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The American Yawp - Chapter 4: Colonial Society
Consumption and Trade in the British Atlantic
Translatlantic trade would reinforce the colonial feeling of commonality with British culture
“Consumer revolution” would allow consumers to pay more for luxury goods making them everyday goods
Colonists would create new forms of the trade from bartering, and standardizing a commodity, such as tobacco to creating new notes
Paper money was limited by its acceptance and ability to be counterfeit
Cheap consumption allowed Americans to appear rich but sink farther into debt
Caribbean colonies relied on eh continental colonies for food, lumber, livestock, and slaves
Carriaean colonies would also contribute sugar and mahogany
Britain found it difficult to enforce taxes on merchant ships as it would cost them more than how much they brought in
Sugar, Stamp, and Townshend Acts would cause tension in patriots who would resort to using domestic products
Colonial cities would also grow due to consumerism, some organically (New York) or through planning (Philadelphia)
Urban society was highly stratified: labouring, middle, merchant elite
Enslaved people would become prominent in the North, especially in the maritime industry
Slavery, Antislavery, and the Atlantic Exchange
Virginia would build large estates through primogeniture (given to oldest son) and entail (legality preventing the breakup of large estates)
Tobacco would dominate the economy and gang systems were used to control the labour force
Slave codes were used to protect the interests of slavers:
Children of enslaved women were enslaved
Conversion would not free slaves
Slaves had to be transported out of the colony to be free
Enslavers could not be convicted of murder for killing an enslaved person
Any black Virginian who struck a white Virginian would be whipped
Georgia banned slavery in the beginning but it was legalized soon after
South Carolina was a slave colony from the start and legalized slavery
Caribbean settlers would also bring their brutalist slave code with them
Rice, a staple crop in Carolina, would allow enslaved people a level of freedom, as many elites would choose to live in the city to avoid malaria, which the enslaved people possessed an immunity for
Many plantations would also utilize the task system, which mandated a certain number of things done and then allowed freedom, usually for gardening in an allotted plot
Underground markets would also grant a degree of economic autonomy
African culture would also remain prominent with languages arriving with new slaves from Africa and traditional African practices still being practiced
Stono Rebellion (September 1739) - Enslaved people would set out for a free black Georgia Florida settlement, burning plantations and killing white settlers, which would ultimately fail with the militia crushing the rebellion
Slavery was also important in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania where they were used to farm cereal grains
The high diversity of Europeans and density of enslaved people in the North would contribute to rebellion (where poor white men and enslaved Africans would rebel together)
Quakers would turn against slavery due to their belief in nonviolence and would expel anyone who had associations with it
Slavery would never really take off in New England due to the absence of cash crops
IV: Pursuing Political, Religious and Individual Freedom
Democracy would split America and Europe, as Europe consisted mostly of high-class oligarchies while suffrage in America was far more widespread and the government reached further
American society was less tightly controlled and political parties were less stable, with most disagreements being between the elected assembly and royal governor
Provincial: King appointed all provincial governors, who could veto any decision made by the legislative assembly (ex: South Carolina and Georgia)
Proprietary: Same as provincial, except the governor was appointed by Lord Proprietor, who had purchased the colony, and had more rights (ex: Pennsylvania and Delaware)
Charter: Most complex, usually created by corporations or interest groups which drew up a chart, dealing the branches’ powers
Colonial gov. would consist of the council (Governor’s cabinet) and the assembly (land-holding men who made sure colonial law abided with English law)
An elected assembly was the idea of civic duty and most Americans believed in the idea of the social contract
Sentimentalism would derive the idea of an emotionally fulfilling relationship rather than strictly an economic one
Marriage would remain oppressive
Enslaved people would have no legal protections for marriage
Coverture would cause white married women to lose all political and economic rights
Elopement notices would highlight wives’ indecent manner and highlight husbands’ fits of rage
Print culture is very important in American culture
Government censorship of print would become widespread and would take many years for the circulation of books and printed materials to begin
Print culture in New England was widely respected and its creators were rewarded for their works
Philadelphia would overtake Boston as the center for colonial printing, with the arrival of Benjamin Franklin and waves of Germans who would create a demand for the German language press
Debates about religious piety would begin in the 1710s stating that native-born colonists had been born into comfort and their faith had suffered
Preachers would begin asking congregants to look into themselves and would abandon traditional sermons for outside meetings
Whitefield would make popular the revivals of Edwards, through his dramatic tone of preaching
Alienation would also become prominent with extremist practices
Revivals would lead to the questioning of institutions and create a language of individualism
V: Seven Years War
Between 1688 and 1775, Britain was at war with France and French-allied Native Americans for 37 years.
American militiamen fought for Britain against French Catholics and their Native American allies.
Warfare took a physical and spiritual toll on British colonists.
British towns on the New England-New France border faced intermittent raiding by French-allied Native Americans.
Raiding parties destroyed homes, burned crops, and took captives to French Quebec.
Captives were either ransomed back or converted to Catholicism and stayed in New France.
France and Britain had disputes over North American empire boundaries.
The dispute escalated in 1754 when British colonists, led by George Washington, killed a French diplomat. This incident led to the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War).
Early in the war, the French achieved victories, attacking and burning British outposts like Fort William Henry in 1757.
French victories included defeating British attacks such as General Braddock’s at Fort Duquesne and General Abercrombie’s at Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga) in 1758.
Many French victories were aided by alliances with Native Americans.
The European phase of the Seven Years' War began in 1756 when Frederick II of Prussia invaded Saxony.
France, Austria, Russia, and Sweden formed a coalition against Prussia and its German allies.
Austria’s Maria Theresa aimed to conquer Silesia, lost to Prussia previously.
Britain supported Prussia and minor German states (Hesse-Kassel and Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel) with monetary subsidies.
Early in the European war, the French defeated Britain’s German allies at the Battle of Hastenbeck (1757).
Austria defeated Prussia at the Battle of Kolín (1757), but Frederick of Prussia defeated the French at the Battle of Rossbach.
Frederick reclaimed Silesia by defeating Austria at the Battle of Leuthen (1757).
In India and globally, British victories included the Battle of Plassey (1757) led by Robert Clive.
British naval dominance allowed reinforcements to North America.
British victories included the capture of Louisbourg (1758) and defeating French generals at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759) and the Battle of Minden (1759).
The fall of French Canada concluded with the capture of Montreal (1760).
The British fought against Spain (entered the war in 1762) and conquered Cuba and the Philippines, but failed to capture Nicaragua.
The war ended with the treaties of Paris and Hubertusburg (1763), granting Britain Canada and North America, and Prussia retaining Silesia.
The British empire’s expansion led to internal tensions and divisions, contributing to revolutionary sentiments.
American colonists felt secure with the defeat of Catholic France and a reduced Catholic threat in Quebec.
Despite religious pluralism in some American colonies, anti-Catholic sentiment persisted.
Constant conflict with Catholic France intensified British and American Protestant identity.
British ministers called for a coalition against French and Catholic powers.
Missionary organizations like the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and Society for the Propagation of the Gospel aimed to evangelize Native Americans and counter Jesuit efforts.
The Great Awakening (1730s-1740s) fostered Protestant unity and promoted Atlantic trade and religious connections.
VI: Pontiac’s War
In 1761, Neolin, a prophet, received a vision from the Master of Life urging Native Americans to expel the British and reject European influence.
Neolin’s message included avoiding alcohol, returning to traditional rituals, and unity among Indigenous peoples.
Pontiac, an Ottawa leader, adopted Neolin’s message and led Pontiac’s War, which involved Native peoples from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River.
Pontiac’s attempt to capture Fort Detroit in May 1763 failed, leading to a six-month siege.
Native Americans captured Forts Sandusky, St. Joseph, Miami, and Fort Michilimackinac using surprise tactics.
The war was fueled by practical issues as well as Neolin’s religious message, including British policies like regulating the trade of firearms and ammunition.
Pontiac’s War lasted until 1766, with Native Americans killing up to 400 soldiers and 2,000 settlers.
The British recognized the need for royal protection of Native American lands and regulated Anglo-American trade, leading to the Royal Proclamation of 1763.
The proclamation established the Appalachian Mountains as the boundary between British colonies and Native American lands.
Pontiac’s War demonstrated that coercion was ineffective for imperial control, though Britain continued such strategies through various acts.
The prohibition of settlement in Native American territory, especially the Ohio River Valley, led to colonial discontent.
Michel-Guillaume-Saint-Jean de Crèvecoeur’s 1782 Letters from an American Farmer questioned the identity of Americans and highlighted a self-reliant, independent new nation.
The Seven Years' War fostered greater political and cultural unity among the thirteen American colonies.
Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 Albany Congress proposed a plan of union to coordinate the defence.
At the French surrender in 1760, 11,000 British soldiers and 6,500 colonial militias were involved.
The war was portrayed as a struggle between liberty-loving Britons and tyrannical Frenchmen with savage Indigenous people.
American colonists saw the newly acquired lands west of the Appalachian Mountains as a reward for their collective victory.
The Seven Years’ War was costly for Britain, spending over £140 million and incurring ongoing expenses for new territories.
To recover costs, Britain sought to make the colonies share the burden of their security, leading to unprecedented parliamentary legislation over the colonies.
Colonists began to view themselves as a collective group rather than separate entities.
Between 1763 and 1774, Britain imposed various taxes on items like tea, paper, molasses, and stamps, threatening colonial trade and consumption.
Britain enforced these taxes with increasingly restrictive policies, impacting civil liberties such as protection from unlawful searches and jury trials.
The rise of the antislavery movement and the moratorium on new Western settlements added to colonial discontent.
By 1763, Americans were united but felt they were not considered full British subjects.
Imperial reforms were viewed as threats to the British liberties that colonists believed were their birthright.
The Stamp Act Congress of 1765 marked a significant cooperative effort against parliamentary taxes.
Boycotts of British goods created a shared narrative of sacrifice, resistance, and political identity, leading towards rebellion.
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