Chapter 3
Putting Down Roots
Colonial life was hard and often unstable
The Chesapeake Region Settlers were well-scattered
24 families in a 25 sq. mi. area That’s 6 people per sq. mi. as opposed to
New England where there were 500 people per sq. mi.
Isolation Many grew tobacco Ships could pull up to homes on river banks
Towns and cities were slow taking hold Indentured servants were used on many
farms Few women immigrated, so it was hard
to find brides Many female indentured servants
married prosperous farmers who paid off what they owed
Diseases killed many Malaria Typhoid Dysentery Salt poisoning from drinking polluted
water
Life expectancy in the Chesapeake area was 20 years fewer than the average age in New England Colder climate in New England Few mosquitoes 3 generations often
Colonists still saw themselves as British, although that would change in the 1700s
Colonists brought with them that English model of government England
King –vast authority, needed Parliament’s consent on money
Parliament – 2 houses, reviewed money issues and king’s actions
America When small, had local assemblies Later had appointed governors in both
royal and proprietary colonies By 1750, only 2 governors were
popularly elected: Rhode Island & Connecticut
Governors Were of high social standing Granted favors Sometimes corrupt Could veto actions of the assemblies Had great power that could go
unchecked in the colonies
Justice of the Peace Found in smaller towns Maintained order Had jurisdiction in criminal and civil
matters Similar to the duties of counterparts in
England
Church of England The official religion in many of the
colonies No matter what a colonist’s religion, all
had to pay a tithe to the Church of England
Few Anglican priests came to America, it wasn’t as powerful in the colonies
Local issues dominated political discussions, not the policies of the King
They paid attention to the King only when they absolutely had to Because of England’s wars Because of Native American policies
England was concerned with England Colonies were to enrich England
It got money from import taxes Imperial officials could be found primarily
in port towns where these taxes were collected
There was no effort to create an empire in America until Charles II (r. 1660 – 1685) took the throne of England
This was after the monarchy had been restored to England
Called the Restoration See handout
This Glorious Revolution and the changes that came with it upset some of the colonies: Maryland and New York had rebellions In Maryland John Coode forced
Baltimore’s governor, William Joseph, to resign. Catholics lost power when the king made Maryland a royal colony in 1691
Salem Making Massachusetts a royal Colony was a
blow to the Puritans’ morale They began to think that some grave sin
had made this happen This help lead to the Salem Hysteria in
1691 Salem had the region’s 2nd largest port in
1660s Trade made merchants more prosperous
than the farmers
Their equal society was no more 1681, the richest 1/10 of the population
possessed 62% of all wealth and much of the power
Farmers lost their standing and power Tensions grew between the merchants of
Salem Town and the farmers of Salem Village
Salem Town felt they were being punished for some sin
They felt someone must have made a deal with the devil when 2 young girls fell ill with fits; they must have been bewitched
Various people were accused: Tituba – a black from the West Indies where
voodoo was practiced An impoverished hag – senile An 88 year old cranky man An adulteress
Those from the wrong side of the tracks or the wrong side of a political argument were accused
When accusation were made against the prominent in society, authorities put an end to it
In all 139 had been accused 114 were charged 20 were hanged
The Salem Witchcraft Hysteria was the last witchcraft scare in the Western Hemisphere
King Philip’s War There was an escalation of violence
between whites and Native Americans in the 1670s Pressure on the land had increased Pressure on Native Americans to convert
increased 1675 – killing of a Christian Native by 3
other Natives who hadn’t converted Another Native was shot while
burglarizing a house
Metacom (King Philip) organized 2/3 of Native Americans into a fighting force
This started King Philip’s War 25 of 90 New England towns were
destroyed and 600 colonists were killed Puritan forces, in response, killed 6,000
Native Americans either in battle or from starvation
Native American resistance in New England was crushed
Bacon’s Rebellion
1676 – Native American raids spread to the Virginia Frontier
When Governor Sir William Berkeley failed to retaliate, the settlers rose up against him
Background: In Virginia in second half of 1600s, it was
harder to get rich quick of off tobacco
Depression had hit the tobacco market Small farmers went bankrupt Some moved further west to the foorhills
of the Appalachians They ran into freed indentured servants
and frontiersmen also looking for land They also ran into Native Americans Settlers took land from the
Susquehannocks and the Potomacks
These tribes complained to Berkeley He tried to solve the problem but the
settlers weren’t satisfied It looked like war Berkeley didn’t want war because he
traded in furs with the Natives; he didn’t want to lose this income
Settlers, led by Nathaniel Bacon , rebelled against the Natives
Bacon and his followers attacked the Oconeechee who were a peaceful tribe
To Bacon and his followers – an Indian was an Indian was an Indian – all the same
Bacon then moved toward the capital where Berkeley had him arrested
Berkeley was forced to release Bacon because his followers were going to take over the Jamestown
Bacon left Jamestown and then returned later when circumstances hadn’t changed
He threatened to kill the Governor Berkeley fled to the eastern shore of the
Chesapeake until Bacon died in of an illness in 1676
This rebellion points out perceived differences between Native Americans and the colonists
It points out differences between rich and poor whites during a time of economic depression
After this rebellion, the Virginia aristocracy (Lees, Burwells, Byrds, Carters etc.) still dominated its politics, economy, & culture
Slave Trade from the West of Africa
Begun by Portuguese Needed labor for sugar plantations Later the Spanish, Dutch, English, and
some Americans got involved Almost 13 million Africans were taken
to the Americas Most went to Caribbean or to Brazil After 1700, many went to British North
America
First Africans came to Virginia in 1619 Dutch stole slaves from Spanish ship in
the Caribbean Some were slaves for life Some were treated like indentured
servants Some were allowed to purchase their
freedom Ex.: Anthony Johnson
Numbers of slaves were small untol end of 1600s; then numbers increased
At beginning of 1800s, Virginia declared slaves were slaves for life and so were their children
As numbers increased in 1700s, lawmakers created slave codes - racism
Blacks were seen as property to be bought and sold
If someone was mulatto, he/she was still considered black
Numbers varied from colony to colony South Carolina – 60% were slave Virginia – 40% Pennsylvania – 8% Massachusetts – 3%
Jobs for slaves varied – domestics, fieldworkers, blacksmiths
They tried to preserve their identities There was a mixing of African,
English, and American cultures Most adjusted; none liked it Periodic rebellions – Stono Rebellion
in September, 1739
150 blacks from South Carolina seized guns and murdered several planters
They then tried to get to Spanish Florida
Many were caught and killed by militia
Society of British North America
Gentry – money and political power Working Class Indentured Servants Slaves
Colonies differed from England Colonies differed from each other