B. Colonial Life
I. Life in the Southern Colonies:
The “Headright System.”:
•
Due to the wealth of tobacco production in the southern colonies,
tobacco plantations were in desperate need of labor.
•
Native Americans were dying due to exposure to European disease, and
slaves were to expensive to import from Africa.
•
Overcrowding in British debtors prisons provided the opportunity to
populate the colonies and provide cheap forms of labor.
•
*The “headright system” encouraged the importation of servant
workers, indentured servants, by paying for their passage to the colonies in
exchange for working on the land for 7 yrs.
•
Those who paid for workers to move to the colonies were guaranteed
the right to acquire 50acres of land.
•
Once their term of servitude was up, the indentured servants were
allowed to be free men.
•
From 1607-1700 over 100,000 people moved to the colonies through
indentured servitude.
Bacon’s Rebellion:
•
As “indentured servants” there was a rising number of “freemen”
whose service in the headright system had expired.
•
Provided originally with “freedom dues” the free men originally
would get corn, clothes, and a small parcel of land.
•
With “good” land drying up, fewer and fewer freemen were receiving
freedom dues, and they were being pushed into the backwoods of the colonies.
•
*Nathaniel Bacon was a freeman who garnered support from other
freemen in fighting against the corruption of VA Governor William Berkeley
and his ties to the fur trade with Native Americans.
•
Believing that the Governor supported the rights of Native Americans
and not free Englishman, Bacon and his followers drove Berkeley from
Jamestown and then burned the Capital.
•
Eventually Bacon would die from disease and the rebellion would be
crushed by Berkeley and British Forces.
•
*The Rebellion highlighted the resentment between the landed class
(wealthy) and the poor. It also was the death of Indentured Servitude, and
the beginning of slavery.
Slavery:
•
Slaves were introduced due to the failure of the headright system.
•
From 1609-1809 the British imported African Slaves to the Colonies,
primarily to the southern colonies to work on the plantations, though slaves
were in all 13 colonies.
•
Kidnapped from Africa, these slaves were shipped across the Atlantic
through the Middle Passage, aboard slave ships where over 20% of the
captives died.
•
The legality of Slaves v. Indentured Servants was differentiated by
the “slave codes”, which were statutes that limited the rights of African
Slaves.
•
These codes made slaves and their children the property of their
white owners, while also making it illegal to teach slaves to read and write.
•
Eventually slave culture developed through a mixing of African and
Colonial traditions and created a culture through vocabulary, religion,
music, and family life.
•
As time passed, there was a clear divide between the northern
colonies which did not develop cash crops, and cash crop producing southern
colonies which had a need for slavery.
•
Groups such as the German Mennonites in Pennsylvania were some of
the first to oppose slavery, dating back to 1688.
•
Slaves did adapt to colonial life, adopting many of the beliefs of
the Methodist Church forming the Black Methodist Church.
•
Slaves would sing such uplifting and message concealing songs
as “Good News, the Chariots Comin,” and “Wade in the Water” which spread the
subliminal message of escape from the plantations.
•
Slave revolts in New York City in 1712 and South Carolina in 1739
increased racial tensions, while the Stono Rebellion erupted in Spanish
Florida.
Southern Society:
•
The social pyramid of Southern Society was structured on a tier
system; On the lowest tier were the slaves, then indentured servants, small
farm owners, merchants, clergy, and finally the landed aristocracy (planter
class)
•
The First Families of Virginia (FFV’s) were made up of the Lee’s,
Fitzhughs, and Washingtons.
II. Life in the New England Colonies
New England:
•
Fresh air and water added longevity to the lives of colonials
•
Life in New England was focused on the family, as the father was the
head of the family, while the wife ran the household and was in charge of
the children.
•
To help run the family farm, colonial families would have large
numbers of children, avg. ten pregnancies per family.
•
Women were not allowed the same property rights as women in the
South, yet did enjoy some rights in society; protecting them from abuse,
adultery, etc…
Life in the New England Towns:
•
Life in New England towns revolved around the whole community;
namely religious virtues established by the Puritan Church.
•
Chartered by Colonial authorities, proprietors would create the
town, consisting of a meetinghouse, the common (public grasslands), and
family homes.
•
Larger towns were to provide education to the children of the
community. Some communities even established Universities such as Harvard,
in Boston.
The Halfway Covenant and the Salem Witch Trials:
•
Puritan ministers worried that Church membership was dwindling and
that community life was not as pious as when the community was originally
established.
•
To boost membership the leaders in the Church created the “Halfway
Covenant”. This would grant partial membership rights to those not yet
converted, and it eventually increased religious participation in the
Puritan Church and community.
•
In the late 1680’s a fear of witchcraft spread across New England,
namely in the area known as Salem, MA.
•
In 1692 a group of young girls claimed that they were “cursed” by
members of the Village of Salem.
•
A “Witch Hunt” commenced where innocent people were tried and
executed for being witches or for others saying they were witches.
•
By 1693 it was discovered that the girls were making up stories of
witches, and the hysteria ended, though ruining the good name of Salem, MA
forever
The New England Way of Life:
•
The Puritan life of New England left the population genuinely
homogenous.
•
The use of “cash crops” did not flourish in New England due to poor
soil and smaller farms. Timber, fishing, and livestock were the main
exports of New England colonies.
•
New England colonies had four seasons, unlike the Southern colonies
C. Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution 1700-1775
I. Conquest of the Cradle:
•
Population expansion is accredited to:
1. Immigration
2. Forced Immigration from Africa (Slave Trade)
3. Natural Fertility
4. Age of colonists
5. Healthier lifestyles/environment
II. The Germans:
•
From 1700-1775 over 6% of the population of the colonies came from
Germany
•
Moving namely to Pennsylvania, the “Pennsylvania Dutch” contributed
to the industry and prosperity of the colony, making up 1/3 of the
inhabitants.
•
The Germans brought with them their Lutheran belief and added to the
religious diversity of Pennsylvania (Quaker, Anglican, Lutheran, Puritan,
Catholicism, & Judaism)
III. The Scots-Irish:
•
Scottish Lowlander transplants to the Colonies making up 7% of the
population.
•
Had a distinct dislike of the British taken from British control of
Scotland. James Oglethorpe himself made sure to seek peace with the clans of
the Scotch-Irish while Governor of Georgia.
•
Living in the frontiers of the colonies, these frontiersmen brought
with them skills for wool production and whiskey distillation.
•
The Paxton Boys, a Scotch-Irish group, led an armed march in
Philadelphia to protest policies which protected Native Americans and not
the Scots Irish.
•
The Scotch Irish were Presbyterian by nature and spread the faith
devoutly.
IV. Clerics, Physicians, & Jurists:
•
The Ministry was still the most honored profession in Colonial life.
•
Physicians were looked down upon due to poor training and working
conditions.
•
The first medical school was established in 1765.
•
The Physician/Doctor/Historian Cotton Mather introduced inoculation
in 1721 to the medical world to fight small pox
•
Lawyers were looked down upon for the business they had to attend
to, and the company by which they defended (murderers, prostitutes, money
lenders, etc…)
V. The Colonial Economy:
•
The economy in the Southern Colonies was based on “Cash Crops” and
agricultural production of tobacco, rice, indigo
•
The economy of the Middle Colonies was based primarily on Industrial
work (Iron works, rum distillers, trading and shipping). The Middle
Colonies also relied on livestock and grain production.
•
The economy of New England was based on Sea Industries; fishing,
whaling, Forest Industries; lumber and timber, ship building, naval stores,
General Industries; Iron works, Rum distillers, Trading and Shipping, and
Cattle and Grain production.
Mercantilism is a policy that allows for British Merchants to hold
monopolies over foreign competition.
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
*Triangular Trade
Slaves were sent to the West Indies and the Colonies from Africa
Sugar and Molasses are sent from the West Indies to the Colonies
Timber and foodstuffs are sent from the Colonies to the West Indies
Tobacco, Fish, Lumber, flour set to England
English textiles sent the Colonies
•
To limit colonial trade with foreign nations the British passed
the “Molasses Act” of 1733. To get around this colonial merchants begin
smuggling goods into the colonies.
VI. The English Model of Government:
-Each colonial government was designed to match the British Political System
-Colonists saw themselves as subjects to the King, and ruled by the laws of
Parliament, under the English Bill of Rights.
i.
1.
2.
3.
4.
General Beliefs of Colonial Politics:
Only White Men can vote
All voters should own land
All voters should be wealthy
You must be 21 years or older to vote
ii. Local Control of Government:
-By the early 1700's more people were becoming interested in politics, and
so more men were allowed to vote.
-Cities need government to;
1. Build and Maintain Roads
2. Build Bridges
3. Operate Criminal Courts
4. Provide relief for the poor
-Those elected to the Assemblies were usually wealthy and had a great deal
of influence on the community.
-People voted to have their voices heard, while those who did not fit the
criteria for voting would protest to voice their opinions.
iii. The Colonial System of Government:
1. The Governor: The Governor is chosen by the King to be the representative
of the Monarchy and Parliament, and is responsible for enforcing all laws.
2. The House of Lords: (Assembly of the Wealthy) Governor and House of Lords
may veto any law that the House of Commons creates.
3. The House of Commons: (Assembly of the People)The Assembly of the People
may make laws, raise taxes, and discuss how money is to be spent.
4. Town Meetings: Local town leaders may pass local laws and statutes
To regulate or control the veto power of the Governor, the House of Commons,
Assembly of the People, would withhold the Governors pay.
-The House of Burgesses in Virginia is the perfect example of Colonial
Government in the Colonies.
VII. The Great Awakening:
-A time of great religious fervor and renewal in the colonies.
-Spread throughout the colonies from 1730-1740's
-Church Ministers such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield believed
in "Revival Meetings" which spoke to people about the eternal damnation of
sinners.
-Ministers were worried about the decline in Church membership, decay of
family authority, dishonest business practices, an increase in the use of
foul language, problems with teenagers.
-Revivals went from town to town gathering converts.
-Those who believed in the teachings of the Great Awakening were born again
into the Christian faith and were called "New Lights".
-New Lights are known today as Baptists.
-"Old Lights" were traditional Protestant and Catholic faiths who disagreed
with the charismatic religious services; Roman Catholic, Anglican,
Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Calvinists, Methodists.
VIII. The Enlightenment:
-Called the Age of Reason, it was a time when many books and essays
contained new ideas about the world.
-A belief that the Universe was orderly and governed by natural laws that
humans could understand.
-The Enlightenment taught people that Government and Religions were created
to serve the people, not to be served by the people.
Major Enlightenment Thinkers:
1. John Locke: Declarations of the Rights of Man, Two Treatise of
Government; Governments job is to provide for the LIFE, LIBERTY, and
PROPERTY of the people. (Influences Thomas Jefferson when he writes the
Declaration of Independence)
2. Benjamin Franklin:
-Born in Boston he was educated for one year before becoming an apprentice
in his brother's print shop.
-Founded the "Poor Richard's Almanack" where he provided bits of wisdom to
the readers, "A penny saved is a penny earned." "The early bird catches the
worm", "He who lays down with dogs awakens with fleas".
-A scientist, Franklin discovered Day-Light Savings, and Time Zones
-He was the first scientist to study hurricanes and storms.
-He discovered electricity in lightening
-He was an inventor that created the bi-focals, pot bellied stove, and the
recliner.
-He established: The First Public Free Library, The American Philosophical
Society, and the Society for Relief of Free Negroes
-Had a common law marriage for over 50yrs. Was a vegetarian, nudist, and
believed in fresh air to keep the body healthy.
IX. Freedom of the Press
-In 1734-1735, a newspaper printer, John Peter Zenger was arrested by the
Governor of NY, who had been charged with corruption by Zenger's newspaper.
-Charged with seditious libel, or false reporting, Zenger was defended by
Andrew Hamilton, a former indentured servant.
-Hamilton argued that Zenger had printed the truth, "the very liberty of
both exposing and opposing arbitrary power...is the duty of the press."
-Zenger's case will influence the First Amendment (Freedom of the Press)