2-1: Life in Colonial America
Subsistence farming
 Subsistence farming: producing just enough to meet the needs of a family with little left over
 New England: shipbuilding was important – lumber was transported to coastal towns
Colonial Trade
 The Triangular Trade:
Sugar and molasses from West Indies to New England colonies
Molasses made into rum and shipped to West Africa (traded for enslaved Africans)
Enslaved Africans taken from West Africa to West Indies
Profit used for more molasses in West Indies, and it starts all over
Growth of the Middle Colonies
 New York and Pennsylvania grew cash crops – sold easily in markets in colonies and overseas
 1760: New York had 25,000 people and Philly had 30,000; the largest two cities in the American colonies
 German, Dutch, and Swedish settlers arrived and sparked diversity (variety) that was unlike New England
The result of diversity? Tolerance for religious and cultural differences
Plantation Life in the South
 Rich soil + warm climate = easy to grow cash crops in the South
 Tobacco, rice, indigo (blue plant for dyeing textiles)
 Grown on large farms called plantations
 1 st they used indentured servants (work to pay off their passage to America)
 2 nd they used enslaved Africans
 Most farmers were independent and had small farms (meaning little to no slaves)
 Plantation owners were rich, however, and they had more influence – they controlled the economic and political life of the region
Slavery in the Southern Colonies
 The slave trade and slavery were major parts of colonial economies
 Arguably the worst part of it all was the Middle Passage; terribly inhumane
Slavery in the Southern Colonies
 Most enslaved Africans lived on plantations
 Most worked in the fields and suffered great cruelty
 Overseers, or bosses, kept the slaves working hard
 Southern Colonies had slave codes – strict rules about the behavior and punishment of enslaved Africans
 They enforced these laws against enslaved Africans
African Traditions
 African families were torn apart – slaveholders could split up families by selling a spouse, parent, or child to someone else
 Slaves showed great perseverance, however. They developed a culture that drew on customs from their
West African past
 Some enslaved Africans learned carpentry, blacksmithing, weaving
 Very few were lucky enough to buy their freedom
Criticism of Slavery
 Many Puritans refused to hold enslaved people
 Quakers and Mennonites (in PA) condemned slavery
 In the 1850s slavery would erupt in a bloody war between the North and the South
Still, 100 years later…
The Great Awakening
 1730s and 1740s: religious revival called the Great Awakening swept through the colonies
 A “new birth” was called for – return to the strong faith of earlier days
 The most important result of the G.A. – greater religious and political freedom in the colonies
The strength of established churches declined
For the first time, colonists were united from north to south with a common cause
This made possible the spread of political ideas and revolutionary fervor when the struggle for independence begins
The Great Awakening
 Cause: Edwards, Whitfield and others preach for revival of beliefs
People are more aware of the importance of religion in life
The revival sweeps through America

 Effects: Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians take root
People start to value education more
More people believe all are equal before God
Americans become more willing to challenge God
Education in the Colonies
 Children used to learn to read and write at home
 1647: Puritans in Massachusetts pass a public education law
Each community had to have a teacher whose wages were paid through taxes
Education was widespread in the north
 Southern education: the rich (landowners and professionals) had children go to school
Plantations were spread widely apart – impractical to have schools
 Instruction was given only 2-3 months per year!
Not many received education beyond the primary level (up to Grade 5)
Most girls received little formal education
Education and Religion
 The first colleges (Harvard, William and Mary, Yale) were originally to train ministers
 Most were founded by religious groups for such training
The Press in America
 Books, newspapers, and almanacs spread knowledge
 Paper and type were expensive, so most books came from Britain
 Newspapers were weekly and only 4 pages
 Almanacs: calendars, holidays, times of sunset/sunrise, advice on farming, poems, year’s news, and practical advice
2-3: Trouble in the Colonies
The French and Indian War
 1754-1763 Britain vs. France for control of territory between Mississippi River and Appalachian Mountains
 Britain wins in 1763, but the colonists were preparing to direct united action against the British (not quite fighting, though)
Proclamation of 1763
 Sweet! All this new land for America…not.
The Sugar Act
 Britain wants to stop smuggling, so they lower the tax on molasses
 Even though it’s a lower tax, the colonists do not appreciate taxation without representation
The Stamp Act, 1765
 All printed material has to bear a stamp – this tax goes to Britain (they need to pay for the war)
 The colonists, of course, get angry and boycott the stamps (a.k.a. they refuse to buy them and British goods)
 Parliament gives in and repeals (cancels) the Stamp Act
However, they dish out the Declaratory Act
 We can make decisions to tax the colonies whenever we want. Boom.
Townshend Acts, 1767
 A new British tax on goods that were imported to the colonies
 Glass, tea, paper, and lead – the colonists need these, so it is hard to boycott this tax
The Boston Massacre
 March 5, 1770 a crowd of colonists and British soldiers get into a scuffle that began because of an argument over a whig
 Of course, it had to happen in Boston
 Colonists were mocking the soldiers and throwing snowballs and stones at them
 After a soldier was knocked down, shots were fired and five colonists were killed
 The Boston Massacre was news throughout the colonies, and it caused the Townshend Acts to be removed.
Everything, that is, except for tea…
Samuel Adams
 He was a Massachusetts radical leader who called for organized protests against Britain
 He revived the Boston committee of correspondence
 Circulated writings about the colonists’ problems with Britain
 Heavy use of propaganda
Crisis Over Tea

 1773: Parliament passes the Tea Act – The British East India Company could ship tea to the colonies without paying the taxes colonial merchants had to pay
 This British company could sell tea cheaply and it would hurt the business of colonial tea sellers
 Of course, colonists got angry. Can you guess which colonists were angriest?
 Bostonians, duh. So they decide to have a little party, a tea party.
 Protestors dress up as Native Americans, board British ships in the harbor, and dump loads of tea into the ocean
 The now famous Boston Tea Party
A Call to Arms
 Colonial leaders had to act together: September, 1774 – 56 men arrive in Philly as delegates to establish a political body to represent America and challenge Britain
 The Continental Congress
 Samuel Adams and John Adams (Massachusetts), John Jay (New York), Patrick Henry and George
Washington (Virginia)
 “The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more….I am not a Virginian, but an American.”
The Continental Congress
 They were not united, but they worked together
 Statement of grievances: get rid of all 13 acts Parliament passed since 1763 – they violated the colonists’ rights
 Boycott all British goods and trade
 No British products are bought in colonies
 No colonial goods shipped to Britain
 Form militias: a group of citizen soldiers ready if fighting broke out
 Preparing for battle o Colonists expected fighting to begin in New England o Militias began training, making bullets, and stockpiling rifles/muskets o Minutemen could be ready at a minute’s notice o King George III: colonies were “in a state of rebellion” o April 1775: Sir Thomas Gage had 3,000 soldiers in Boston
 He was to take away the weapons of the Massachusetts militia and arrest the leaders
 He learned militia was storing arms and ammunition at Concord (north of Boston)
 700 British troops marched to take the colonists’ artillery
 Alerting the Colonists o Paul Revere and William Dawes rode to Lexington (close to Concord)
 “The regulars are out!” Shouted to warn the people during the night

 Told John Hancock and Sam Adams
Fighting at Lexington and Concord o Redcoats approach Lexington at dawn – 70 minutemen greet them at the center of town o A shot was fired (both sides say the other fired first), and 8 minutemen were dead o British continue marching to Concord – upon arrival, colonists had already taken most gunpowder o At the Concord North Bridge, minutemen fired on the British o From Concord to Boston: word had spread of the Redcoats. All people were out and hiding behind trees and fences and militia fired on the British o 73 dead redcoats o Boston was under siege and belonged to the colonists
 The Coming Revolution o Ralph Waldo Emerson writes “The Concord Hymn”
 “shot heard ‘round the world” was fired by the Americans at Lexington and Concord
2-4: The War of Independence
 The Battle of Bunker Hill o June 16, 1775 o 1,200 militiamen (Colonists, led by Colonel William Prescott) at Bunker hill across the Boston harbor o British arrive the next day and charge up Breed’s Hill (right next to Bunker) o Prescott orders men: “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”

 This was an order to help them save ammunition o The redcoats had a total of three charges and were fired upon heavily o Americans ran out of gunpowder and were forced to retreat o This is a pyrrhic victory for the British (they won the battle, but they suffered HEAVY losses; another like this would have lost it for them in Boston) o They learned the Americans would not go down so easily o Casualties (dead and wounded combined)
 British: 226 dead, 828 wounded
 American: 115 dead, 305 wounded, 30 captured
 The Second Continental Congress o Delegates met in Philly a second time while fighting occurred in Boston o Purpose: to govern the colonies
 Created the Continental Army to fight against Britain in a more organized way
 Congress unanimously chose George Washington as the army’s commander
 John Adams nominated him, partially for political reasons (Washington was from
Virginia, and this would help win that colony’s support for independence)
 In attendance: John Adams, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, George Washington, Benjamin
Franklin, Thomas Jefferson o The Olive Branch Petition: this Continental Congress made this formal request to King George III in
Britain for peace
 Asked for him to protect the colonists’ rights
 George III refused and then hired 30,000 German troops to fight with the British in the colonies
 Thomas Paine o By 1776 Paine convinced most colonists that independence was the way to go o He did so by publishing a pamphlet called Common Sense
 Strong language condemned the king
 Called for complete separation from England
 The cause was more than about taxes – it was about freedom
 “[…] the cause of all mankind.”
 Was widely circulated – thousands read it
 The Declaration of Independence o Delegates appointed a committee to draft a declaration of independence (in other words: “we are free from you now”) o Thomas Jefferson wrote the document o Oddly enough, Congress voted on independence on July 2 nd (we celebrate Independence Day July
4 th because Congress approved it then)
 The Colonies Declare Independence o Jefferson draws on traditional English political rights from the past o Magna Carta and Bill of Rights: governments are not all powerful and rulers had to oby the laws while treating citizens fairly o John Locke was Jefferson’s greatest influence:
 People were born with natural rights to life, liberty, and property
 People formed governments to protect these rights
 A government interfering with these rights can be rightfully overthrown o Declaration has four major sections
 I. Preamble (introduction)
 People wishing to form a new government should explain why
 II. and III.
 List the rights the colonists believed they should have
 Complaints against Britain
 IV.
 Proclaims the existence of the new nation o The Declaration begins with universal principles (Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness) o Ends with America’s new status: a nation at last
 The American Revolution o Britain planned to crush the rebellion by force

o Patriots (Americans fighting for independence) thought the British would give up after losing a few battles o Neutral: some Americans were neutral – they did not pick a side during the war o Loyalists: colonists who remained loyal with Great Britain
 There were a lot of Loyalists: about 1 in 5 o Early Campaigns (meaning battles and movements)
 August 1776: British armies defeat George Washington on New York’s Long Island
 The Patriots retreated to Pennsylvania
 British army settled in N.Y. and N.J. for the winter
 Washington was stationed with troops across the Delaware River from the British in New Jersey o Saw a chance for a sneak attack
 Christmas night 1776: Washington and 2,400 troops crossed the icy river o Strikes at Trenton, N.J. and leads troops away from British reinforcements o Strikes at Princeton, N.J. and drove the British away o Why was this victory important: American hopes were DOWN before these victories. Washington was beat pretty badly in New York and soldiers were either leaving or about to be relieved (their term of duty was finished). By winning in New Jersey, Washington revived hope
 The Battle of Saratoga
 1777: Britain decided to split New England from the Middle Colonies by controlling New York’s Hudson River valley
 Three British forces would meet in Albany, N.Y., and fight Patriots
 General John Burgoyne led his British troops to Albany and arrived before the other two
 Gen. Horatio Gates and his American army surrounded him, attacked, and defeated him o Burgoyne surrendered on Oct. 17, 1777 o This was the first major American victory in the war
 Winter at Valley Forge
 The winter of 1777 was terrible for Washington’s troops o No decent food, clothing, or shelter
 Perhaps Washington’s greatest victory – keeping the Continental Army together and surviving the winter
 Washington’s leadership and determination were big reasons
 The winter and conditions improved, and the army marched on
 Gaining Allies
 American victory at Saratoga convinced other nations that the Americans might actually win against the British
 The French declared war on Britain in 1778 and gave aid to the Americans
 Spain declared war on Britain in 1779 o Louisiana Gov. Bernardo de Galvez raised an army, forced British troops away from the southern frontiers of the U.S.
 Individual foreigners also helped the Americans greatly o Marquis de Lafayette: French nobleman who was Washington’s trusted aide o Thaddeus Kosciusko: Polish engineer aided Patriots o Casimir Pulaski: Polish cavalry officer in the Patriot army o Friedrich von Steuben: former German army officer trained the ragged
Continental army into a fighting force
 Life on the Home Front
 Women took over the duties that men once had (they were away at war)
 Liberty and freedom inspired women o Abigail Adams: wrote to her husband, John, that women were not being treated fairly
 Some white Americans began to question slavery

o African American soldiers fought for the Patriots o Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania tried to end slavery in their states during this time
 War in the West and on Sea
 George Rogers Clark seized British posts in present-day Illinois and Indiana o This strengthened American positions in the west
 o Native Americans have allied with the British in this area
John Paul Jones o Daring American naval officer o His ship Bonhomme Richard vs. the British War Ship Serapis
 Jones was getting beat so badly the British captain asked him if he wanted to surrender
 Jones’ response? “I have not yet begun to fight.”
 Amazingly, Jones wins and becomes an American hero o Struggles in the South
 British counted on sea power and Loyalist support to win in the South
 Britain seized Savannah (Georgia) and Charles Town (South Carolina)
 BUT they could not control these conquered areas
 Why did the British lose control? A new type of warfare hurt them
 Guerrilla Warfare
 Patriots used small forces with sneak attacks
 Hit-and-run attacks caught the British off guard o They would attack and then run o The War is Won
 In 1780 both armies needed one more big win to claim victory
 The Battle of Yorktown (1781)
 Located on Virginia’s coast
 The French finally arrived, and their navy blocked the British from escaping
 American and French forces trapped the British inside Yorktown
 19,000 American/French defeat 9,000 British on the ground
 George Washington defeats Charles Cornwallis o Cornwallis claimed to be sick and did not attend the surrender ceremony o The Treaty of Paris
 Yorktown did not end the war, fighting went on for two years
 Peace negotiations already began, however
 The Treaty of Paris: September 3, 1783
 Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay represented America
 U.S. an independent nation
 Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River; Canada to Spanish Florida o Why the Americans Won
 Americans fought on their own land
 Britain had to bring troops and supplies
 Britain occupied several cities, but they could not CONTROL these cities
 Help from France aided the Americans in victory
 Most important of all: the determination and spirit of the American people pushed the
Patriots to victory o A Model for Others
 The American Revolution heavily influenced the French Revolution
 French rebels would, in 1789, fight for “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity”
 Copied Declaration of Independence: “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.”
 American Revolution also influenced Saint Domingue colony
 Toussaint-Louverture led enslaved Africans to defeat the French and achieve independence
 Saint Domingue is present-day Haiti
 2 nd nation in Americas to achieve independence from colonial rule