COLONIAL LIFE Day 3 Life on the Colonial Frontier American History 1 Mr. Hensley SRMHS

Where was the colonial frontier? On the coast, the land was owned by a few wealthy families who used slaves and servants to grow cash crops As you move further west, the land becomes more rugged – no one owns it (yet) Appalachian Mountains

The Thirteen Colonies in 1750

The Scots-Irish From Northern Ireland and Northern England, they were Protestant Over 200,000 emigrate to America in the 1700’s – the biggest single group Good land, near coast, is claimed so they go west to the mountains – the frontier Scots-Irish traditions seen as “hillbilly” by English

Scots-Irish Culture The Scots-Irish lived in the Borderlands region of England – rugged, far away from law, no 911 They were independent and solitary They valued their honor and reputation above everything – they would fight and kill to protect it

Colonial Frontier Life Constant conflict with the Native Americans Small disputes could escalate to attacks Little or no support from colonial governments Focus on self-reliance and self-sufficiency Everyone (male) armed at all times

Anatomy of Escalation 1.Natives kill and eat a hog, owned by a white farmer, that wanders onto their land 2.Farmer and friends confront Natives about theft, killing a Native in the process 3.Natives get a half-dozen men together and kill white farmer in revenge 4.A few dozen of the farmer’s neighbors organize a war party and destroy a Native village. 5.Natives respond with raids, attacks, war Based on a true story from Virginia in the 1670’s

Other Settlers: Germans Germans were the second- biggest group to settle in America in the 1700’s Pushed out of Europe by poverty and by religious wars, many came as servants Example in North Carolina: Moravians in Old Salem Kept many cultural traditions from home country (food especially)

The Virginia Frontier Good land near the coast owned by the wealthy Newer, poorer immigrants (Scots-Irish) and freed servants have to move west to find land In the west, they encounter hostile natives

Bacon’s Rebellion 1676: Gov. Berkeley alarmed by King Phillip’s War in New England – refuses to support frontier colonists with troops Rebels led by Nathaniel Bacon take and burn Jamestown Takes a year for English troops to restore control Blacks and whites fought together in the rebellion

Aftermath Ruling class in Virginia alarmed by the natural alliance of slaves and servants during Rebellion Results in harsh laws against any contact between black slaves and white servants Plantation owners increase the importation of slaves

Natives on the Frontier Native populations had stabilized after 200+ years of exposure to European diseases As the settlers moved westward, they encountered complex Native civilizations Natives couldn’t kill all the English – they had to reconcile

The Iroquois Control most of western New York, Ohio Confederation made up of five tribes – assimilation of conquered tribes Complex culture and government – female clan leaders named the male chiefs Allied with the British

The Huron Lived around Great Lakes region Traditional rivals with the Iroquois and a similar culture Lived in semi- permanent villages “Beaver Wars” fought against the Iroquois Allied with the French

The Cherokee Lived in western NC, upstate SC and northern Georgia Conflict with Scots-Irish on the frontier Cherokee strategy was to assimilate – to learn and emulate white culture: private property, education and religion of European

The Five Civilized Tribes

Review: Frontier Life BIG QUESTIONS: How would you describe Scots-Irish culture? What can Bacon’s Rebellion teach us about trends and patterns in colonial history? Who were the primary Native nations in colonial America? The Scots-Irish settled the colonial frontier – their culture was based on independence and personal honor. Tensions between rich coastal planters and poor frontier farmers caused Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia. This rebellion also featured slaves and servants revolting together, resulting in tougher laws regarding black and white contact in the South. The Iroquois and the Huron were the two dominant Native cultures in the North – and each other’s traditional enemy. The Huron were friends with the French while the Iroquois were allied with the British. In the South, the Cherokee pursued a strategy of emulation of European culture.