Chapter 3- Putting Down Roots: Opportunity and Oppression in Colonial Society
Pgs. 61-68
Sources of Stability: New England Colonies of the 17 th Century-
Immigrant Families and New Social Order:
In the New England area, the nuclear family was commonplace
The idea of family was very religious based
Patriarch centered family
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If there wasn’t a family, then people were left to their own sinful devices
By the end of the 16 th
century, nearly 120,000 people had immigrated to New England
There was an unusual population growth in the New England colonies that can be attributed to survival rather than fertility
Longer life expectancy in the New World o New Englanders “invented” grandparents
Commonwealth of Families:
Marriage was based on morals and religion and was not often strayed from
Men usually brought some farmland to the marriage and women were expected to bring a dowry or money
Communities were family-based; many prominent New England families inter-married and dominated city life for multiple generations
Education was a responsibility that fell on the shoulders of the family; parents were in charge of their children’s spiritual/religious education
Women’s Lives in Puritan New England:
Much controversy in the role/status of women in the colonies o Inferior to men vs.
“golden age” for women
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Women during this time were considered “deputy husbands”
Attended church more than men
Practically no legal or political rights
Social Hierarchy in New England:
The social structure in the new colonies was quite different from that of the Old World o Missing the extremely poor and the noble from society
Education and landownership helped secure a higher social standing in New England
Prominent families also held high political/church positions which was a sign of social stature
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Pgs. 68-79
The Challenge of the Chesapeake Environment (Virginia and Maryland) -
Family Life at Risk:
There were vast differences in the New England colonies and the Chesapeake Bay
Colony o This vast difference was the mortality rate

Most immigrants to the Chesapeake were single people, not family unit s o Indentured servitude was the common thread among the single people arriving in the Chesapeake
The death toll was so high and the lifespan of these people so short o Disease was the main proponent of the high death toll
Unable to reproduce and create families o Lack of women (Ratio of men to women was extremely unproportional) o Mortality rate o Loss of reproductive years b/c of years of indentured servitude
The Structure of Planter Society:
Tobacco and other products harvested within the colonies created a society itself
Some planters were very successful with the help of labor, but others barely harvested enough to survive o Many farmers were in debt
Indentured servants in the Chesapeake colonies were much like slaves as compared to their counterparts in the New England colonies
There was a planter elite in the Creole society that was determined by how many slaves one owned, the more slaves, the more profit
Race and Freedom in America-
Roots of Slavery:
Before 1700, most slaves from Africa were sold in Brazil or the Caribbean
African slaves were the new alternative because most Native Americans had been exterminated and the supply of indentured servants had dried up
The first 50 years when Africans first started arriving in America, their status was unclear o After that, there were no objections in treating slaves as sub-human
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No religion, heathens, associated with evil itself
As the number of the African slave population continued to rise in the 1700’s, the white settlements became more nervous and starting enforcing stricter slave codes
Slave children follow the condition of the mother o Female slaves were at high risk for sexual exploitation o No mixing of races
 Mulattoes were acceptable in some Spanish colonies, but the English colonies did not tolerate it
Constructing African American Identities:
Depending on the region and the density of the African population, the cultural identity of those Africans varied quite dramatically
Southern colonies had a higher percentage of slaves than did the middle or New England colonies
African identity was harder to maintain in the northern colonies because Africans weren’t in large concentrated groups as they were in the Southern colonies
African American culture was very distinctive in regards to Europe and African cultures
The population of African American slaves started to increase o Healthier living conditions, compared to other slave colonies like in the Caribbean
Even in the early establishment of slavery in the colonies, there was a resentment of slavery among slaves and there were acts of violence and resistance

o Stono Rebellion, 1739
The Rise of a Commercial Empire-
Response to Economic Competition:
For most of the 17 th century, Great Britain ignored the colonies, did not pay that much attention to them
Adam Smith, coined the term mercantilist system o Interstate commerce rules and regulations o Great Britain didn’t adhere to them, dealt with problems on a individual basis
GB increases shipbuilding, decreases imports and increases exports o How were they to achieve this??
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At the expense of other European states
Regulating Colonial Trade:
1660, Parliament passes the Navigation Acts: o Ships couldn’t trade unless that ship was built in the American colonies or
England and had a crew that was comprised of 75 % Englishmen o Enumerated goods such as tobacco, cotton, sugar, etc. only be transported to
England or any other colonial port o Meant to eliminate other European competition, mainly the Dutch
1663, 2 nd
Navigation Act, aka Staple Act: o Nothing could be shipped to America without being shipped through England first o Made everything more expensive
Reactions to the Navigation Acts varied from region to region, but it hit the small farmer the hardest
1673, Parliament passes the Navigation Act: o A revised edition of the 1660 act which dealt with a plantation duty(much like the
English custom) to address the issue of those ignoring the Navigation Acts
1696, Parliament sends enforcement officers to the colonies to make sure that the
Navigation Acts are being upheld
Colonial Factions Spark Political Revolt, 1676-1691-
Civil War in Virginia: Bacon’s Rebellion:
The Navigation Acts that we imposed on the American colonies by GB, gave a false sense of an empire when there was mounting dissent within the colonies
In Virginia, the Navigation Acts came at the most inopportune time o Depression o Influx of indentured servants in the area o Natural disaster, hurricane destroyed tobacco crop
Threat of social violence
Nathaniel Bacon, what was his role in the rebellion?? o Substantial planter, wanted more, but denied fur trading license by corrupted government
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A turn of events would lead to Bacon’s Rebellion: o Nearby Indian tribes attacked white plantations, a few colonists killed

o Governor proposed building a line of forts
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Bacon volunteered to attack the Indians to squelch the attacks
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Governor denied him military rights, Berkeley and Bacon butted heads o Bacon lead raids against Indians
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Sometimes killed friendly Indians
 Burned Jamestown to the ground
The Glorious Revolution in the Bay Colony:
The Massachusetts Bay colony was developing a sense of independence, but was in constant conflict of the overbearing presence of English lords
1675, Metacomet aka King Phillip a Wampanoag chief waged war with another Indian tribe against the settlers o Lasted over a year o Heavy debt to settlers o More than a thousand killed
1686-1689, King James II restructured the government o Put Sir Edmond Andros as governor of many colonies(compared to Roman dictator Nero) o Tyrannical government o Alienated most colonists
The English Bill of Rights was passed with the admittance of Mary and William of
Orange when James II was deposed o With passage of Bill of Rights, colonists overthrew Andros and jailed him almost immediately
Contagion of Witchcraft:
1691, accusations of witchcraft pitch Salem, Mass into a panic
Throughout the 17 th
century accusations had been made, but reactions were neutral and not confronted, but rather ignored
Salem Village, 19 girls claim to be affected by witches o Witch hunt ensues o Arrests and prayer did not solve the problem o Hanging of convicted witches
Spectral evidence , reports of dreams and visions when the accused person is portrayed as the devil and use to condemn the accused
The Glorious Revolution in New York and Maryland:
The Glorious Revolutions in New York proved to be more violent than in the Bay colonies
Ethnic and religious roots in the revolution
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Leisler’s Rebellion, opposing the Anglican superiority and prosperity seized a fort and renamed it in honor of William and Mary
Eventually Leisler and his second in command were caught and deemed rebels, a hasty trial sentenced them to death
Maryland overthrew Lord Baltimore with news of James II being deposed and made
Protestantism the main religion and denied any Catholics from office