Chapter 3 Notes: Two Societies, One People – Vocabulary Flashcards

Seventeenth-Century New England Society

Overview: In the 1600s two distinct colonial societies developed in the northern (New England) and southern (Chesapeake) regions due to differences in settlement, motivation, environment, labor, religion, family structures, and economies.
Core idea: Two societies, one people, evolving from different starting conditions but laying groundwork for a broader American identity.

Puritans, the Nuclear Family, and the Little Commonwealth (New England)

Nuclear family as the basic building block: father with strong parental authority, mother, and children.
Puritans called their family the “little commonwealth,” emphasizing communal well-being and the family’s role in the group’s welfare.
Towns: collections of nuclear families acting together for the community’s benefit; Massachusetts refers to itself as a commonwealth.
Climate and health: cold winters and low population density made New England one of the healthful regions; average life expectancy around 65–70 years; long marriages; grandparents common; stable, enduring families.
Gender ratio: roughly 1.1:1 males to females, due to initial family-unit arrivals.
Marriage: not based on romantic love but practical arrangements for survival; parents arranged marriages, provided land plots, and linked land work to family labor.
Fertility and labor: average surviving children per family around 8; children worked on family farms from a young age.
Wives’ roles: not politically or legally equal to men (no voting or public office), but contributed as spouses, mothers, church members, and small-scale farmers.
Education and literacy: because religious freedom required Bible literacy, towns with 50+ families established elementary schools; high literacy rates early; most New Englanders could read and write, unlike the Chesapeake region for about a century.

Social Structure in New England

Gentry: local leaders of the community; a new American-adjacent class replacing European nobility. Origin of the term from England.
Yeomen: independent farmers who owned their land; middle-class segment.
Indentured servants: next rung toward the bottom of the ladder.
Enslaved people: relatively few in New England due to climate and soil; by 1690, about 3000 enslaved in the northern colonies vs about 13000 in the southern colonies.
Inherent tensions: Puritans did not tolerate dissent; intolerance and religious friction existed alongside the goal of liberty of worship.
Church–State: Puritans believed in a united church and civil government; ministers preached laws that suppress speech and thought; dissenters faced suppression.
Roger Williams and Rhode Island: argued for civil authority over conscience; promoted soul liberty; banished from Massachusetts; founded Rhode Island as a place of religious freedom.
Connecticut and New Hampshire: religious disputes with dissenting ministers contributed to the formation of these colonies.
Anne Hutchinson: midwife, mother of 15, argued against Puritan doctrines and asserted direct access to God; her antinomian views challenged church/state authority; banished; later killed in an Indian attack after brief moves to Rhode Island and Long Island.
Mary Dyer: friend of Hutchinson; banished multiple times for Quaker beliefs; executed after returning to Puritan Massachusetts.
Salem Witch Trials: a stark example of religious friction and intolerance; around 1691, accusations spiraled to ~150 charged; 19 hanged; one person pressed to death under heavy stone; demonstrates the dangers of communal suspicion and fear of dissent.
Modern relevance: these events illustrate early struggles over free speech and religious freedom; the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and religion have roots in these conflicts.
Connection to broader thought: in today’s secular republic, debates shift from theology to ideology (and political power dynamics, e.g., who governs and whose ideas are allowed).

Seventeenth-Century Southern Society: The Chesapeake Region

Geography and early mortality: the Chesapeake colonies (Virginia and Maryland) faced harsher daily life; heavy death rates shaped social life.
Arrival and survival: about 6000 arrived in the first two decades; only 1200 remained alive; most survivors were young male indentured servants with few young women, creating a severe gender imbalance (roughly 6:1 male to female).
Life expectancy: men often lived to about 40; women had shorter lives; infant mortality around 25 ext{%}; 25% of children died before age 20; many orphans lived in others’ homes.
Family life: high mortality undermined stable family life; social cohesion centered on individual survival and self-interest rather than family unity.
Economy: tobacco as the leading cash crop; wealth disparities emerged with a small number of planters amassing large estates.
Early voices of discontent: George Alsop, an indentured servant, complained about the abundance of tobacco-driven wealth that enriched a few while many labored under harsh conditions; his critique highlighted the social tensions.
Bacon’s Rebellion (1676): Nathaniel Bacon, rebelling against the planter elite, gathered poor whites, burned Jamestown, and sought land and freedom; the rebellion underscored class tensions and fears of white indentured servants’ uprisings.
Labor shift: after Bacon’s Rebellion and other pressures, the labor base shifted from white indentured servants to enslaved Africans as a more stable and controllable workforce.
Shifting labor demographics: in 1660, enslaved people in the region were fewer than 1000; by 1700, about 6000 enslaved; by 1763, about 170000 enslaved people in Virginia, constituting roughly half the population. Indentured servants continued but declined in importance.
Slavery and ownership: enslaved people were owned for life; owners could sell or rent children and offspring; slaveholding created wealth disparities and entrenched social hierarchy.
Social hierarchy and elites: a small, wealthy planter elite governed the region; the topmost tier comprised about 1 ext{%} of the population and controlled most land and wealth; next were freemen (often landless or land-poor), then white indentured servants, with enslaved Black Africans at the bottom.
Cousinocracy and family networks: by 1700, marriage and intermarriage among planters led to extended family networks (Byrd, Carter, Mason families among the prominent lineages); “cousinocracy” described governance through interconnected families.
Extended family life and hospitality: plantation houses served as social hubs; extended families provided social cohesion in the absence of towns; hospitality and extended family networks supported daily life and influence.
Elites and culture: the Great Planter class emphasized outward displays of status and personal liberty, contrasting with the Puritan Gentry’s emphasis on communal obligation and moral certainty.

Economies and Regional Differences

New England economy: restricted by rocky soil and climate; developed coastal economies; fishing and shipping became core industries; timber rich resources supported shipbuilding and trade; port cities emerged for commerce with England, the West Indies, and West Africa; codfish was a staple export, analogous in importance to tobacco in the Chesapeake.
Chesapeake and Southern economy: concentrated on cash crops for export—tobacco, sugar, cotton, and indigo; wealth accumulation through land and enslaved labor; planter elites used slave labor to expand landholdings and wealth.
Trade networks: New England ships carried fish, furs, timber, and enslaved people; economic links connected with the Caribbean and Africa; Chesapeake and southern colonies connected to global markets through cash crops.

Toward Unity and National Identity

Despite differences, a common national consciousness emerged by the mid-18th century through shared experiences and ideals.
Motto: the colonies adopted the idea of unity with the motto "E Pluribus Unum" (Latin for "out of many, one").
Common religious and cultural frame: Protestant unity (Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Lutherans) helped forge a broader sense of identity, unified by English language and shared colonial experiences.
Land and mobility: unlike Europe, American colonies offered broad land ownership opportunities, fostering beliefs in economic and political freedom; aristocracy did not block land ownership as it did in Europe.
Emergence of a new nationality: Benjamin Franklin described a new national character as "rougher, simpler, more violent, more enterprising and less refined"; this reflected a shift from old-world aristocracy to a more merit-based, practical ethos.
Transformations leading to independence: Enlightenment ideas, the First Great Awakening, colonial assemblies, and military conflicts like the Seven Years’ War contributed to a growing sense of political autonomy and collective identity.

The Eighteenth-Century Enlightenment in the Colonies

Shifting political philosophy: challenge to the Divine Right of Kings; replacement with the Social Contract as a basis for government legitimacy.
Social Contract concept: origins in a hypothetical state of nature where people surrendered some freedoms to form a government in exchange for protection of natural rights; government legitimacy depends on protecting life, liberty, and property; if it fails, people may alter or overthrow it.
Key implications: government authority shifts from divine right to popular sovereignty and consent of the governed.
John Locke and Jefferson: Enlightenment ideas influenced American political thought; Jefferson incorporated Locke’s notions into the Declaration of Independence; natural rights emphasized include life, liberty, and property (later reframed as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness).
Franklin as a symbol: a practical, self-made man who embodied Enlightenment virtues; exemplified an emerging American identity defined by achievement and pragmatism rather than aristocratic birth.
Practical science and democracy: Enlightenment promoted science, practical knowledge, and an American ‘laboratory’ mindset; social mobility and merit aligned with American conditions.

The First Great Awakening: Religious Revival and Its Impact

Religious revival: early 1700s saw a surge in religious independence and revivalism; revival emphasized personal spiritual rebirth rather than formal church hierarchy.
Jonathan Edwards: a key figure who stressed the terrors of sin and the need for a personal conversion experience (the Great Awakening).
George Whitefield and emotional preaching: popularized revivalism with dramatic, theater-like sermons; criticized Harvard Old Lights (intellectual leaders) and promoted New Lights (emotional, experiential faith).
Old Lights vs New Lights: continued tension between traditional clergy and revivalist preachers; many New Light ministers argued that God could work directly through individuals independent of established churches.
Growth of denominations: Old Light churches declined, while Baptist and Methodist churches expanded; by 1740 there were 96 Baptist churches and by 1780 about 457 Baptist churches.
Intellectual response: some leaders viewed the awakening as undermining established authority; John Adams noted that religious and moral transformation occurred as a product of the revolution in minds and hearts before the military conflict.
Social and political implications: religious reform and dissent contributed to questioning established authority, reinforcing the broader push for independence and liberty.

Colonial Politics: Who Should Rule? Assemblies vs Royal Governors

Local assemblies: by 1750, all colonies had established local colonial assemblies (e.g., Virginia’s House of Burgesses, formed in 1619 with 22 delegates representing 11 boroughs).
Authority and taxation: assemblies claimed representative legitimacy; they could tax and appropriate money for local purposes; royal governors represented English law and royal interests but could not tax without assembly consent.
Mercantilism and Navigation Laws: England sought to regulate colonial trade to benefit the mother country; colonists wanted more economic freedom (e.g., to produce goods beyond what England allowed); Navigation Laws required shipping to go to English ports on English ships.
Smuggling and resistance: many colonists evaded laws through smuggling to access better markets; tensions between colonial interests and English mercantile policy intensified.

The Seven Years’ War and Its Aftermath

Global Britain and empire: 1707 union created Great Britain; colonies became British America; focus on new territories in North America and beyond.
Wars with France: Britain and France fought a series of wars (King William’s War, Queen Anne’s War, King George’s War) with Native American allies; tensions in North America high as both powers expanded.
Prelude to war: in 1753, Virginia Governor sent George Washington to the Ohio River Valley to demand French withdrawal; French built Fort Duquesne; Washington built Fort Necessity and clashed with French forces.
Albany Plan (1754): Benjamin Franklin proposed a Grand Council of elected delegates to coordinate taxes, troops, trade, and western expansion; it represented the first attempt at colonial unification but failed to gain ratification due to assemblies resisting surrender of taxation authority.
Global conflict escalation: the war spread across five continents; European powers joined, making it a global conflict; often called the French and Indian War in the colonies.
Turning points: British victories in Canada—siege of Québec (three-month siege) and the fall of Montréal—gave Britain control of Canada and French lands east of the Mississippi; Britain also gained French territories elsewhere.
Treaty of Paris (1763): ended the war; Britain gained Canada (except two small fishing islands south of Newfoundland) and all of France’s Louisiana territories east of the Mississippi; France left North America; Britain’s empire expanded dramatically.
Aftermath for the colonies: sense of unity strengthened by shared military experience; postwar policies angered colonists who expected reward or less restrictive governance; this set the stage for later calls for independence.

Video Resource

Video Lecture: Seven Years’ War and Great Awakening (link provided in transcript) for an overview of the war and the religious revival movement.

Key Terms and Concepts to Remember

Little commonwealth: Puritan family as a small, self-sustaining unit within a tightly knit community.
Gentry vs Yeomen: New England’s local leaders contrasted with independent farmers.
Indentured servitude vs enslaved labor: shift from white indentured labor to enslaved African labor in the Chesapeake.
Cousinocracy: tightly knit intermarried planter families dominating Virginia’s upper class.
Divine Right vs Social Contract: shift from monarchic divine authority to governance based on consent and natural rights.
First Great Awakening: religious revival challenging hierarchical church authority and promoting new religious movements.
Navigation Laws and mercantilism: economic policy shaping colonial trade and governance.
Albany Plan of Union: early attempt at colonial unification for collective security and governance.
Treaty of Paris (1763): geopolitical reshaping of North America after the Seven Years’ War.

Notable Figures and Examples

Roger Williams: advocate for soul liberty; founded Rhode Island as a place of religious freedom.
Anne Hutchinson: advocate for personal interpretation of scripture; banished; linked to antinomianism.
Mary Dyer: Quaker persecuted and executed in Massachusetts.
Bacon’s Rebellion (1676): rebellion highlighting class tensions and shifts in labor practices.
Benjamin Franklin: emblematic of a new American identity bridging Enlightenment and practical innovation.
Jonathan Edwards: key preacher of the First Great Awakening.
George Whitefield: influential revivalist who popularized emotional preaching.

Numerical References (for quick study)

Life expectancy: 65 ext{--}70 years in New England; 40 years in the Chesapeake for men.
Family size: average surviving children per New England family ≈ 8.
Slavery by region (late 17th–late 18th c.): New England enslaved 3000 by 1690 vs Chesapeake enslaved ≈ 13000; by 1700 enslaved ≈ 6000 in Chesapeake; by 1763 enslaved ≈ 170000 in Virginia; enslaved population becomes roughly one-half of Virginia’s population.
Demographics: Chesapeake gender ratio ≈ 6:1 (males to females).
Albany Plan: proposed in 1754; rejected by colonial assemblies.
Population and church growth: Baptist churches from 96 (1740) to 457 (1780).
Territorial gains: Treaty of Paris in 1763; Canada (except two fishing islands) and all France’s Louisiana east of the Mississippi.

Connections to Foundational Principles and Real-World Relevance

Freedom of speech and religion roots: dissent, persecution, and trials in New England foreshadow first-amendment ideas about civil liberties.
Social contract and government legitimacy: Enlightenment ideas informing the later American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence.
Economic and political liberty: land ownership opportunities and the absence of an entrenched aristocracy contributed to American notions of opportunity and self-government.
Regional identity shaping national unity: despite regional differences in family life, economy, and religion, the colonies developed a shared sense of identity and mutual defense that laid groundwork for unity against English rule.
Practical innovation and leadership: figures like Franklin embody a practical, merit-based approach to success that defined an emergent American national character.

Study Tips

Compare and contrast New England and Chesapeake in terms of: family structure, labor systems, economy, religion, and social hierarchies.
Trace the shift from indentured servitude to enslaved labor in the Chesapeake and its long-term social and economic consequences.
Understand how Enlightenment ideas and the First Great Awakening contributed to political and religious changes that helped pave the way for independence.
Memorize key dates: 1619 (Virginia’s House of Burgesses established); 1691 (Plymouth becomes part of Massachusetts); 1754 (Albany Plan); 1763 (Treaty of Paris).
Remember the major figures and events: Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, Mary Dyer, Bacon’s Rebellion, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Benjamin Franklin, the Albany Plan, and the Seven Years’ War.