The Colonies: 1650-1775
Krister Swanson - History M25 - Moorpark College
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 leads to the Consolidation of Royal Authority
The Evolution of New England Society
- Puritans believe in predestination &strong covenant with each
other and with God
- “City Upon a Hill”
- Church & state technically separate, but church allowed heavy
influence over government
- Short growing season & soil lead to very different economic
development (fish, fur, ship building)
- Towns distribute lands, negotiated with Indians to relinquish
rights
- Piety mellows with time, “horse-shed” Christianity
- 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
New England Goes Commercial
- Less desirable for immigrants because of dense population &
Puritan views
- Land subdivided within families, forces sons to move west
- farmers become key consumers in commercial economy
- Traders & merchants dominate Boston - NE wealthy make their
money at trade, shipping & fishing
The Middle Colonies
- Much greater religious & cultural diversity than Northern or
Southern colonies (Quakers & Catholics)
- Germans, Scots-Irish (Ireland, Scotland & Northern England)
largely Presbyterian
- Fleeing bad economic & agricultural conditions
- More affluent sought slaves - slaves subject to tougher laws
- Freed slaves subject to racism
A Quaker Colony in Pennsylvania
- Quakers very equal, not hierarchical, religious tolerance for all
believers
- Guided by inner light, “society of friends”, high moral standards
- Dealt fairly with Indians
- Growth of farming makes Middle colonies “breadbasket”
- Prosperity leads to demand for imported consumer goods, &
more trade
- Quakers promote prosperity (thrift, hard work)
- Ultimately Quaker rules about work and thrift without divine
inner light spirituality
Toward a Slave Labor System
- Indentured servitude deemed unreliable
- Slavery starts in the West Indies - settlers from W. Indies -
bring slaves to Carolinas
- Then to Chesapeake region
- Slaves provide permanent labor supply, easily identifiable, poor
whites enjoy elevated status
- legal challenge is now keeping slaves in their place
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”
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
- Cotton booms later
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 in British Colonies
- Commerce & prosperity lead to consumption (& consumer
debt)
- Strict trade restrictions & Strong military protection from
British
- British goods reinforces sense of British identity
- Buying consumer goods 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
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
Seven Years’ War 1754-1763
- England constantly at war with France & Spain over colonial
trade - 1750’s conflict centers on Ohio Valley
- War breaks out – GB vs. French &Indians
- Tide turns when Pitt commits major resources
- treaty signed in 1763: French gone, Spain gets French claims west
of Mississippi, Indians are ignored
- English convinced they won the war with little help from colonists
- Colonists feel they were treated poorly by British, & bore
major sacrifice in fighting war
- Pitt’s policies doubled England’s national debt
- 1760: George III comes to throne – maintains standing army
- Pontiac’s Rebellion leads to Proclamation of 1763: no settling
west of Appalachians
Colonists get Taxed
- Sugar act leads to increased tension with colonists
- Stamp Act escalates taxation
- Colonial assemblies lead resistance
- Henry’s Virginia Resolves: only VA Assembly can tax Virginians,
- Stamp Act very personal, resistance is strong - Sons of Liberty
force resignation of governor
- Violence & intimidation used to stop Stamp distribution
- Stamp Act Congress shows possibilities of intercontinental
political action
- Protection of liberty & property becomes central to debate
(tyranny, slavery commonly used)
- Stamp Act repealed, but Declaratory Act asserts right of
Parliament to legislate for the colonies
The Townshend Acts
- Taxes paid by importer but ultimately passed on to the customer
- Colonists see these as external taxes, protests grow, MA assembly
is dissolved
- Local governments try “non-consumption acts”, or boycotts
- Tension rises - Boston Massacre - First armed confrontation of
Revolution
- committees of correspondence continue to agitate
Boston Tea Party
- in protest in protest of Tea Act
- British pass Coercive Acts in response:
- Boston Harbor Closed
- Parliament’s authority over MA asserted
- Royal officials tried in GB
- Quartering Act
- Colonists freak out - assemblies are suspended
First Continental Congress
- Met for 7 weeks in the fall of 1774
- Issued a declaration of rights and asserted that only colonists
could tax colonists
- Coercive Acts had stirred colonists to realize war was a distinct
possibility
- Domestic Insurrections
Gage sets out to arrest colonial leaders & seize ammunition, leads
to Lexington & Concord
- Largest casualties happen as British retreat to Boston
- Slavery in a land fighting for freedom becomes a large issue
- British encourage slaves to fight for their side