apush – unit 1c (covers ch. 3) mrs. kray. colonial population
TRANSCRIPT
Colonial Society and Culture in the
18th c
APUSH – Unit 1C(covers Ch. 3)
Mrs. Kray
Colonial Population
Diverse society
Distinct American regions (New England, Middle, Southern)
Still strongly influenced by England Tastes, styles, and customs Modeled political, social, and
educational institutions modeled on English equivalents
A Heterogeneous Society
High Birthrate**
Immigration Push Factors: escape religious
persecution and wars Pull Factors: economic
opportunity
Most settled in Middle colonies or along western frontier of the Southern colonies
Population Explosion
Immigration from Europe
English• Continued to come but
in smaller numbers
German• 6% of the pop.• Settled on farmland
west of Philly• Showed little interest in
English politics
Scotch-Irish• 7% of the pop.• Settled along the
frontier• Didn’t respect British
gov’t
Other Europeans• 5% of the pop.• Huguenots (Fr.
Protestants)• Swedes• Dutch
Most 17th century immigrants came as indentured
servants
Origins of Indentured Servitude Existing practice in England Labor shortage in Chesapeake Headright System
Realities of Servitude Served fixed term 5-7 years Some became successful but most found themselves
without land, family, or prospects when service ended Became a source of social unrest (ex. Bacon’s Rebellion)
From Servitude to Slavery
Africans = largest non-
European immigrant group 20% of the colonial
population 90% lived in the South as
slaves
Slavery was not common in the 17th c 1620: Dutch bring first
Africans to the colonies Original status similar to
indentured servant
From Servitude to Slavery
Slavery increased dramatically in the 18th
c, why? Reduced migration from England Dependable workforce
Planters had grown tired of political demands and social unrest caused by freed indentured servants
Cheap source of labor As tobacco prices fell, rice & indigo became
the profitable crops, require large, cheap labor supply
Slave codes passed by colonial assemblies
Slavery legal in ALL 13 colonies
From Servitude to Slavery
Slave trade originally
controlled by Portuguese, then Dutch, then English
Triangular Trade Middle Passage
The Slave Trade:Asiento System
The Colonial Economies
Mercantilism was the rule.Commerce was the primary goal of most colonies.
However, agriculture dominated all sections.
New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island)• Climate and geography made large-scale farming
difficult, small farms common• Limited manufacturing. • Economy based on trade: shipbuilding, logging, fishing
Middle (New York, Pennsylvania)• Bread basket of the colonies (wheat, corn)• Some manufacturing, some farming, some trading
Southern (Virginia, Maryland, Carolinas)• Climate and geography lent itself to agriculture• Large-scale farming of cash crops (tobacco, indigo,
rice)• Labor intensive cash crop farming led to slavery
Comparing Colonial Economies
Mercantilism made colonial needs subservient to those of the
mother country A major English strategy in controlling the colonial economy was to
limit the use of money. Colonies faced currency shortage – forced to use much of the limited
hard currency to pay for the imports from England. Many of the colonies issued paper money but this led to inflation. Parliament vetoed all colonial laws that might harm English merchants.
Fragmented commercial world made it difficult to find markets to sell goods
Fierce competition
Despite obstacles, trade managed to stabilize & thrive by 18th c
Obstacles to Colonial Commerce
Concentrated in port cities (Boston,
New York, Philadelphia)
Disliked limitations mercantilism imposed on trade (ex. Navigation Acts) Led to smuggling English government ignored illegal
smuggling (salutary neglect)
When English try to end salutary neglect, colonial trading cities like Boston become centers of revolutionary thought
An Emerging Merchant Class
Patterns of Society
Abundant land and a relatively small population meant that their was great social mobility in America.
General Characteristics
Rural society – 90% of colonists were farmers
Importance of the family Center of social and
economic life
Elements of democracy and self-government Each colony had a
representative assembly elected by eligible voters
Connecticut and Rhode Island even let the people vote for the governor
Religious toleration Rhode Island and
Pennsylvania most tolerant
Massachusetts least tolerant
No hereditary aristocracy
Social mobility Higher standard of
living than in Europe
Southern Society
White Society Highly stratified society
Very few lived on large plantations but these large plantation owners dominated society and politics (planter elite/planter aristocracy)
Dispersed settlements
Slave Society Developed a strong
independent culture that mixed elements of African and European cultures Gullah, mulatto children
Treatment varied greatly
Responses to slavery varied Slave rebellions, like the
Stono Rebellion in SC, uncommon
Women in the Colonies
Chesapeake Unbalanced gender ratio
in the 17th c undermined male authority
High mortality rate led to: Blended families Flexible standards of sexual
behavior (30% of brides pregnant)
Male authority re-established in 18th c
New England More balanced gender ratio
created and more stable family structure = less independence
Family relationships and status of women based on religious beliefs Father = absolute ruler of family Married women had no separate
legal identity from their husbands Wife expected to devote herself to
needs of the family
Still a theocracy
Town = basic social unit Town meeting of adult males ran the affairs of
the community Compact settlements provided each family a
home lot in the village with outlying farm lots A family’s land distribution depended upon its
size, wealth, and social standing. Primogeniture was practiced
As land within towns became scare, younger sons moved west to areas of more plentiful land Weakened the authority of the father and the
town
Puritan Communities in NE
Example of the effects of community cohesion eroding and the precarious position of women in Puritan society
Salem Witch Trials, 1680s – 1690s
•Most
progressive
•1647 law required all towns to have a public school
New England
•Schools were either church-sponsored or private
Middle
•Parents gave children whatever education they could
•Planter elites hired private tutors
Southern
Education in the Colonies
Awakenings and Enlightenments
Traditional emphasis on God vied with the Enlightenment’s emphasis on science and reason as a force in
individuals’ lives, and these created tension throughout the 18th c.
Established churches = tax-supported
churches
Established Churches
Anglican Church
• Supported by prosperous farmers and merchants in Middle Colonies
• Supported by planter elites in the South
• Symbol of English control of the colonies
Congregationalist Church
• Successor to Puritan Church in New England
• Critics complained the minister were too domineering and doctrines were overly complex • Predestination, the
elect
Religious revival and reaction to the
religious decline of the early 18th c Emphasized human sinfulness and
the perils of damnation Broke away from traditional
constraints of the past and urged people to form a new relationship with God (new light vs. old light preaching)
Swept through ALL the colonies Particularly popular with women and
younger sons
The Great Awakening, 1730s-1740s
His series of sermons started the Great Awakening
Jonathan Edwards“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God”
He and other itinerant preachers helped spread the Great Awakening throughout the colonies Preached to audiences as large at 10,000
George Whitefield
Significance of the Great Awakening
Challenged traditional authority If you could make your
own religious decisions, could you make your own political decisions too?
Divided many congregations new lights vs. old lights Led to the formation of
new churches & more religious diversity
Calls for separation of church and state
New colleges created to train new light ministers
First shared American experience
Intellectual movement of the 18th c. that argued reason
and scientific inquiry led to progress
Led to a heightened interest in politics and government
Undermined traditional authorities and encouraged education
As tension w/Britain grew, colonists looked for an explanation & justification for this changing relationship Found their answers in the philosophies of the
Enlightenment
The Enlightenment
Enlightenment Philosophers
Jean-Jacques Rousseau• Argued gov’t was a social contract
between the leaders & the people. People therefore held the ultimate authority (popular sovereignty)
John Locke’s Two Treatises on Government• Argued people were born w/natural rights
(life, liberty, & property). If gov’t didn’t protect your rights you could overthrow itBaron Montesquieu
• Argued there must be a separation of powers to protect citizens from government abuse of power
American Philosophes
John Adams
Ben Franklin
Thomas Jefferson
Enlightenment influenced the English political and legal
systems transplanted to the colonies
A time of salutary neglect Because British gov’t was far away, colonists had to take on a lot
of responsibilities for self-government Grew accustomed to running their own affairs Colonial assemblies exercised many of the same powers as
Parliament Came to view these privileges as rights
The Problem with Royal Governors On paper had broad powers but their salary was controlled by
colonial assemblies Many were not familiar with the colonies they were governing
and were either inept or corrupt
Colonial Governments
John Peter Zenger was a NY newspaper
publisher charged with libel for criticizing the royal governor of NY
Colonial jury found him not guilty because his criticism were true – ignored actual British libel law
Established freedom of the press in the colonies Encouraged papers to take greater risks
in criticizing colonial government
The Zenger Trial, 1735
Religious restrictions were removed
White women, poor white men, slaves & most freed blacks barred from voting
Property requirements for voting & holding office
Did the representative assemblies represent the privileged elites or the larger society of plain citizens?
Georgian style on east coast
One-room log cabin on the frontier
John Hancock
Paul Revere
Watson & the Shark by John Copley (currently hanging in Museum of
Art in Balboa Park)
Colonists’ motives for leaving Europe, the political heritage of the English majority, & the
influence of the natural environment in America
combined to bring about a distinctly American viewpoint
& way of life
restlessenterp
risi
ng
practical
Forever seeking to improve their
situation
Used to
certain liberti
es
Fairly tolerant
Describe some of the patterns of immigration and their effect on colonial development.
What impact did the emergence of the new plantation system have on southern society?
What were the causes and effects of the Great Awakening?