Life in the Colonies Chapter 4, Lesson 1

Intro ► An Englishman by the name of Andrew Burnaby traveled through the American Colonies in ► He observed the lifestyle of the colonist and claimed that he could not see the colonist uniting for a purpose.  Claimed they were as different as “fire and water”  That Each colony was jealous of the other.  Pretty much they were so different when it came to character, manner, religion, and interest that he sooner saw a civil war before a union.

New England Colonies ► Although he believed union would never happen the colonies did continue to grow.  Population grew from ~250,000 to 2.5 million b the mid 1770s.  African Americans increased from 28,000 – 500,000 (even faster!) ► Immigration was important to this growth.  Between 1607 and 1775, 690,000 Europeans and 278,000 Africans came to the colonies.  Jews also came and by 1775, 2,500 lived in the colonies settling in New York, Philadelphia, Charles Town, Savannah and New Port. (All areas of religious freedom.)

New England Colonies ► Women also married very young and had large families. ► America, especially New England, turned out to be an extremely healthy area to live in. ► New England town were well organized.  In the center was a meeting house used for both town meetings and church.  It faced a land called the green, or common, where cows grained and the citizen’s army trained.  Farmers lived in town and worked in fields along the outskirts of town.

New England Colonies ► Though farming was activity in all the colonies, New England didn’t have large ones.  Long winters, and thin-rocky soil were to blame. ► New England farmers practiced subsistence farming.  Just enough to meet the families needs with very little to sell or trade. ► Most northern families relied on their children for labor. ► Everyone in the family worked:  Milking cows, preserving fruit, sowing or harvesting grain, spinning yarn, etc.

Commerce in New England ► New England also had a lot of small businesses.  Some would use streams running through their farms to grind grain or saw wood.  Some women made clothes, garments, candles, or soap for their families and would sell the extra.  Large town attracted skilled craftspeople such as blacksmiths, shoemakers, furniture makers, gunsmiths, metalsmiths, and printers.  Shipbuilding was also a huge industry with wood being provided from the forests of New England and sent down stream to shipyards in coastal towns.

Commerce in New England ► Region also relied on fishing.  Cod, halibut, crabs, oysters, and lobsters.  Other went out into the sea to hunt whales for oil and whalebone.

Colonial Trade ► The center of shipping trade were the northern coastal cities.  Linked the northern colonies with the southern colonies, and other parts of the world.  New England ships sailed along the Atlantic coast, trading with other colonies and island in the West Indies.  Also would cross the Atlantic with fish, furs, and fruit to trade with manufactured goods in England and Europe.  Some went straight to England and back, but others used a different route.

Colonial Trade ► This alternate route was known as the triangular trade (it would form a triangle when completed).  One leg came up from the the West indies bringing sugar and molasses to New England. (molasses would be made into rum.)  The Rum was then shipped to West Africa in exchange for slaves. (Widely practiced in West Africa since West African Kingdoms would enslave those defeated in war and sold to Arab slave traders or worked in mines or farm fields)  With the arrival of Europeans they will begin to be shipped to America in exchange for trade goods.

The Middle Passage ► The inhumane portion of the triangular trade, shipping enslaved Africans to the West Indies, was known as the Middle Passage.

The Middle Passage ► New England’s economy would flourish thanks to trade, shipbuilding, and fishing. ► Even with a lack of good farmland, it’s population would grow and towns and cities developed.

The Middle Colonies ► The Middle Colonies had fertile soil and a less extreme climate than New England’s.  They were able to produce a larger harvest than New England.  New York and Pennsylvania grew wheat and other cash crops (crops sold easily in markets in the colonies and overseas). ► Farmers sent cargoes of wheat and livestock to New York City and Philadelphia for shipment, and would become busy ports because of it.  By the 1760s New York had a population of 18,000 and Philadelphia had one of 24,000 people.  They became the largest cities in the colonies.

Industries of the Middle Colonies ► The Middle Colonies also had industries.  Carpentry, flour making were some done from home.  Lumbering, mining, and small scale manufacturing were larger scale. ► An iron mill in northern New Jersey employed several hundred workers, (most of which were German)  Other ironworks existed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

German Immigrants ► Most of 100,000 German immigrants who came to America settled in Pennsylvania.  Using agricultural methods developed in Europe, they became successful farmers. ► They were a part of many other Protestant groups. ► Along with the Dutch, Swedish, and other non- English immigrants, they made the Middle Colonies very diverse. (As opposed, to New England.)  This diversity provided tolerance for religious and cultural differences.

Southern Colonies ► The Southern Colonies had rich soil and warm climate.  Making it well suited for certain types of farming.  Cultivated large areas of land and produce plenty of cash crops.  Since their living was made mostly from farming they really didn’t develop commerce or industry.  London merchants managed trading in the South than the colonist did.

Tobacco and Rice ► Tobacco was the principal cash crop of Maryland and Virginia.  Most tobacco was sold in Europe where it had a higher demand.  Required a lot of work to grow tobacco so indentured servants were needed.  When indentured servants began lacking, they used African slaves instead. ► Slaveholders with large properties became rich using tobacco.  When a surplus occurred though their profits would suffer and would begin to grow other crops like corn or wheat to make up for the loss

Tobacco and Rice ► Rice was the main cash crop of South Carolina and Georgia.  In low-lying areas planters built dams to create rice fields called patties.  The field was flooded when the rice was young and drained when it was ready to harvest.  It was rough considering you were knee-deep in mud with no protection from the sun or the insect bites.  It was because of this difficult labor that slaves were used and proved to be more profitable than tobacco.  As it became more popular in southern Europe, the price of rice increased and by the 1750s Georgia and South Carolina had the fastest growing economies in the colonies.

Tidewater and Backcountry ► Most Southern plantations were located in the Tidewater.  Region of flat, low-lying plains along the sea coast.  Plantations were self-contained communities with field stretching out around a cluster of buildings.  The planter’s wife supervised the main house and household servants.  Other buildings included slave cabins, barns and stables, and outbuildings (carpenter, blacksmith and storerooms)  Kitchens were sometimes in separate buildings.  Some plantations had schools and its own chapel.

Tidewater and Backcountry ► West of Tidewater was an area known as backcountry.  Region of hills and forest climbing up towards the Appalachian Mountains.  Settled in part by hardy newcomers.  They grew corn and tobacco on small farms.  Usually worked alone or with their families and had few slaves if any (no more than 1 or 2.) ► These small farms outnumbered the plantations.  Plantation owners had more wealth and influence, though.  Plantations controlled economic and political life of the region.

Slavery ► Most slaves lived on planations.  Some did housework, but most worked in fields and suffered great cruelty.  Overseers, or bosses, were hired to make sure the slaves were working hard. ► By 1700s Slave codes were a thing (strict rules governing behavior and punishment of slaves.  Some codes prevented slaves from leaving plantations without written permission from the master.  Some codes prevented slaves from learning to read or write.

Slavery ► Slave punishment was usually being whipped for minor offenses.  However, they could be hanged or burned to death for serious crimes.  Slaves who ran away were often caught and punished severely.

African Traditions ► Even though African slaves had strong family ties they were often torn apart  Family members were sold to another slaveholder.  Looked for strength in their African roots.  Developed a culture based on language and customs from their West African homelands. ► Some enslaved African learned trade such as carpentry, blacksmithing, or weaving.  Skilled workers could sometimes set up shop and share profits with slaveholders.  Those who were lucky could eventually sometimes buy their freedom.

Criticism of Slavery ► The majority of white Southerners were not slaveholders. ► Slavery still played an important role to the economic success of Southern Colonies.  Built on the idea that one man could own another. ► Many colonist did not believe in slavery.  Puritans refused to have slaves.  Quakers and Mennonites condemned slavery. ► In the future this debate would erupt into a bloody war between the North and the South.