■Essential QuestionEssential Question:

–How did the British American colonies change from the 17th & 18th centuries?

–What themes remained the same?

Experience of Empire: 18th Century America

American Colonial Culture: 1700-1780

What did America

look like in the

1717thth CenturyCentury?

What did America

look like in the

1818thth CenturyCentury?

North American Population, 1750Native Americans 1.5 million

New England 400,000

Chesapeake 390,000

Pennsylvania 230,000

New York 100,000

Lower South 100,000

Backcountry 100,000

New France 70,000

Northern New Spain 20,000

Native Americans■By the 18th Century, the Indians in

contact with European colonists became dependent upon them:

–For manufactured clothes, guns, & trade

–The French had the best relationship with Indians

–The Spanish horse altered the culture of the Plains Indians

Use of Horses by the Plains Indians

The Spanish Borderlands in 1770The Spanish borderlands had slow population growth (unlike the British colonies)

Spain never had a secure political or military hold on the borderlands

St. Augustine was not attractive to settlers

Popé’s (Pueblo) Revolt in 1692 limited Spanish

control north of Mexico

Little interest in the West Coast until 1769 when missionaries

settled in CA to keep Russians out

18th Century French

Settlements

Population in the “French Crescent” grew 500% by 1750

due to natural reproduction

Jesuit missionaries converted Native

Americans

Most French colonists were coureur des bois (fur traders)

or habitants (farmers)

New Orleans gave France control of the “interstate

highway” of the Mississippi

Growth & Diversity in 18th Century America

Growth & Diversity in British America

■By 1770, the English colonies became increasingly different from New Spain & New France:

–Population boomed 1,000% due to increased birth rates, falling death rates, & a huge wave of non-English immigration

–Surging economic growth

–New political & religious ideas

Distribution of EuropeanEuropean

& African African ImmigrantsImmigrants in British

North America by 1770

18th Century Immigrants■1790 census showed less than

50% of American colonists were English; 18th century immigration brought unprecedented diversity:–African slaves were the largest

group to immigrate –The Transportation Act (1718)

allowed English judges to send convicted felons to the colonies (50,000 were forced to emigrate)

18th Century Immigrants ■The Scotch-Irish were the largest

European group to immigrate:–Initially welcomed as a frontier

barrier between Indians & PA–Challenged authority wherever

they settled■Germans were the 2nd largest

European group to immigrate:– Seen as hard-working farmers– Clung to German traditions rather than “Anglicizing”– First significant non-English speaking immigrants

The American

Backcountry

Social Hierarchy in New EnglandSocial Hierarchy in New England

Local gentry of religiously devout families guided

town meetings

Large population of yeomen farmers loyal

to the local community

Small population of landless laborers, servants, & poor

NE churches focused on its members; outsiders were not welcomed & often moved away

Social Hierarchy in the ChesapeakeSocial Hierarchy in the Chesapeake

Tobacco was the basis of wealth & cause of

social inequalities

The plantation gentry dominated society &

the House of Burgesses

Yeoman farmers were the largest class; Came as

indentured servants; most lived on edge of poverty

Indentured servants were often mistreated & cheated out of land

African slaves

Colonial Society in the 17th Century:

African SlavesAfrican Slaves

The Roots of Slavery■The importation of African slaves

was based on a “need” for labor:–Native Americans made poor

slaves because they were decimated by European disease

–Indentured servant-pool waned after 1660

■An estimated 11 million slaves (mostly males) were brought to the English American colonies

The Roots of Slavery■Slaves were originally treated as

indentured servants but the growing black population in VA by 1672 prompted stricter slave laws:– Africans were defined as slaves for life;

permanent slave status was passed on to slave children

– By 1700, slavery was based exclusively on skin colorskin color

– Could even be used as collateral for Could even be used as collateral for loans. loans.

Origins & Destinations of African Slaves, 1619-1760

The Slave Population■In the Chesapeake & Southern

colonies with large black populations, slaves found it easier to maintain their African culture

■By 1720, the African population became self-sustainingself-sustaining:–Fertility rates exceeded

immigration rates for the 1st time–Did not occur in the Caribbean

or in South America

60% in SC40% in VAFree & enslaved blacks were much less numerous in NE & Middle colonies

The Slave Population■Widespread resentment of their

slave status led to resistance in the 18th Century:

–Armed resistance such as the Stono RebellionStono Rebellion of 1739 (SC)

–In 1741, 106 slaves were hung or deported due to a rumor that slaves planned to burn NYC

–Runaway slaves were common

150 blacks rose up & seized munitions hold killed & killed

several white planters

■PLEASE PASS UP STAPLED READING ASSIGNMENT FROM OTIS and EDWARDS

■9/11/2001 Never Forget

■In the immortal words of those on flight 93 “Lets Roll”

18th Century American Commerce

Rise of a Commercial Empire

■English gov’t largely ignored the colonies until the 1650s (salutary salutary neglectneglect); The colonies were not state-funded nor state protected

■But…Charles II initiated colonial intervention in 1660 to maximize exports, decrease imports, & generate more gov’t revenue

Response to Economic Competition■“MercantilismMercantilism” became the

blueprint for England’s empire:–Wanted more money & a

favorable balance of trade–Wanted to eliminate Dutch rivals–Wanted a stronger navy

■Began to restrict colonial trade:–Navigation Act of 1660–Navigation Act of 1663

No ship could trade in colonies unless it was

made in England

“Enumerated goods” (tobacco, sugar,

cotton, rice, rosin, tar) could only be

sent to English portsGoods shipped to English colonies must pass through England (Increased the price paid by colonial consumers)

Implementing the Acts ■NE merchants found loopholes to

avoid paying taxes so the English made more restrictions (Am. Tradition!)

–In 1696, created a Board of Trade to oversee colonial trade

–Created maritime courts to mediate disputes

■The Navigation Acts eventually benefited the colonial merchants & smuggling virtually ended (stay tuned!)

What were the top 3 leading colonial exports in

the 18th Century?

Chesapeake

Middle

New EnglandNew England

SouthSouth

Economic Transformation■ In the 1700s, Spanish & French

colonial economies stagnated but English colonial economies grew:–Led to an increased standard of

living & affluence for Americans–The colonial economy kept pace

with its expanding population–English mercantilism increased

a desire for American products (esp. tobacco & sugar)

Birth of a Consumer Society■The availability of cheap English

mass-produced goods led to a rise in colonial consumption–Colonists grew an insatiable

desire for goods from “home” –The increase in inter-colonial &

Caribbean trade gave colonists the money they needed to buy British manufactured goods

–But, many colonists fell heavily in debt to English merchants

http://www.englishcountrydancing.org/colonial7.html

The Great

Wagon Road

Increased inter-colonial commerce gave

Americans a chance to learn about one another

American Urban Life■Few colonists lived in cities:

–Boston, Newport, New York, Philadelphia, & Charles Town contained only 5% of total colonial population

–Cities were geared toward intermediary trade but…

–Cities began to attract colonists seeking opportunities

Religion in the Colonies

■ Dominant Denominations– Church of England (Anglican

Church)• Official faith in:

• Georgia• South Carolina• North Carolina• Virginia• Maryland• part of New York

Religion in the ColoniesAnglican Ministers

• Anglican ministers were so bad in 17th century VA, that the College of William and Mary was founded in 1693 to train a better class of clerics

• Anglicans in the New World were handicapped by not having a resident bishop, whose presence would be convenient for the ordination of young ministers. American students of Anglican theology had to travel to England to be ordained. Establishing an American bishop caused concern to many non-Anglicans and they were opposed to that idea

The Age of Enlightenment

■ Movement in Europe

■ Encouraged people to renounce superstitions and prior knowledge to formulate true learning (Natural laws)

■ Started with Science (Newton, Descartes, etc.) and then spread to economics, education, philosophy etc.

The Age of Enlightenment

■ Influence in America was extensive– Acceptance of the concepts of natural

laws and natural rights

– Interest in science (Franklin)

– Americanization of the Glorious Revolution/English Bill of Rights

• Validation of self-government

• Powers of government are limited

• Free expression of ideas (e.g., Zenger case)

The Great Awakening

Decline in Religious Devotion ■The 1700s saw a decline in

religious devotion:–Outside of NE, 1 in 15 people

was a member of a church–NE suffered a decline in church

attendance (1:5 were members)–Church sermons were seen by

many as “cold” & impersonal ■Led to a rise in ArminianismArminianism

(free will, not predestination)

The Half-Way CovenantHalf-Way Covenant (1662) was a way for NE churches to

increase membership to the “unconverted” children

The Great Awakening■The Great Awakening was a

series of revivals among Protestants in which of people experienced religious conversion in response to gifted preaching

■It was not a unified movement; Great Awakenings occurred in many denominations in different places at different times

Was not really “American” either as similar phenomena occurred in Europe

The Great Awakening hit New England in the 1730s & in Virginia in 1750s & 1760s

The Great Awakening■The 1st stirrings of the Great

Awakening began with Jonathan Edwards in Northhampton, MA:

–Used “fire & passion” to reach the discontent youth of NE

–Encouraged people to examine their eternal destiny

A reading from “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (1741)

The Great Awakening■George Whitefield became the

most popular of the evangelists of the Great Awakening

–He preached outdoor sermons to 1,000s in nearly every colony

–As a result, itinerants disrupted their established churches claiming ministers were not taught to see the “New Light”

The Great Awakening■The impact of the Great Awakening

–New universities such as Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, & Rutgers were formed to educate “New Light” preachers:

–1st “national” event; Encouraged contact among scattered colonists in different regions

–Empowered non-elites to challenge their social superiors

Including women & African-Americans

Closure QuestionClosure Question

■Did any of these colonies live up to the expectations of their founders:

–Virginia?

–Carolina?

–Pennsylvania?

–Massachusetts Bay?

18th Century Schools and Colleges

Education in New England■NE towns regarded education as

fundamental family responsibility; towns began to create elementary schools funded with local taxes:–NE had, by far, the highest

literacy rate in America–In 1638, Harvard

became America’s first college

Southern Schools

■Then?

■Today?

Other Colleges

■ Was geared toward preparing men for the ministry in New England

■ Churches would wither if a new crop of ministers was not adequately trained to lead the region’s spiritual flocks

■ For purposes of convenience and economy, 9 local colleges were established during the colonial era

■ Student enrollments were small, numbering about 200 boys at the most

■ Harvard (1st) – 1636 (Congregational); William and Mary (2nd) – 1693 (Anglican); Pennsylvania (3rd) – 1751 (Nonsectarian)

Colonial Education■By mid 18th century, formal

education beyond minimal reading and writing did progress

■However, it was considered non-essential for both males and females for success–It was instead a status symbol

for those who could afford to pay

“Culture” in the Backwoods

Painting

■ Charles Wilson Peale

Architecture

Literature

■ Phillis Wheatley-

■ Ben Franklin-

Science

■ Franklin Inventions

Pioneer Presses– Books

• Americans were too poor to buy books and too busy to read them

– Libraries• A few private libraries of fair size could be found,

especially among the clergy• Benjamin Franklin established the library in

Philadelphia• By 1776, there were about 50 public libraries

– Newspaper• The hand-operated printing press cranked out

pamphlets, leaflets, and newspapers• Just before the Revolution, there were about 40

colonial newspapers (a single, large sheet folded once)

• The news often lagged many weeks behind the event, especially in the case of overseas happenings

• Newspapers proved to be a powerful agency for airing colonial grievances and rallying opposition to British control

Zenger Trial

■Trial-

■Legacy-

18th Century American Politics

Contrasting Colonial Politics ■Unlike state-controlled Spanish &

French colonies, the English colonies were decentralized:–All colonies (except CT & RI)

had royal governors–But all had colonial assemblies

that controlled local finances –Colonies were notnot democratic;

Power was centralized with the wealthy, landed elite

The legacy of “Salutary Neglect”

Governing the American Colonies■Colonial government patterns:

–Royal governors—most were incompetent & bound by instructions from England

–Governors’ councils—advised royal governors but did not represent the colonial gentry

–Colonial assemblies—were largely autonomous & very representative of colonists

Governors resembled monarchs, but were often powerless

Governors’ councils resembled the English House of Lords

95% of Massachusetts men & 85% of Virginia

men could vote

Colonial assemblies resembled the English House of Commons

Colonial Assemblies■Elected members of colonial

assemblies felt it was their right to protect colonial liberties:–They were more interested in

pleasing their constituents than in obeying the governor

–They held more popular support than the royal governors

–Assemblies controlled all means of raising revenue