Chapter 4 American Life in the Seventeenth Century
• The Unhealthy Chesapeake
Area
• Harsh Wilderness Lifestyle
• Many diseases
• Life expectancy for many
was 50
• Chesapeake area had a 6-1
ration of males to females
• Many children born out of
wedlock
• Virginia most populated
colony
Elisha Woodbury’s
Grave…typhoid fever victim in 1750
The Tobacco Economy
• Much tobacco
cultivation in
Chesapeake Bay area
• Much early tobacco
cultivated by
indentured servants
• Earned freedom dues at
en of indenture
Indentured servant
contract
The Head right
System
Under this system, if an
aristocrat sponsored an
indentured servant’s
passage to America, the
aristocrat earned the right
to purchase 50 acres. This
system created large
plantations and less
available land for the
poorer colonial immigrants
Head right historical
marker
and records
Frustrated Freemen and Bacon’s
Rebellion
From 1675 to 1676, Nathaniel Bacon led
a group of indentured laborers—both
black and white—who were
frustrated with their economic plight,
in a series of raids against nearby
Indians to confiscate their land. The
rebels soon turned their anger
against wealthy Virginia planters,
who quickly recognized the potential
for widespread unrest. Shortly after
Bacon died in 1676, the revolt
collapsed. Recognizing the need for a
permanent indentured labor force,
Virginia's planters and colonial
leaders strengthened a system of
African slavery that survived for
nearly two hundred more years.
•
•
•
Then, in the middle of the rebellion,
Bacon suddenly died of disease, and
Berkeley went on to crush the
uprising.
Still Bacon’s legacy lived on, in
America would the poor take action?
see American Anthropological
Association / Race Project
Result of Bacon’s Rebellion
• Bacon's Epitaph, made by his
Man" is called the first
American poem, and
eulogizes Nathaniel Bacon,
leader of Bacon's Rebellion in
1675-76. Some historians
interpret the rebellion as a
proto-democratic movement
against Governor Berkeley's
autocratic regime. Others see
it as merely a pretext to seize
Indian land.
• Image rights owned by the
Virginia Historical Society. Do
not use without permission.
Chattel Colonial Slavery
• Roughly a half million slaves were
brought to America. Ten Million
to the “New World”.
• Most slaves were from West
Africa.
• By 1750 African Slaves are very
populous in the Southern
colonies.
• Slave Codes created hereditary
slavery (matriarchal).
• Some slaves purchased their
freedom and became
slaveholders themselves.
The Triangular Trade
• A ship would leave New England
with rum and go to the Gold
Coast of Africa and trade it for
African Slaves. Then travel on the
middle passage to the West
Indies where slaves would be
exchanged for molasses, which in
turn would be sold /traded in
New England to make the rum.
• On the Middle Passage the death
rate was very high.
Africans in America
• The “Deep South” where rice was
cultivated was extremely harsh
for slaves
• Slavery existed in all colonies at
one point
• Slave communities existed at
slave quarters
• Some slaves became skilled
artisans but most were relegated
to working on plantations by way
of task or gang system
Early slave revolts
• Slave protests took many
forms. These included
outright rebellion or subtle
attempts to harm masters.
For example, working
slower, getting sick, or
sabotaging food.
• Outright revolts occurred.
Examples would be in 1712
in New York City, or at the
Stono River rebellion in
1739 in South Carolina.
Punishments for slaves were harsh and
cruel
• For disobeying one’s
master slaves were
whipped, hung, skinned
or cat hauled.
• Slave families were
often disbanded by
sale.
• Rape occurred often
from white masters.
Early Abolitionist
• Abolitionism means the
abolishment of slavery.
Early on, many
individuals advocated
abolitionism.
• Abolitionist literature
included some former
slave “autobiography”.
• Charles Ball The Life of a
Former Slave
Southern Society
• Socioeconomic class
society
• Highest class was
planter class (First
Families of Virginia).
• This class often owned
100 or more slaves and
dominated the House of
Burgesses.
Plantation House
Southern society
Large planter class
was followed by
small farmers ,
merchants, and
skilled artisans.
Next came
indentured
servants, “po white
trash” , free slaves,
slaves and finally
Native Americans.
The New England
Family
In contrast to the
southern situation, New
England had strong family
ties.
 Women had many
children. However, there
was a high infant mortality
rate.
 New England husbands
maintained much control
over their wives and
children.
 Strict laws.

Life in the New England Towns
A town consisted of a meetinghouse
surrounded by houses, village green
and cemetery.
Towns of fifty families had a “Little
Red Schoolhouse”. Towns with 100
families required a secondary school.
New England Towns
Early Colleges
• Harvard was established to
train ministers in 1636.
• William and Mary was
established in 1693 in
Virginia.
• Brown, and later Pembroke
for women, was established
in Rhode Island.
Harvard’s oldest building is
Massachusett’s Hall
The Half Way Covenant and
“jeremiads”
Half -Way Covenant
• As Puritans began to worry
about their children being
loyal to faith ministers
announced that all people
could come to church even
if they were not “visible
saints”.
• Did this approach “delude”
religion and hinder the “Old
Deluder” law?
The “jeremiad”
• In “jeremiad” sermons
earnest preachers scolded
their congregations about
their waning piety and
waning faith.
• May have paved the way for
Great Awakening ministers
in colonial America
Salem Witch
Trials
In the early 1690s, a group
of Salem girls claimed to
have been bewitched by
certain older women.
A hysterical witch-hunt
followed that led to the
execution of 20 people and
two dogs. (Similar events
had been occurring in
Europe).
After a year and a half the
hysteria died down.
New England way
of life
• Less ethnically mixed
than other colonies.
• Rivers were short and
rapid. This will lead to
Rhode Island being the
birthplace of Industrial
Revolution.
• The rocky soil led to small
farms rather than large
plantations (why slavery
not instituted).
• Also led to the rock walls
of New England.
Stone wall near Coventry High School
And Blackstone River Canal historic area
Early settlers’ Days
and ways
• Sun up to sun down
work. Unless an event
was “worth a candle”.
• Not a lot of
extravagant living.
• Fishing, whaling, ship
building, furniture
maker were the big
industries.
Goddard Townshed family furniture of
Newport
Gold Mines of New England
Cod fish
New Bedford
whaling
Rhode Island Slave Trade
The Dewolf Family of Bristol Rhode Island