, and respective Native allies.
Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713):
Second in a series of conflicts between Euro powers for control of North America, fought between English and french colonists in the North and the English and Spanish in Florida. Under peace treaty, the French ceded Acadia (Nova Scotia), Newfoundland, and Hudson Bay to Britain; Britain also won limited trading rights in Spanish America, but these rights later fosters much friction over smuggling
The War of Jenkin’s Ear:
broke out in 1739 between the British and Spaniards; it was confined to the Caribbean Sea and Georgia where James Oglethorpe also fought
This small fight with Spain in America soon merged with large-scale War of Austrian Succession in Europe, and became King George’s War
King George’s War:
France allied itsself with Spain
New Englanders invaded New FaFrance
The New Englanders captured the French fortress of Louisbourg
Peace treaty of 1748: handed Louisbourg back to French—-New Englanders became mad because all their efforts went out the window
Chickasaw Wars: 1721-1738
Chickasaw Natives and the British fought against French and Choctaw and Illni Natives
Chickasaw won
The war was fought over land, primarily for control of the Mississippi river
The war weakened French hold on Mississippi Valley & Threatened its empire
Albany Congress:
in 1754, British gov. Summoned intercolonial congress to Albany, New York near Iroquois Native country. The immediate purpose was to keep the Iroquois loyal to the British.
The longer-range purpose at Albany was to achieve greater colonial unity, which became a common defense against France; Benjamin Franklin was leading spirit of Albany Congress
It began in America touched off by George Washington in Ohio Valley in 1754. This Launched Seven Years’ War, which was fought not only in AMerica but also in Europe, West Indies, in the Philippines, in Africa, and on the ocean
In Europe the principle adversaries were Britain and Prussia vs. France, SPain, Austria, and Russia
Americans was unified in French and Indian War
Opening clashes of French and Indian War went badly for British Colonists
General Edward Bradock and British regulars set out to capture Fort Duquesne
The expedition moved slowly
French and Indian forces were encotountered by British a few miles away from Duquesne
Braddock was wounded and the British force was routed
The british launched a full scale invasion of Canada and didn’t throw strength at Quebec and Montreal (which would have resulted in less supplies for French)
William Pitt: launched expedition in 1758 against Louisbourg, which ultimately fell after a siege
Battle of Quebec:
James Wolfe
French Marquis de Montcalm were fatally wounded
The French were defeated and city surrendered, Montreal fell quickly after
Peace Settlement in Paris:
The French power was thrown completely off continent of North America
French were able to retain several small but available sugar islands in West Indies and Gulf of St. Lawrence
France also ceded to Spain all trans-Mississippi Louisianaa
Spain turned FLorida over to Britain in return for Cuba
French, Spanish, and Native threat was mitigated
Treaty of Paris that ended Seven Years’ War dealt harsh blow to Iroquois, Creeks, and other tribes
The Spanish Removal from Florida and French removal from Canada deprived Natives of their ability to play off the rival European powers against one another
Pontiac’s Uprising: The Ottawa Chief Pontiac in 1763 led several tribes in a violent campaign to drive the British out of the Ohio Country. Pontiac’s Uprising laid seige to Detroit and eventually overran British posts west of the Appalachians
The British retaliated cruelly
The British commander ordered blankets w/smallpox to be distributed among Natives
British were reminded of necessity to stabilize relations with western Natives
Proclamation of 1763: prohibited settlement in area beyond Appalachians, because the colonists needed to work with natives fairly and prevent another violent campaign like Pontiac’s Uprising
