1. Society and Culture in Provincial America
Chapter 3

2. The Colonial Population
Early Population
Not aristocratic in the beginning
Indentured servants= ¾ of immigrants to Chesapeake in the 17th century
Other Groups:
Prisoners
Vagrants
Headright system

3. Birth and Death VS. Chesapeake New England 1 in 4 children died
Half die before age 20
1/3 of all marriages + 10 years
Bad water
Malaria
40 years for men
< 40 for women
New England
Same
Disease free
“cleaner” water
Pop. quadrupled from
71 for men
70 for women
VS.

4. Chesapeake Women 17th Century 18th Century High female mortality rate
Women who lived through child birth averaged 8 children apiece (3 live)
# of women low= more latitude for women in choosing husbands
18th Century
Life expectancy increases – “seasoning”
Indentured servitude on decline
Sex ratio more equal
Patriarchal

5. New England Lower death rates= stronger family structure
More parental control for longer
Puritan ideals valued women as wife and mother
But reinforced male superiority

6. Slavery’s Beginning Portuguese-Dutch-English
Responsible for the forced immigration of as many as 11 million Africans
95% of Africans first spent time in the West Indies
the number of Africans in colonies increased x10
By 18th century, rigid distinction between black and white
White servants freed, black servants not
$ incentive to keep slaves and sell children
Idea of subordinating a race, not uncommon to English: Irish and Natives

7. Changing Population By Late 17th century
Non-native population outnumbered native population
English immigration declined, but others started coming…

8. Colonial Economics

9. VS South North Overall: Chesapeake Tobacco Overproduction lowered cost
By 1700 plantations with 12+ slaves were common
SC + Georgia Rice
Mud/swamps/heat/insects
Africans better laborers than whites
Stronger, less likely sick, handle heat
SC Indigo
Overall:
Dependence on cash crops = limited urban centers
North
N. England
Diverse agriculture = commercial sector
Small scale/just for family
NY/Penn/Conn
German immigrants
Improved farming
Women worked with men
Everyone had a craft
Candles, carpentry, weaving, soap
A good to trade and sell…this developed into tradesmen and urban centers
Natural resources: lumbering, mining, and fishing
1764 Hasenclever Iron Factory in NJ VS

10. Rise in Colonial Commerce
Amazing that colonies survived
lack of currency
harsh laws from Parliament
Trans-Atlantic trade
N. American products
W. Indies products
African products
From trade an elite merchant class emerged

11. Patterns of Society The Plantation (South) Plantation Slavery
Most were relatively small estates
Far from cities or towns
Plantation Slavery
Smaller farms less social separation
By mid 18th century over ¾ slaves on plantations of at least ten slaves
Almost half of all slaves lived in communities of 50 slaves or more
Stono Rebellion 1739

12. Patterns of Society Cont’d
The Puritan Community (North)
Town structure as opposed to farm/plantation
All new colonies had a “covenant”- religious tie
Tightly knit communities
The Witchcraft Phenomenon
Events
1680s-1690s Salem, MA (most famous, but not only one)
Why?
Women with power, land accused
Others in low social position
Most were middle aged and widowed with few or no children
Puritan society had little tolerance to “independent” and “deviant” women

13. Patterns of Society Cont’d
Cities
1770s two largest ports
New York 25,000
Philadelphia 28,000
Boston 16,000
visible difference between rich and poor

14. The Colonial Mind Pattern of Religions The Decline of Piety
Anglicanism, all supporters to be taxed to support the church
Puritans saw Catholics as “agents of the Devil”
The Decline of Piety
Denominationalism: with so many diverse sects, which one is right?
Puritan attendance was actually very high

15. The Colonial Mind Cont’d
The Great Awakening
Began in 1730s reached climax in 1740s
Target: women and third of fourth generation sons
not change/rebellion but rather salvation
John and Charles Wesley
George Whitfield
Jonathan Edwards

16. The Colonial Mind Cont’d
The Enlightenment
Reason, logic, and science as divine
need not turn to God for guidance, rather human moral sense
Locke, Spinoza, Descartes, Voltaire  Jefferson, Franklin, Madison
Education
1647 law required every town in Mass. to support a public school
Indians and Blacks remained largely outside of the system
Harvard, William and Mary, Yale and Princeton

17. The Colonial Mind Cont’d
Science
Law and Politics
1734 Peter Zenger wrote criticism of government