Do Now! Phyllis Wheatley: The first African American to publish poetry Middle Passage: Route used to ship enslaved Africans Indentured servant: Person who agreed to work in exchange for passage to the colonies

EQ: Which major groups of immigrants came to Britain’s American colonies in the 1700s? The students will be able to identify different groups of immigrants in the colonies.

Ch 3 Sec 1: Immigration and Slavery As the English colonies developed, Europeans began to arrive in greater numbers. In the 1600s, about 90% of the migrants came from England. About half of the colonial immigrants were indentured servants. Indentured servants are poor immigrants who paid for passage to the colonies by agreeing to work for four to seven years. Instead of receiving a wage, they received just enough food and shelter to keep them alive.

After 1660, English emigration decreased, but Scottish emigration soared. The English economy improved and the religious conflict diminished. Generally poorer than the English, the Scots had more reasons to seek their fortunes elsewhere. Germans were second only to the Scots-Irish as immigrants to British America. Most of the German immigrants were Protestant, seeking to escape war, taxes, and religious persecution.

Immigration made colonial society more diverse Immigration made colonial society more diverse. Although the different groups often distrusted one another at first, they all gradually accepted that a diverse society was an economic help and the best guarantee for their own faith.

As the number of indentured servants declined in the late 1600s, many colonists turned to another source of labor: enslaved Africans. At first slaves were treated just like indentured servants and freed after several years of service. By law, the position as slave was passed from parent to child. This change in legal status prompted the racist idea that people of African origin were inferior to whites. Once firmly established in the colonies, slavery expanded rapidly. Enslaved Africans came to the Americas as part of a three-part voyage called the triangular trade.

In the Middle Passage, shippers carried the enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the American colonies. The brutality of the Middle Passage was extreme, and at least 10% of those making the trip in the 1700s did not survive. The vast majority of enslaved Africans were sent to the West Indies.

Slavery varied considerably by region Slavery varied considerably by region. In 1750, slaves made up small minorities in New England and the Middle Colonies. Many more slaves lived in the Southern Colonies, where they raised labor-intensive crops of tobacco, rice, indigo, or sugar. Enslaved Africans in the South were able to preserve some of their traditions and language. A lifetime of enslavement was the fate of most African Americans, but some did obtain their freedom. A rare few, such as Phillis Wheatley, the first African American to publish poetry, managed to overcome enormous obstacles to distinguish themselves.

Phillis Wheatley: first published African-American woman and first published African-American poet

EXIT SLIP Roots 34:00