Colonial America: Key Aspects and Regional Differences

Colonial Objectives and Systems

• Spanish Missionary System:
  • Goal: Convert Native Americans to Christianity.
  • Implementation: Established a caste system, contributing to revolts.
  • Economic Activity: Trade in beaver pelts and fever remedies with Europe.

British Colonial Goals and Regional Variations

• British Goal:

  • Establish permanent settlements and neo-European societies.
  • Success depended on the region and specific colony.

• Virginia vs. Massachusetts:

  • Virginia: Primarily focused on profit.
    • Ship manifests showed a disproportionate number of men (e.g., 11 women on one ship).
  • Massachusetts: Driven by religious freedom.
    • Aim: Practice religion without government interference.
    • Ship manifests included entire families, indicating a focus on establishing communities.

Separation and Religious Societies

• Desire for Autonomy:
  • Colonists aimed to separate from European hierarchies.
  • Establish their own religious societies.

Plymouth Bay Colony and Ideals

• Agreement Between Citizens and Government:

  • A foundational agreement that was replicated across colonies.

• John Winthrop's "City Upon a Hill" (1630):

  • Context: Speech by John Winthrop, an early leader of the Plymouth Bay Colony.
  • Concept: Plymouth Bay as an ideal society that serves as a moral example.
  • American Exceptionalism: Early expression of the belief that America should lead by example and adhere to high moral standards.

Civic Engagement and Governance

• Town Hall Meetings:
  • Format: Community meetings, often held in churches, with broad participation.
    • Inclusion: Open to all citizens, including women and those without property.
  • Function: Debate community issues and establish rules for all members.
  • Significance: Earliest form of direct democracy in the colonies.

Religious Dissent and Toleration

• Expulsion and New Colonies:

  • Examples: Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams expelled from Plymouth Bay Colony for dissenting views.
  • Rhode Island (1636): Founded as a colony with religious toleration for all faiths.

• Plymouth's Religious Intolerance:

  • Contrast: Highlighted against the religious tolerance of Rhode Island and, to some extent, Pennsylvania.

Middle Colonies: The Breadbasket

• Key Characteristics:

  • Diversity: Included a wide array of settlers, such as Huguenots (French Protestants).
  • Pennsylvania: Known for peaceful treaties with Native American societies regarding land exchange.

• Economic Significance:

  • Agricultural Abundance: Major producer of grains like corn, wheat, and barley.
  • Grain as Currency: Surplus grains became a form of currency for trade within the colonies.
  • Whiskey Production: Pennsylvania produced so much whiskey it became a barter item and currency for trading with other colonies.

Chesapeake Colonies: Virginia and Maryland

• Economic Motives:
  • Virginia: Established for economic gain.
  • Focus: Exploitation of resources to build the colony.

Labor Force and Indentured Servitude

• Early Labor System:
  • Indentured Servants: Primary labor force in the Chesapeake Colonies up to 1676.
  • Contract: Workers signed contracts for typically four to seven years.
  • Incentive: Passage to the New World and the promise of freedom and land after fulfilling the contract.

Bacon's Rebellion (1676) and Shift to Slavery

• Causes of the Rebellion:

  • Nathaniel Bacon: Led a rebellion against the Virginia government due to perceived mistreatment of the poor.
  • Objectives: Aimed to address grievances against the ruling elite in Jamestown.

• Aftermath and Impact:

  • Suppression: The rebellion was suppressed, and Nathaniel Bacon died.
  • Shift to Slavery: The elite in Virginia moved away from indentured servitude, transitioning to enslaved Africans as the primary labor source starting in 1676.
  • Reason: To mitigate the risks of further uprisings from discontented laborers.

Virginia House of Burgesses (1619)

• Establishment:

  • Purpose: Created as a representative democracy to govern Virginia.

• Membership and Voting:

  • Requirement: Land ownership was necessary to become a member and to vote.
  • Character: More of an aristocracy than a true democracy due to property restrictions.

Southern Colonies and Plantation Economies

• Plantation Crops:
  • Crops: Tobacco, rice, and other cash crops.
  • West Indies Slave Trade: Southern colonies (South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina) became involved in importing enslaved people from the Caribbean to work on sugar and rice plantations.

Social Hierarchy and the Headright System

• Social Structure:

  • Hierarchy: Strict social hierarchy based on land ownership in colonies like Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia.

• Headright System:

  • Policy: The English government granted plantation owners up to 50 acres of land for each indentured servant whose passage they paid.
  • Impact: Enabled plantation owners to expand operations, grow more crops, increase profits, and purchase more enslaved people.

Summary of New England Colonies

• Brief Recap: A concise overview of the key features and characteristics of the New England colonies.