Road to Revolution1650-1763

Chesapeake Society

• Very unhealthy area– 50% died before they were 20– Women died at a higher rate– Lots of immigration

• Few families– Men outnumber women significantly– Lose morals (unmarried pregnancies)

• By 1700, Virginia was most populated colony

Indentured Servants

• Came in huge numbers before 1660– Due to poor economic conditions in England

• Mainly used for tobacco cultivation– 1.5 million pounds/yr in 1630s– 40 million pounds/yr by 1700– 100,000 servants brought by 1700

• Made up the majority of immigrants to Va and Md in 17th century– Some acquired land upon freedom– Most didn’t; no voting rights

Bacon’s Rebellion 1676

• Originally focused on fighting Indians– Governor maintained friendly relations with Indians b/c of

fur trading– Indians attacked frontier settlements

• Bacon’s men defeated the Indians• Men turned on Berkeley (gov)

– Burnt Jamestown– Wanted to united Va, Md, and NC into one colony

• Bacon died, rebellion died too• End result**

– Showed the growing conflict between large planters and men who owned little/no property

– Government would rest firmly under the control of the planter class

Slavery• More popular after 1660

– Cheaper than indentured servants• Arrived as part of Triangle Trade route• Traveled the Middle Passage• Stage 1 (1619-1640)

– Africans were not automatically slaves, could earn freedom, some did

• Stage 2 (1640-1660)– Became slaves, based on mother, rigid class system

• Stage 3 (1660-1800s)– Very strict laws ( no reading or writing)– Racially motivated

Steno Rebellion

• South Carolina slave revolt

• 1739

• 50 slaves involved

• Burnt plantations, killed 20 whites

• Ran away towards Spain, caught and returned

Southern Society

• Great Planter Class– Massive amounts of land, slaves, ruling class

• Yeoman Class– Small farmers– Truly self-sufficient– Might own 1 or 2 slaves

• Landless class– Former indentured servants

• Few roads, schools or churches

New England

• Much better climate, healthier– Longer life span (10 years longer than

England)

• Women bore many children– Could not own property– (Southern women could inherit)

• Huge families– Focused on children

Salem Witch Trials• 1692-1693• Over 150 imprisoned, 20 sentenced to death• Religious sensationalism

– Allowed spectral evidence (visions/dreams)

• Conflict was between merchant class and farmers– Many were suspicious of commercial success and

lax religious beliefs– Most accused were from merchant class

• Stopped by governor 1693

Economic Prosperity

• Based on mercantilism 1651-1750s– Guaranteed English prosperity

• No foreign competition

– Navigation Act 1651• Designed to hurt Dutch (3/4 of all ships in world)

– By 1750, policies were focused on colonies• Trade is limited to British ships

– 1/3 were actually made in America (NE and Middle)– Created urban areas

Mercantilism• Colonies used to supply raw materials, consume

finished goods– Goods to or from America had to pass through England

1st (take tariff on goods).– Some products had to go exclusively to England (ex.

Tobacco)• Hurts farmers due to lower profits

• Americans could not compete with Britain– Especially textiles

• Led to currency shortages and bullion leaving the colonies

• Impact…

Population• Predicted to double every 25 years

– After 1700, natural increase

• Immigration – 40% were slaves

– Scots-Irish• Scottish who fled to Ireland• Fled Ireland because land rents increased• Came as families

– Irish Catholics• converted to Protestants to get married

– Germans• Most settle in Philadelphia/Pennsylvania• Some in N.Carolina (Moravians)

Enlightenment

• New England was literate– Men 90%, women 40%– Rest of America, 35-50%– **well read

• Sir Isaac Newton– Tried to relate the laws of science and nature

to government and medicine

Benjamin Franklin• Part of Enlightenment• Poor Richard’s Almanac 1732

– Proverbs

• Retired at age 42• Lightning rod 1752• American Philosophical Society• Founder of University of Pa

– First medical school

John Locke

• Ideas are acquired not inborn

• Second Treatise of Government– Natural rights, endowed by God

• God exists– If God and reason conflict, follow reason

• Called Deists– God made the universe, then left it alone– Not about religious zealots or fanatics– Jefferson and Franklin

Religion

• South– Anglican church– Little influence on

individuals– Not very spiritual– Founded William and

Mary College

• New England– Congregational

Church– Later, more

denominations arrived

First Great Awakening

• 1730s and 1740s

• Started by Jonathan Edwards– “Sinners in the Eyes of an Angry God”

• Carried on by George Whitefield– Traveling minister, hell fire and

damnation sermons.– Preached in tents and outdoor

gatherings– Focused on being ‘born again’

Impact of Great Awakening• Decline of ‘old church’, birth of new

denominations• New colleges founded

– Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Rutgers, Dartmouth College

• More African Americans and Native Americans were drawn to Christianity

• More prominence to women• More religious toleration

– Spirituality was more important that doctrine

Brown University to the left,Princeton University below

Log Colleges: Great Awakening

• College of New Jersey: Princeton, 1746: Presbyterian

• King’s College: Columbia, 1754: Anglican

• Rhode Island College: Brown, 1764, Baptist

• Queens College: Rutgers, 1766, Dutch Reformed

• Dartmouth College, 1769, Congregationalist

Colonial Culture

• Artists– John Trumbull (artist of Am. Rev)– Charles Peale– John Singleton Copley– Benjamin West– Had trouble find clients in America– Travelled to Europe to train

Paul Revere, painted by John Copley

General Washington before Battle of Trenton, painted by John Trumbull

Signing of the Treaty of Paris by Benjamin West

President Thomas Jefferson,By Charles Wilson Peale

More Culture

• Architecture– Georgian Style– Dutch Colonial

• Literature– Phyllis Wheatley

• Slave • Educated by masters (NE)• Wrote poetry• 1st published African American poet

Georgian Architecture, Colonial Williamsburg

Dutch Colonial Home, built 1740

Peter Zenger Case

• Wrote editorial regarding corrupt governor of New York

• Charged with libel

• His lawyers, Andrew Hamilton, convinced the jury to consider the truth of the information in the editorial

• Established freedom of press***

Colonial Government

• 8 colonies had royal governors• 3 colonies had governors appointed by

proprietors• 2 colonies elected governors (RI & Ct)• All had a bicameral legislature

– Upper house appointed by crown or proprietors

– Lower house was elected by landowners• Controlled taxes and governor’s salaries

Competing for a Continent

1600-1763

French Canada

• dominated by fur traders– Des Moines Baton Rouge

• Detroit 1701

• LaSalle explored the Mississippi River– New Orleans 1718

King Williams War

• English and colonists v. French

• 1690

• Cruel war

• English and French refused to commit major troops

• Actually Indians v. colonists (plus Iroquois)

• End result, bloody war with no change of territory

Queen Anne’s War

• 1702

• England v. French and Spanish

• French attacked border towns in New England

• Spanish attacked southern border towns– Almost took Charleston SC

• Americans realized their dependence on England for protection

King George’s War

• 1740• England v. France and Spain• Americans tried to invade Canada

– Took Louisbourg

• Peace treaty gave Louisbourg back to French• Americans were outraged• Result**no real dominant European force in

America

French and Indian War/Seven Years War

• 1754

• Conflict arises over Ohio River Valley– Britain/colonists v. French

• Fort Duquesne (French) located near Fort Necessity (English)– G. Washington fired the first shots– Forced to surrender

Albany Plan of Union

• 1754• Proposed by Franklin• 7 colonies participated• Wanted to keep Iroquois neutral• Wanted to create some form of colonial unity

– Grand Council• All colonies would have representation• Executive officer appointed by crown

Rejected by colonies and Crown

War Begins• Braddock commanded British troops

– Alienated Indians– Defeated by, mortally wounded by French

• British were unsuccessful against French– Firmly controlled Nova Scotia

• Forced Acadians to leave, went to Louisiana, became Cajuns

• French were winning– Army– Indians– Canadians

• Americans did not wholeheartedly join the contest

• By 1757, British are losing

• Pitt took control of Britain– Focused on Canada– Relied on Americans to fight, British paid

• Drove French from interior by 1759

• Conquered Quebec 1759, Montreal 1760

Treaty of Paris 1763

• France ceded all North American territories– Britain received all land east of Mississippi

River– Spain received all land west of Mississippi,

including New Orleans– France was allowed to keep West Indies

RESULTS OF THE WAR: Imperial Crisis for Britain

1. Greatly larger colonial empire in North America

2. Huge war debt

3. Resentment toward colonists

• Need for reorganization of American empire

• George III (ruled 1760-1820) King George IIIKing George III

1.1. It united them against a It united them against a common enemy for the first time.common enemy for the first time.

2.2. It created a socializing It created a socializing experience for all the colonials experience for all the colonials who participated.who participated.3.3. It created bitter feelings It created bitter feelings towards the British that would towards the British that would only intensify.only intensify.

Effects of the War on the Effects of the War on the American ColonialsAmerican Colonials

Effects of the War on the Effects of the War on the American ColonialsAmerican Colonials