American Life in the 17 th Century

The 13 Colonies New England MiddleSouth Political Economic Social

Unhealthy Chesapeake Area  Harsh Wilderness Lifestyle  Many diseases  Life expectancy for many was 50  Chesapeake area had a 6-1 ration of males to females  Many children born out of wedlock  Virginia most populated colony Elisha Woodbury’s Grave…typhoid fever victim in 1750

The Tobacco Economy  Much tobacco cultivation  Cultivated by indentured servants Received transatlantic passage & freedom dues Received transatlantic passage & freedom dues Indentured servant contract

The Head right System  50 acres of land to whoever paid for indentured servant passage  created large plantations less available land for poor colonial immigrants less available land for poor colonial immigrants Head right historical marker and records

Bacon’s Rebellion  Impoverished freemen frustrated w/ broken hopes of acquiring land  Resented friendly policy towards natives  Virginians (free men, indentured servants) rose & attacked natives  Torched Jamestown

Colonial Slavery  Half a million slaves brought to America.  Ten Million to the “New World”.  Most slaves from West Africa.  By 1750 African Slaves are very populous in the Southern colonies.

The Triangular Trade  New England with rum  Gold Coast of Africa, trade it for African Slaves  West Indies, where slaves were exchanged for molasses, which in turn would be traded in New England to make rum.

Early slave revolts  Slave protests took many forms outright rebellion outright rebellion working slower working slower getting sick getting sick sabotaging food sabotaging food  Outright revolts occurred Stono River rebellion in 1739 in South Carolina. Stono River rebellion in 1739 in South Carolina.

Punishments for slaves  For disobeying one’s master slaves were whipped, hung, or skinned  Slave families were often disbanded by sale.  Rape occurred often from white masters.

Early Abolitionists  Abolitionism  Abolitionist literature included some former slave autobiography  Charles Ball The Life of a Former Slave

Southern Society  Highest class was planter class (First Families of Virginia).  Owned 100 or more slaves & dominated the House of Burgesses. Plantation House

Southern society  Large planter class  Small farmers, merchants & skilled artisans.  Indentured servants  Free slaves  Slaves  Native Americans.

The New England Family New England had strong family ties. New England had strong family ties. Women had many children Women had many children high infant mortality rate. high infant mortality rate. New England husbands had much control over their wives and children. New England husbands had much control over their wives and children.

Life in the New England Towns A town consisted of a meetinghouse surrounded by houses, village green and cemetery. Towns of fifty families had a “Little Red Schoolhouse”. Towns with 100 families required a secondary school.

New England Towns Early Colleges  Harvard was established to train ministers in  William and Mary was established in 1693 in Virginia.  Brown, and later Pembroke for women, was established in Rhode Island. Harvard’s oldest building is Massachusett’s Hall

The Half Way Covenant and “jeremiads” Half -Way Covenant  all people could come to church even if they were not “visible saints”.  Partial church membership  Did this approach “delude” religion? The “jeremiad”  Preachers scolded their congregations about their waning piety & faith.  May have paved the way for Great Awakening ministers in colonial America

Salem Witch Trials  early 1690s, group of Salem girls claimed to have been bewitched by older women.  hysterical witch-hunt followed that led to the execution of 20 people and two dogs. (Similar events occurring in Europe). (Similar events occurring in Europe).  After a year and a half the hysteria died down.

Early settlers’ Days and ways  Sun up to sun down work. Unless an event was “worth a candle”.  Not a lot of extravagant living.  Fishing, whaling, ship building, furniture maker were the big industries. Goddard Townshed family furniture of Newport

Gold Mines of New England Cod fish New Bedford whaling