
National power and prestige tied to wealth in Europe

Byproduct of imperialism
 Creating colonies = Imperialism = Empire

Imperial nations control all commerce of their colonies

Commerce = business, trade, etc.

Colonies become necessary for economic growth

 Provided cheap labor & resources and bought goods from Europe (mercantilism)

Brought wealth to colonies but also generated opposition because of restricted freedoms


Mercantilism solidified the creation of an American
Aristocracy due to trade with England

North businessmen; ship builders

South plantation owners

Increased trade meant increased immigration

As immigration increased the citizens and culture became less and less English


Men dominated all aspects of society in most colonies

Covertures – All of a woman’s possessions belonged to her husband

No inheritance rights
 Patriarchal = Male
 Matriarchal = Female


Chance at social mobility for colonists

Headright System – 50-100 acres of land for immigrants

Indentured servants – Poor Europeans who volunteered to be a slave for 5-7 years
 “Apprenticeship” or chance to own land
 Most died of disease


By 1700 90% of 100,000 colonists in the
Chesapeake were indentured servants

55% of adult males could vote, higher than Europe


“Best Poor Man’s Country”

Increased Diversity; Irish & Germans after 1720

German “redemptioners” – indentured servants paid for sea voyage

New immigrants lived on the frontier

Violent life, heavy drinking

Hated Indians


Poor frontier farms were being attacked, but Gov. did not respond against natives

Revealed a growing divide in colonies over class and if the govt. cared about all citizens or just rich

Young vs. Old, Rich vs. Poor, Coast vs. Frontier
 Rebels sought to destroy all Indians left in VA
 Burned the city of Jamestown to the ground

 Formed a new House of Burgesses

Indentured servants, both black and white joined the rebellion, which terrified ruling elite

Led to future laws to encourage racial division


What is mercantilism? How did it encourage Britain’s fight for political and economic dominance over the New World?

What is the significance of Bacon’s Rebellion? How does it signify a greater problem in the relations of the socioeconomic classes in America?

Compare and contrast the roles of religion and economics in the early history of the New England colonies.




Native Americans got sick easily and able to run away easier
Indentured Servants problematic since they weren’t permanent
Africans - More resilient to European disease, and less likely to run away


1 st African slaves in VA 1619 as Indentured
Servants
 Dutch

Slaves majority on sugar plantations in the
Caribbean by the 1650s
 Outnumbered whites 4 to 1 by1713


As the Caribbean population swelled and land dwindled many Europeans moved North with their slaves

Georgia and South Carolina economies focused on rice

Cash Crop

Rice harvesting required slave labor to be profitable


Slave majority by 1710

Carolina eventually divides over slavery


Colonial products sold in Europe

Money from Europe used to buy slaves in Africa

Slaves were traded for products in colonies

Middle Passage – Horrendous trip across the
Atlantic for slaves. “Amistad”

African slave trade reached its peak between
1730 and 1775


Task system – allowed to work for themselves after finishing their tasks, extra money

Gang system – worked until told otherwise, rule by fear, less freedom
 Gang system became norm as workers produced more
 Task system and increased freedom used to bribe slaves into supervisor positions


Was a Slave rebellion in South Carolina

Cato's Conspiracy or Cato's Rebellion

80 slaves rebelled and roughly 45 whites and 45 slaves were killed

In response SC legislature passed


Restricted slave assembly, education and movement.

Enacted a 10-year moratorium against importing
African slaves
 Many rebel slaves were literate, Catholics from the
Congo

Established penalties against slaveholders' harsh treatment of slaves.

Required legislative approval for manumissions, which was previously handled by slaveholders

Setting slaves free


How did the economies of the southern colonies differ from those of the northern colonies, in the 1700s?


First Navigation Act, 1651

Balance of trade favored England

Rules for English ports
 Can only trade with English Ships

Navigation Act of 1660

All colonial trade only on English ships

Only certain goods could be bought from certain
English companies or colonies
 Monopolies


Staple Act of 1663

Regulated goods going to colonies

Plantation Duty Act of 1673 – Trade only with
England

Navigation Acts forced the Dutch out and made
England the Atlantic power


Lords of Trade and Plantation1675

Reinforced Navigation Acts and worked for total control of colonies

Crown sought to control governors and upper legislature houses
 Elected by Colonists


England sought to combine NY, NH, MA, ME, CT into
1 colony

Increase tax revenue and control

Sir Edmond Andros Governor and Francis Nicholson
Lieutenant Governor

Both very unpopular

Failure to pay taxes resulted in loss of voting rights


NY militiamen rebelled against the Dominion of New
England in 1689 at Fort James

Lt. Gov. Nicholson

Issue of taxes and perceived Catholic attempts to control NY

Militia Captain Jacob Leisler given control of Fort who agrees to hold until King names new Governor


Leisler turns over fort to new governor in 1691

Leisler put on trial for treason and executed

Leisler becomes martyr to those fearing British control

Leisler posthumously pardoned by King


Royal governments became the norm

Navigation Act, 1696

English system of vice admiralty courts brought to colonies
 No jury, 1 judge; handled mostly business cases
 Judge hired & paid by English King

Board of Trade established, 1696

System lasts until and fuels the American Revolution


Colonists relied on newspapers to learn about world affairs

Editors tended to support the needs of the colonies over Europe

John Peter Zenger criticized New York’s royal governor William Cosby
 Seditious Libel – Crime for criticizing royal officials

Cosby had Zenger arrested and put on trial


Cosby appointed two royal judges and had
Zenger’s lawyers disbarred
 Benjamin Franklin talked Andrew Hamilton into taking the case
 Despite the judges telling the jury to ignore
Hamilton’s “lies” the jury found Zenger not guilty

Freedom of Speech


Newspapers spread Enlightenment values through the colonies

Voltaire = Free Speech

Thomas Hobbes people give up some freedoms to govt. to create order
 Social Contract Theory

John Locke if govt. fails in their duties then the people should form a new one
 Democracy


Suffrage was more common in colonies than England

Most colonies, towns had elected assemblies

Clashes among colonial and royal leaders were common

Statutes = Laws

Duties = Taxes