Chesapeake Society to 1660
Early American Social History
Term 1, Week 8
Introduction
• Transition from chaotic society, clinging on
to shores of Chesapeake to much more
permanent and secure one.
• Geog spread of white settlement
• Political, economic and social
development over very short period of
time.
Maryland
• Charter granted to George Calvert, Lord
Baltimore, 1632, first settlers 1634. Proprietory
colony.
• Settled St Mary’s city, healthier location than
Jamestown
• Knew tobacco would be the main crop
• LB’s brother sent as governor.
• Maryland = haven for Eng catholics, LB tries to
reserve all colonial positions for them, but
unworkable, since significant nos of prots in
colony – leads to Toleration Act of 1649, v. imp
piece of legislation.
Lord
Baltimore
Maryland’s Colonial Currency
An act concerning religion
Maryland Toleration Act, 1649
• ...whatsoever person or persons shall from henceforth upon any
occasion of offence otherwise in a reproachfull manner or way
declare call or denominate any person or persons whatsoever
inhabiting, residing, traficking, trading or comercing within this
province or within any ports, harbours, creeks or havens to the same
belonging, an Heretick, Schismatick, Idolator, Puritan, Independent
Presbyterian, Antenomian, Barrowist, Roundhead, Seperatist,
Popish Priest, Jesuit, Jesuited Papist, Lutheran, Calvenist,
Anabaptist, Brownist or any other name or term in a reproachful
manner relating to matters of Religion shall for every such offence
foreit and lose the sum of ten shillings Sterling or the value thereof
to be levied on the goods and chattels of every such offender and
offenders...
•
and if they could not pay, they were to be "publickly whipt and
imprisoned without bail" until "he, she, or they shall satisfy the party
so offended or grieved by such reproachful language...."
Demographics
• Va popn before 1624 mainly young and male,
women only in significant nos after 1618.
• Sale of women for 50 lbs tobacco
• Women still in minority eg 1660 5 men to every
woman
• But youthful violence tempered as families start
to appear, and planters invest more to provide
for family futures.
• Yet families do not ease reliance on immigration
due to high death rates.
Early Death
• 30% of settlers died each year
• Third of children orphaned by 18 (two thirds lost
one parent), so few nuclear families
• Causes of death: malaria (esp dangerous to
those weakened by voyage); dysentery (‘Bloody
Flux’) since no running water in Jamestown; salt
water poisoning; Indian warfare; psychological
factors (‘give-up-it is’)
Impact of Early Death
• Psychological – climate of fear and dread
• Lack of authority (parents)
• Lack of experience (skills need to be relearned,
mistakes repeated)
• Community responsibility for orphans
• Power of widows (‘widowarchy’), through
remarriage etc.
• 50% infant mortality rates = reliance on
immigrants
• Fosters culture of hedonism and undermines
attempts at social stability
Social Mobility
• Early Death means society relatively fluid and
mobile.
• Possible for indentured servants to gain lands
under headright system and become planters,
JPs, assemblymen etc (Menard article)
• Most commonly freed servants migrate to
frontier zones where land not yet allocated to
mark out a claim, causes conflict with Indians
Political Developments
• 1624 charter of Va Co revoked.
• House of Burgess (1619) remained, new council
and a governor appt by King
• H of B begins to assume role of H of C in
England, eg control over finances, militia etc.
• By end 17thC H of B able to initiate legislation
• Council appt by Gov, mainly leading planters –
functions like H of L.
• High death rates ensure rapid turnover of
members
William
Berkeley
Governor
of Virginia
1642-52;
1660-76
Economic Development
• Tobacco still most important cash crop
• Price stabilisation of the 1620s takes
excessive profit out of market, encourages
longer term investment
• First Africans arrive in Virginia c. 1619,
status not clear, perhaps slaves, perhaps
indentured servants. Slavery not than imp
before 1660
Stability/Instability
• Historiographic debate; Bailyn/Morgan saw
Ches soc as very unstable; Kukla argues more
stable than thought
• Kukla points to end of Indian wars, civilian govt,
brick houses (permanency)
• stability is characterised by: low levels of
collective violence, absence of division,
acceptance of governmental authority, few
changes of leadership, and when changes
occur, they are orderly.
Factors of Stability (Diamond, 1958)
• a) religion, with the C of E becoming more prominent
• b) creation of local hierarchy of gentry who served on the
council
• c) creation of assembly which gave the lower classes a
role in political society
• d) end of conditions of land ownership which encourages
migration
• e) increased migration of women etc, Virginia becomes
more demographically stable
• f) introduction of cash crop, tobacco, which allowed the
colonists to pay for things they otherwise could not
afford.
Depth of White Settlement by 1660
Conclusions
• Chesapeake definitely more stable in 1660
than in 1624.
• Political govt normalised, economic future
secure, Indian threat neutralised.
• Demographics slowly normalising, birth
rate rising, death rate slowly falling.
• Future much more certain.