AMERICAN SOCIETY IN THE MAKING

AMERICAN SOCIETY IN THE MAKING
Chapter 2 The American Nation, 12e Mark. C. Carnes John A. Garraty Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

CHESAPEAKE COLONIES Southern part of English North America comprised three regions: Chesapeake Bay-“tidewater”: Virginia and Maryland “low country”: the Carolinas (and eventually Georgia) “back country”: a vast territory that extended from the “fall line” of the foothills of the Appalachians to the farthest point of western settlement Late 18th century emergence of common features—export oriented agricultural economy, slavery, absence of towns—result in concept of “South” as one region Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

CHESAPEAKE COLONIES High death rate due to hot moist climate Result:
of the 9000 colonists who came to Virginia nearly half died leaving only 5,000 by the 1630s Well into the 1700s a white male of 20 could expect only 25 more years of life Result: Frequent remarriage Families with children from several different marriages Women easily found husbands (men outnumbered women three to two) Many men had to spend their lives alone or marry Indian women The climate helped to make the Chesapeake a death trap—dry summers were chief cause of death rate-during the summer the slower flow of the James River allowed dense salt water to penetrate inland. This blocked the flow of polluted river water, which the colonists drank. Result was dysentery. Malaria was also another deadly disease in the area. Seasoning- each colonist had this-a period of illness consisting of 2-3 fits of fevers upon arrival in the colonies. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

THE LURE OF LAND Headright system:
any “head” entering the colony to take 50 acres of unused land which they claimed by marking its boundaries, planting a crop and constructing a habitation May have to pay small annual payment, quitrent, to grantor Jamestown suggested a colony couldn’t survive if the colonists were not allowed to own their own land. The first colonists had agreed to work for 7 years in return for a share of the profits. When their contracts expired, and few profits had been made, the London Company declared a dividend of land as its only asset. The colonists each received 100 acres. The company relied on land grants to attract capital and labor as prospects continued to be poor. Headright system becomes entrenched in Maryland and VA. For each “head” entering the colony, they had a “right” to 50 acres of land to cultivate. They had to plant a crop and construct a place of habitation. This system was adopted in all the southern colonies and in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The first headright system was issued with no strings attached, then the grantor demanded a small annual payment called a quitrent, perhaps a shilling per 50 acres. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

INDENTURED SERVANTS When could not afford passage came as indentured servants agreed to work for a stated period (usually about 5 years) in return for their passage during indenture subject to strict control (women could not marry and time lost due to pregnancy was added to total time) received nothing beyond their keep (headright went to person who paid their passage) While the headright system encouraged landless Europeans to migrate to America, more often than not the ones who really wanted to come could not afford the passage across. To bring such people to the Americas, the indentured servant system developed. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

INDENTURED SERVANTS Over half the colonists came as servants and most servants became landowners Best land belonged to large planters Virginia society on the edge of class war by the 1670s due to conflict between squatters (often former servants) and wealthy land owners In the 1670s another form of labor was needed to meet the needs of the regions growing need for labor. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

“SOLVING” THE LABOR SHORTAGE: SLAVERY
First Africans arrived in Jamestown in 1619 aboard a Dutch ship—unknown how they were treated By 1640, some Africans were slaves By the 1660s local statutes had firmly established the institution of slavery in Virginia and Maryland Why treat as slaves? Heathens Skin color—blackness equated with dirt, the Devil, danger and death Spanish practices First Africans were brought in 1619 on a Dutch ship and were sold but unclear as to how they were treated—as indentured servants or slaves. It is certain that by 1640 some blacks were treated as slaves. By 1660s local statutes had firmly est the institution of slavery in Virginia and Maryland. The English knew that the Portuguese and the Spanish had enslaved blacks (negro is the Spanish word for black). Since the English adopted this word for Africans, their treatment of them in the new world may also have derived from the Spanish, which also suggests that they treated the first blacks as slaves from the start. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

GROWTH OF SLAVERY New Netherland: 1626 there were 11 slaves 1664 there were 700 slaves in a population of 8000 Virginia: 1650: only 300 blacks As late as 1670 no more than 2,000 Slavery soon spread throughout the colonies Remember New Netherland (area that is now New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware) When the English conquered New Netherland in 1664 there were 700 slaves there. White servants were more highly prized because they knew the culture and were less expensive up front. The cost of slavers was five times that of indentured servants. For these reasons, as long as white servants came to the Chesapeake, there were few slaves there. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

GROWTH OF SLAVERY 1670s indentured servants decreased
improving conditions in England competition from other colonies Slavery became the “permanent” solution to the chronic labor shortage Advantage: slaves and their offspring (who inherited their slave status from their mother) were forever barred from competing with whites for land or political power By 1700 nearly 30,000 slaves lived in English colonies Reason for the rise of slavery: -In the 1670s the flow of indentured servants slackened due to improving economic conditions in Britain. -1672 the Royal African Company formed and made slaves more readily available. Also war in Europe decreased the need for tobacco and prices fell, leading to less people migrating over to the colonies to work in tobacco. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

PROSPERITY IN A PIPE: TOBACCO
Colonists had to find a market for products in the Old World in order to have the money to buy manufactured goods Answer was tobacco (originally brought to Europe from the West Indies by Spanish) English were originally leery of tobacco, which clearly contained some sort of habit forming drug By 1617, smokers drove the price of a pound of tobacco to 5 shillings in London At this point, the colonists were granted a monopoly and heavily encouraged King James opposed it saying tobacco was a vile and stinking habit dangerous to the lungs. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

TOBACCO Required only semi-cleared land and a hoe but lots of human labor A single laborer working two or three acres could produce as much as 1,200 pounds of cured tobacco which would result in a 200% profit in a good year As a result production went from 2,500 pounds in 1616 to 30 million pounds by the late 17th century (400 pounds per capita) Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

TOBACCO Increase in tobacco production led to a drastic drop in tobacco prices Small farmers found it increasingly difficult to make a living Wealthy were accumulating more land which allowed them to maintain high yields by permitting some fields to lie fallow The only option for small farmers was new land—Indian land Tobacco used up the nutrients in the soil and wealthy farmers could then let that field lie fallow and plant in another field. Small farmers did not have this option and needed more land to make a decent living at tobacco. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

BACON’S REBELLION In 1676 conflict:
Governor William Berkeley and his “Green Spring” faction vs. western planters led by Nathaniel Bacon. Planters wanted approval to attack nearby Indians; Governor refused Bacon had raised an army of 500 men Declared a traitor by Berkeley, Bacon and his followers murdered some peaceful Indians, marched on Jamestown and forced Berkeley to give him permission to kill more Indians Virginia 1676-Planters in the outlying region of VA greatly disliked the officials in Jamestown VA who ran the colony. The royal governor Sir William Berkeley and his Green Spring faction had ruled VA for more than 30 years. Outsiders resented them because they used their offices to line their pockets. The Green Springers were also disliked because they made it clear that they looked down upon the western planters as a crude and vulgar lot. -Early in 1676 planters on the western edge of VA were always looking for reasons to grab indian land. They asked Gov Berkeley to authorize an expedition against Indians who had been attacking nearby plantations. Berkeley refused. Their leader Nathaniel Bacon along with the planters took matters into their own hands. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

Nathaniel Bacon himself.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 Defending against Native Americans, although the colonists may have started this one...

BACON’S REBELLION In September, Bacon returned to Jamestown and burned it to the ground causing Berkeley to flee Bacon died of dysentery and a British fleet arrived to restore order RESULT: Virginia society became wedded to slavery as an answer to its labor problems—class divisions traded for racial ones 20 slaves + land = wealth Soon after Bacon’s death the English naval squadron arrived with enough soldiers to restore order. Bacon’s Rebellion came to an end. On the surface, the rebellion changed nothing. No sudden shift in political power occurred. But…in the quarter century that followed the rebellion, the Chesapeake region thus became committed to black slavery. As slave ownership resulted in large differences in wealth and lifestyles of tobacco growers. The few that succeeded in accumulating 20+ slaves and enough land grew richer while the majority either grew poorer or at best had to struggle to make it. -More important, Bacon’s rebellion sealed an implicit contract between southern whites (whether rich or poor) to stand as one behind the principle that Africans must have neither wealth nor influence. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

THE CAROLINAS English and, after 1700, Scots-Irish settlers of the tidewater parts of Carolina also practiced agriculture: tobacco in the future North Carolina rice (replacing furs and cereals in 1696) in what would become South Carolina 65 million tons were produced by eve of Revolution In the 1740s Eliza Lucas introduced indigo to South Carolina (did not compete for either land or labor with rice) Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

TRADE Southern colonists bought manufactured goods by producing: tobacco, rice, indigo, furs, and forest products such as lumber, tar, and resin Factors, agents in England and Scotland, managed the sale of crops, bought the required manufactures, and extended credit Small scale manufacturing did not emerge in South as it did in the North Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

SOUTHERN SLAVERY Slave labor predominated on rice plantations of South Carolina 1730: 3 out of every 10 people south of Pennsylvania was black In South Carolina blacks outnumbered whites 2 to 1 Slave regulations increased in severity as size of the black population increased Blacks had no civil rights under the codes for minor offenses, whippings were common for serious crimes blacks could be hanged or burned to death for sexual offenses or constant running away they could be castrated In SC, slave labor dominated from the beginning for free workers would not submit to the back breaking labor of and unhealthy regimen. South Carolina Negro Act of 1740 denied slaves freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom to raise their own food, to earn money, to learn to read English. The blacks had no civil rights under these codes and punishments were severe (see above slide) Even castrated for lewd talk about white women! Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

SLAVERY Acculturated slaves, those that could speak English, use European tools, perhaps practice a trade, were more valuable but also more likely to runaway or resist Slave rebellions were rare in the American South though fear of them was high Most slaves rebelled by working slowly, pilferage, petty sabotage, feigning stupidity Plantation Dance in South Carolina--This well-known watercolor by an unidentified artist depicts people presumed to be plantation slaves dancing and playing musical instruments. It gives a rare view of African American life in South Carolina during the colonial period. The women are wearing head wraps and gowns with fitted bodices and long full skirts. Some of the men are wearing earrings. Although its setting is uncertain, materials in the files of Colonial Williamsburg suggest a plantation between Charleston and Orangeburg, South Carolina. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

HOME & FAMILY IN THE SOUTH
Except for those of the most affluent, houses had one or two rooms, and were small, dark, and crowded Furniture and utensils were sparse and crudely made, chairs were rare, tables were boards, there was no plumbing and even chamber pots were out of reach of the poor Clothes were crude, people rarely washed but food was plentiful Chairs were rare and reserved for the head of the household. Soap was expensive and clothes rarely washed -food-bread, hominy, pancakes, beef, pork, game, vegetables Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

WOMEN & CHILDREN White women (free or indentured) rarely worked in the fields They were responsible for tending to farm animals, making butter and cheese, pickling and preserving, spinning and sewing, and caring for children Children were not usually as harshly disciplined as in New England Schools were rare and what learning occurred, was done at home A large portion of southerners were illiterate. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

Wealth- Power 1693: founding of the College of William and Mary
Mission was to train clergyman Initially education was little above grammar school level Political power and positions belonged to large planters because of their wealth they were generally responsible leaders who understood the need for sociability William and Mary was not much more than a grammar school at first. Lawyers rarely learned in the law and doctors were so scarce people would write back to England to relatives describing their symptoms and asking them to consult a doctor. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

ANGLICAN CHURCH Most southerners led isolated lives
Churches were few and far between By mid-18th century the Anglican Church was the “established” religion 1619 attendance at Anglican services became mandatory in Virginia 1654 Maryland repealed religious toleration 1657 reenacted it 1692 repealed it permanently and established the Anglican Church Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

SOCIABILITY Social events of any kind were great occasions accompanied by feasting and drinking Fishing, hunting, cockfighting, and horse racing were other forms of entertainment Funerals could be times of celebration if the one who passed had no heirs nor debts to satisfy and it was possible to consume the entire contents of a modest estate during the celebration of the deceased’s passing. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

GEORGIA & THE BACK COUNTRY
Great Valley of Virginia The Piedmont Also part of back country was Georgia founded by a group of London philanthropists in 1733 to give a place of settlement for honest persons who had been imprisoned for debt England (who would transport 50,000 convicts during the colonial period) granted a charter for Georgia in 1732 after the philanthropists agreed to operate the colony without profit to themselves for 21 years Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

GEORGIA In 1733, their leader, James Oglethorpe founded Savannah with a vision of creating a colony of sober, yeomen farmers Land grants limited to 50 acres and made non-transferable alcohol was banned so were slaves Indian trade was strictly regulated Oglethorpe’s rules were quickly circumvented The economy developed like South Carolina In 1752, the proprietors gave up and Georgia became a royal colony To ensure the colonists would work hard slaves were banned. -Oglethorpe intended that silk, wine, olive oil would be the main products—none of which could be produced profitably in GA.

THE BACKCOUNTRY New settlers moved into the backcountry, mainly Scots-Irish and Germans By 1770 the back country had about 250,000 settlers, 10% of the population, yet often they felt underrepresented, which could result in conflict with the Low Country -10 percent of the population in the colonies lived in the backcountry by 1770. -The Regulators were frontiersmen in NC and in 1771 fought a pitched battle with 1200 troops dispatched by the Carolina assemble which was dominated by low-country interests. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

THE PURITAN FAMILY Puritans lived longer than southern colonists:
More healthful climate Better initial preparation, Puritan society was ordered by a covenant to ensure everyone’s upright behavior At the center of society was the family which was nuclear and patriarchal A covenant was made or an agreement to ensure the upright behavior of all and sought to provide what John Winthrop described “that every man might have need of other, and from hence they might be knitt more nearly together in the bond of brotherly affection.” Most important covenant was binding family members—based on the 5th commandment to honor thy father and mother, that thy days may be long upon the land. In a properly ordered puritan family, order flowed downward. Patriarchal-father is the boss. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

THE PURITAN FAMILY Responsibilities of the Father:
providing for the physical welfare of the household, including servants making sure they all behaved properly transacting all economic dealings Responsibilities of the Wife: keeping house educating the children improving “what is got by the industry of man” Wife’s responsibilities as outlined by Reverend John Cotton is above. Colonial New England and the southern colonies did have their female blacksmiths, silversmiths, shipwrights, gunsmiths, and butchers, as well as shopkeepers, and teachers. Such early examples of early domestic liberation however were mostly widows and the wives of incapacitated husbands. Even so, most widows, especially young ones, quickly remarried. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

PURITAN WOMEN & CHILDREN
Women had as many as 12 to 14 children Any free time occupied with dealings with neighbors and relatives and involvement in church Childrearing took more than three decades of a woman’s life since most children survived Homemaking duties occupied all remaining time cooking, baking, sewing, supervising servants, make cheese from milk, bacon from pork, bread from grain, beer from malt all fell to the woman Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

PURITAN FAMILY Puritan family was hierarchical, husbands ruled over wives and parents over children and obedience was expected Physical correction was common Girls worked around the house Boys worked outdoors When older they were sent to nearby families as servants Cotton Mather’s advice “better whipped than damned” By age 6 girls did sewing and helped with housework and boys were put to work outside. Older children might be sent to live with another family to work as servants or apprentices. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

POPULATION GROWTH The Great Migration ended in the 1640s with the outbreak of the English Civil War Thereafter, population increase was due to high birthrate (50 births for every 1,000 people—3x today’s rate) and low mortality rate (20 per 1,000) Population was more evenly distributed by age and sex than in the South Women married in early twenties rather than late teens Remember the Great Migration was an influx of puritans from Europe in the 1630s (over 10,000 had arrived by 1640 in Mass) Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

VISIBLE PURITAN SAINTS & OTHERS
Church membership was to be a joint decision between would-be member, who would relate why they believed they received God’s grace, and those already in the church Originally, those who could not “prove” salvation were excluded PROBLEMS: Growing numbers of non-members could not be compelled to go to church It was harder to defend policy that taxpayers could not vote if they were not church members Nonmember parents whose children could not be baptized worried for their souls With the Great migration over, church applications were down. By the early 1650s fewer than half of all New England adults were church members. -A problem arose with infant baptism. Most of the first generation were church members and baptized, so nearly all of their kids had been baptized as infants. However the problem came when this group had children. Many of the second generation had not become church members by explaining a conversion experience and therefore their kids were not allowed to become baptized. These parents worried about their kid’s souls. Many of the younger people had refused to submit themselves to the ferocity of the examination of questioning to become a church member. –By the 1650s is was clear that if noting was done a majority of people would be living in the state of original sin and churches would no longer be the dominant force in New England life. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

HALF-WAY COVENANT To cope with the third generation who were neither baptized nor church members, in 1662, 80 ministers and laymen developed a limited form of membership for any applicant not known to be a sinner who was willing to accept the provisions of the church covenant They and their children could be baptized but they could not receive communion nor participate in church decisions It provided limited or halfway membership that would allow for baptism of people who were not visible saints. But they could not take the sacrament of communion nor have a voice un church decision making unless they became a full member by a conversion experience. Two years later it extended the right to vote to halfway church members. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

DECLINE? The General Court of Massachusetts endorsed the covenant and two years later allowed halfway members to vote Opponents of the covenant said it reflected a slackening of religious fervor 1660s marked the beginning of religious decline yet there was a rise in church membership Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

DEMOCRACIES WITHOUT DEMOCRATS
Massachusetts and Connecticut Passed laws requiring church attendance, levying taxes for support of the clergy, and banning Quakers from practicing their religion (when four were hanged, a royal decree was issued in 1662 prohibiting further executions) Provided the death penalty for adultery and blaspheming a parent Established the price a laborer might charge for his services or the amount of gold braid servants could wear on their jackets Like the Southern colonies the NE colonies derived their authority from charters granted by the crown or parliament. They were largely left to their own devices where matters of local interests were concerned. -According to Puritan theory, government was both a civil covenant and the principal mechanism for policing the institutions on which the maintenance of the social order depended. When Massachusetts and Connecticut passed laws requiring church attendance, levying taxes for the support of the clergy, and banning Quakers form practicing their faith, they were acting as a shield of the churches. The were defending the integrity of families when they passed laws for death to those who blaspheming a parent or adultery. When they est the prices one could charge on labor or the amount of gold braid servants could wear on jackets they believed they were enforcing the Puritan principle that people must accept their assigned status in life. -Puritan communities were, for a time, close-knit: murder, assault, and theft were rare. Disputes went to an active court system. -But puritan civil authorities and ministers came under sharp attack from English Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Quakers. When the Mass General Court hanged 4 stubborn Quakers who returned after being expelled from the colony a royal order of 1662 forbade further executions Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

THE DOMINION OF NEW ENGLAND
The most serious threat to Puritan control came in the 1680s during the Restoration governments of Charles II ( ) and James II ( ) when the government sought to bring the colonies under effective royal control In 1684, the Massachusetts charter was annulled, as were all charters north of Pennsylvania, and the colonies were combined to form the Dominion of New England It was goverend by Edmund Andros. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

THE DOMINION OF NEW ENGLAND
In 1686 Edmund Andros, a professional soldier and administrator, arrived to make the colonies behave like colonies and not like sovereign powers abolished popular assemblies changed the land-grant system to give the king quitrents enforced religious toleration 1691: Massachusetts became a royal colony included Plymouth and Maine governor appointed by the king General Court elected by property owners (who did not have to be church members to vote) Enforced religious toleration especially for Anglicans. -Fortunately for New England the Dominion fell victim two years later to yet another political turnabout in England—the Glorious Revolution. In 1688 Parliament decided it had had enough of the Catholic leaning Stuarts and and James II packing and installed James’s daughter Mary and her Protestant husband William of Orange (Dutch) as the new rulers of England. When this news reached Boston in Spring of 1689, a force of more than 1000 colonists led by ministers seized Andros and lodged him in jail. Two years later Mass was made a royal colony that also included Plymouth and Maine. The governor was appointed by the king. A general court was elected by property owners and church membership was no longer a requirement for voting. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

SALEM BEWITCHED In 1666 families living in the rural outback of the thriving town of Salem petitioned the General Court for the right to establish their own church When it was granted in 1672, the 600 inhabitants of the village were on their own politically as well In 1689 Samuel Parris became minister after having spent 20 years in the Caribbean as a merchant He arrived with his wife, his daughter Betty, a niece—Abigail, and a West Indian slave named Tituba who told fortunes and practiced magic on the side Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

SALEM BEWITCHED When Parris was dismissed in 1692, his daughter, niece and a playmate began speaking in tongues and were declared bewitched The first three accused were Sarah Good, a pauper with a nasty tongue; Sarah Osborne, a bedridden widow; and Tituba When brought before the General Court, the Sarahs declared themselves innocent while Tituba confessed Three preachers came and went in the 15 years before Parris was named minister. Parris proved incapable of bringing peace to the feuding factions of Salem Village. In Jan 1692 the church voted to dismiss him. At this point Betty and Abigail (age 9 and 11) along with Ann Putnam (12 years old) started uttering foolish, ridiculous speeches. A doctor diagnosed the girls’ ravings as the work of the devil and declared them bewitched. The first persons accused of bewitching the girls were three women of unsavory reputations and frightening appearances. Tituba had brought suspicion upon herself by volunteering to bake a witch cake for the girls made of rye meal and the girls’ urine. The cake should be fed to the dog Tituba said and the dog would show signs of bewitchment if the girls were truly affected. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

SALEM BEWITCHED By the end of April 1692, 24 more people had been charged The hunt spread to neighboring Andover By May, to Maine and Boston and up the social ladder to some of the colony’s most prominent citizens By June, when the governor convened a special court, more than 150 persons stood charged with witchcraft Even Lady Mary Phips, the wife of the new Governor (William). - Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

"Examination of a Witch" Thompkins H. Matteson, 1853.
This painting reveals more about the 19th century reaction against Puritanism than the Puritans themselves—It shows one Puritan man adjusting his glass for a better look at the beautiful and partially disrobed women accused of being a witch. This painting subtly shows puritan men as lecherous hypocrites. But in fact, most accused witches were in their 40 or 50s. Caption: "Examination of a Witch" Thompkins H. Matteson, Description: Generally supposed to represent an event in the Salem witch trials, an earlier version of this painting was exhibited by the artist in New York in 1848 with a quotation from John Greenleaf Whittier's book Supernaturalism of New England, 1847: "Mary Fisher, a young girl, was seized upon by Deputy Governor Bellingham in the absence of Governor Endicott, and shamefully stripped for the purpose of ascertaining whether she was a witch, with the Devil's mark upon her." Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

SALEM BEWITCHED In the next four months, the court convicted 28, most of them women Five confessed and were spared Several escaped 19 were hanged One, accused of wizardry, was crushed to death under stones Finally, the governor adjourned the court and forbade any further executions Anyone who spoke in defense of the accused was in danger of being charged with witchcraft, but some brave souls challenged the court’s findings. Finally, at the urging of the leading ministers of the commonwealth, the governor Phips adjourned the court and forbade any further executions. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

SALEM BEWITCHED While everyone’s reputation suffered, ministers suffered the most Increase Mather comes off best having urged the governor to stop the trials His son, Cotton, actively and enthusiastically participated in the hunt The event shows the anxiety Puritans had about women since many of the accused were widows of high status older women who owned property women who lived apart from the daily guidance of men All potentially subverted the patriarchal authorities of church and state Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

HIGHER EDUCATION IN NEW ENGLAND
With the Great Migration came some 150 university-trained colonists, mostly in divinity, who became the first ministers 1636: Massachusetts General Court appropriated money to establish an institution of higher learning to train ministers—Harvard University, which received its charter in 1650 But New England ministers couldn’t remain dependent on these first ministers forever. They needed to train new ministers as the old ones retired. The Mass general court gave 400 pounds to start a school or college. John Harvard left the school 800 pounds in his will…thus Harvard University. Harvard admitted a dozen or so 14 yr old boys and taught them four years of theology, logic, mathematics, and then sent them out into New England. In 1650 Harvard received the charter under which it is still governed today. In the 1690s Harvard required a reputation for religious toleration and orthodox puritans saw the graduates as unfit for the ministry. In 1701 another college was founded by several Connecticut ministers, Yale, to pick up the traditional puritan values and teaching in the training of ministers that Harvard seemed to abandon. However, by 1722 it was clear when its president and 6 tutors announced themselves Anglicans, that Yale quickly acquired purposes well beyond those the creators had originally attended for it. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

GRAMMAR SCHOOLS Massachusetts and Connecticut soon passed education acts that required all towns of any size to establish schools (though not everyone did and not all of the schools were very good) Some parents kept their kids at home to do chores. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

LITERACY Mid-17th Century—majority of men in New England could read and a somewhat smaller percentage could also write Mid-18th century—male literacy was almost universal, a condition only matched by Scotland and Sweden Literacy among women also improved steadily Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

PROSPERITY UNDERMINES PURITANISM
Colonists grew barley (to make beer), rye, oats, green vegetables, potatoes, pumpkins, and corn (not only edible but drinkable) They grazed cattle, sheep, and hogs on common pastures or in the woods and hunted deer, turkey, and other game birds The Atlantic provided cod and other fish BUT while colonists had plenty to eat they had little surplus and no place to sell it Europe already made all of the main crops the colonists grew in NE and the colonists only had enough good terrain to make enough for themselves. - Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

PROSPERITY UNDERMINES PURITANISM
Puritans were suspicious of prosperity laws against usury and profiteering in scarce commodities Early Puritan leaders resisted arguments that business was a socially useful calling They believed differences in wealth should be modest and should favor community leaders Many Puritans looked down upon prosperity as evil and looked at merchants/businessmen with suspicion. Early Puritan leaders resisted the argument that business was a calling no less socially useful that the ministry or public office in the early 1700s. They felt differences in wealth should be shown according to the community looked to for leadership. Governor Winthrop should have more wealth than merchant Robert Keayne, for example. However the gap of the puritan ideal and the reality was becoming clear when Winthrop died in debt while Keayne died in prosperity and left the town of Boston and Harvard college generous donations. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

A MERCHANT’S WORLD New Englanders first tried to limit their reliance on European goods by producing their own When that failed, they tried to trade for them with beaver and other fur bearing animals By 1650, these had become less available and colonists had to turn to indirect trading schemes Fish provided merchants with their opening into the world of transatlantic commerce Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

TRIANGULAR TRADE In 1643 five New England vessels packed their holds with fish which they sold in Spain and the Canary Islands, taking payment in sherry and Madeira which were tradable in England (one took payment in slaves which they sold in West Indies) Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

GROWING TOWNS As maritime trade became the driving force in New England, port towns like Portsmouth, Salem, Boston, New Port, and New Haven became larger and faster growing than interior towns 1720: Boston was the commercial hub of the region with a population of 10,000 making it the third largest city in the British Empire Boston was the largest and most thriving town of the colonies. Only London and Bristol were bigger in the empire. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

THE MIDDLE COLONIES: Economic Basis
The Middle Colonies consisted of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware About 10% of the population was composed of slaves Colonists produced crops for both consumption and export (wheat) Colonists in the Hudson Valley and southeastern Pennsylvania lived spread out Substantial numbers lived in New York City and Philadelphia and in interior towns like Albany where they engaged in trades Most engaged in farming. While N farmers concentrated on producing crops for local consumption and southerners for export, the middle colonies did both. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

THE MIDDLE COLONIES: An Intermingling of Peoples
Scandanavian and Dutch settlers outnumbered the English in New Jersey and Delaware Germans flocked to Pennsylvania and French Huguenots to New York Early 18th century: hordes of Scots-Irish settled in Pennsylvania, back country of Virginia, and North Carolina Why so few English in the Middle colonies? Timing. The English economy was booming and work for all seemed to be found. Migration to North America seemed to trickle down. The result was colonies where English colonists were a minority. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

“THE BEST POOR MAN’S COUNTRY”
Ethnic differences seldom caused conflict because they did not limit opportunity Pennsylvania gave 500 acres to families upon arrival with only a quitrent due to the proprietor every year New Jersey and Delaware had similar arrangements In New York the manorial system limited opportunity but land was available and tenants could get long term leases Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

“THE BEST POOR MAN’S COUNTRY”
Mixed farming offered main path to prosperity Inland communities offered comfortable living for artisans Cities had a variety of opportunities for the ambitious Philadelphia profited from this (and its inland waterways) and by the 1750s had a population of 15,000, surpassing Boston as America’s largest city Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

PENNSYLVANIA POLITICS
Paxton Boys (Scots-Irish from Lancaster County): Murdered peaceful Conestoga Indians in retaliation for frontier Indian attacks Marched on Philadelphia Delegation, led by Benjamin Franklin, acknowledged grievances and promised bounty on Indian scalps 1763 uprising of the Paxton Boys of western Pennsylvania- uprising triggered to indian attacks on the frontier. (The east outnumbered the west in the assembly 26 to 10, which was controlled by a coalition of Quaker representatives from Philadelphia and the German speaking Pennsylvania Dutch.) Fuming because they could obtain no help from Philadelphia against the Indians, an group of scot-irish known as the Paxton Boys fell on a peaceful village of Conestoga Indians and murdered them in cold blood. Then they marched on Philadelphia with several hundred. Fortunately a delegation of burghers, headed by Benjamin Franklin, talked the Paxton Boys out of attacking the town by acknowledging the legitimacy of their grievances about representation and by promising to vote a bounty on indian scalps! It was just such fancy footwork that est Franklin, the leader of the assembly party as Pennsylvania’s consummate (perfect) politician. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

AMERICAN SOCIETY IN THE MAKING

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AMERICAN SOCIETY IN THE MAKING

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Presentation on theme: "AMERICAN SOCIETY IN THE MAKING"— Presentation transcript:

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About project

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