Colonial Regions & American
Colonial Life: 1700-1770
History M07A
Krister Swanson
The Evolution of New England Society
- Puritans believe in strong covenant with each other and with God
- Calvinism & Predestination - close eye on behavior of others
- Church & state technically separate, but church allowed heavy
influence over government
Government by Puritans for Puritanism
- Elected colonial assembly & used town meeting for local
government (men voted & held office)
- Towns distribute lands, negotiated with Indians to relinquish
rights
- Equal land leads to small family farms
- Short growing season & soil lead to very different economic
development (fish, fur, ship building)
The Splintering of Puritanism
- Piety mellows with time, “horse-shed” Christianity
- Halfway covenant tries to deal with children of saints without
conversion
- Quakers begin to arrive & are persecuted
Witch Trials show Puritans need to remain pious and hold on to faith,
we remain fascinated by witch hunt
- The Middle Colonies
- Starts with Dutch West India Co.
- Much greater religious & cultural diversity than Northern or
Southern colonies
- New Netherland becomes New York
- New Jersey and Pennsylvania born out of one land grant
- New Jersey keeps proprietary government, Penn builds…
A Quaker Colony in Pennsylvania
- Quakers very equal, not hierarchical
- Guided by inner light, “society of friends”
- Dealt fairly with Indians
- Religious tolerance for all believers
- Quakers did have high moral standards, and had huge influence on
Pennsylvania’s government
- Royal Regulation of Colonial Trade
- Colonies were supposed to generate income for throne
Navigation Acts limit goods to English ships, certain “enumerated”
goods could only go to England or colonies
- King Philip’s War
- New Englanders slowly push frontier
- Wampanoags attack them in 1675 – colonial militias counterattack
– all out war ensues between colonists & Indians
- Colonists win by destroying food supply
- Royal officials use war as excuse to govern Massachusetts more
strictly
Consolidation of Royal Authority
- Crown tries to rein in colonists all over North America
- By late 1680’s colonists rebel against tight control, but the
crown eventually reestablishes control – unifying colonial governments
Growing Population & Economy
- From 250K in 1700 to 2m in 1771
- New immigrants make colonists less English (Scots-Irish &
African)
- Cheap land drives western settlement
- Demand for labor drives up wages
New England Goes Commercial
- Less desirable for imms because of dense population & puritan
views
- Population grows through natural increase, large families
- Land subdivided within families, forces sons to move west
- Money becomes new way to gain land & establish communities
- Farms basically subsistence, farmers become key consumers in
commercial economy
- Traders & merchants dominate Boston - NE wealthy make their
money at trade, shipping & fishing
- Slaves were usually domestic servants or factory hands
Growth of the Middle Colonies
- Huge population increase (10x)
- German immigrants fleeing tough conditions
- Scots-Irish (Ireland, Scotland & Northern England) largely
Presbyterian
- Fleeing bad economic & agricultural conditions
- Redemptioners & indentured servants make difficult voyage
- Come seeking promised opportunities, many start as servants
- More affluent sought slaves - slaves subject to tougher laws
- Freed slaves subject to racism
Pennsylvania
- Penns encouraged settlement - negotiated for land with Indians
- Growth of farming makes Middle colonies “breadbasket”
- Prosperity leads to demand for imported consumer goods
- Quakers promote prosperity (thrift, hard work)
- Franklin & Poor Richard’s Almanac
- Quaker rules about work and thrift without divine inner light
The Southern Colonies
- Slavery becomes the defining characteristic of South
- Slave population 40% of south by 1770
- Upper South (Chesapeake) grows tobacco
- Lower South grows indigo & rice
Slave Trade Flourishes
- Roughly 280,000 African slaves brought to colonies in 18th Century
- Journey known as middle passage - 15% of slaves died en route 10%
more in 1st year
- Different regions desired slaves from certain locations
- As time passes new slaves are increasingly “country born”
Slave Life & Culture
- Owners wanted maximum work load, slaves just want to get by
- No laws limiting use of force to make slaves work
- Constant tension/fear over possible rebellion
- Task system used to delineate expectations
- Slaves form family units and practice native customs as they’re
able
Wealth in the South
- Southern exports by far most profitable
- Wealth creates huge divides between southern whites, little open
dissent because yeoman appreciate white supremacy
- Slaveholding gentry dominate southern life, dictate culture and
practice
Unifying factors
- Commerce & prosperity lead to consumption (& consumer
debt)
- Increased trade makes trade restrictions even more significant
- British goods reinforces sense of British identity
- Buying gives sense of personal autonomy & individual freedom
Religion & the Enlightenment
- Wide variety of Christian faiths throughout colonies, including
deism, easy to be religiously indifferent
- Enlightenment ideas become increasingly popular: rational
thought, end to superstition, advocacy for “equal” rights, scientific
advancement
- Growth of enlightenment & decline of religious practice lead
to Great Awakening
Characteristics of British Colonies
- Open to almost all settlers - great population growth
- Strong military protection from British
- Strict trade restrictions
- Came to develop common political expectations as to their place
in the empire
New Spain & New France
- Indians slowly adapt way of life to become part of colonial
society
- Much contention over fur trade
- British colonies fear alliance of Indians with French or Spanish
- Spanish establish missions in CA in 1770’s with serious
consequences for natives
Colonial/British Politics
- Colonists accepted British regulation of trade, but resented
involvement in domestic affairs
- Colonial governors view selves as “mini-kings”, colonists think
otherwise, battles between governors & assemblies
- Colonists come to see assemblies as their parliaments