Colonial Growth Chapter 4

Life in the Colonies (pg 103) Vocabulary: Subsistence farming Triangular trade Middle Passage Diversity Cash crop Tidewater Backcountry Overseer

Colonial Growth (103) In the 1700s the population of rose dramatically. . . Europeans: 1700 = 250,000 1775 = 2.5 million Africans: 1700 = 28,000 1775 = 500,000

New England Colonies (103-104) Most lived in well organized towns Farming = main economic activity New England farms smaller than southern colonies subsistence farming: Produced just enough to meet the needs of their family Whole family worked on the farms: spinning yarn, preserving fruit, milking cows, fencing fields, sowing and harvesting crops, etc…

Commerce in New England (104) Small businesses: lumber mills, blacksmiths, shoemakers, furniture makers, gunsmiths, metal smiths, and printers Shipbuilding Fishing

Triangular Trade (104-105) Colonies trade with West Indies: Fish, grain, meat, lumber – sugar, molasses, and fruit Colonist used molasses to make rum. . . Ship rum and manufactures goods to West Africa in return for enslaved Africans Enslaves Africans shipped back to the West Indies (and eventually the colonies) to work on plantations

The Middle Passage (105) Middle Passage = shipping enslaved Africans to the West Indies Equiano, an enslaved African, described the passage as such: “I was soon put down under the decks, and there I received such. . .[an odor] in my nostrils as I had never experienced in my life. . .The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. . .The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror.”

Slave Ship

“Amazing Grace” 4feet by 18 inches Ch6 2.25 ish describe journey Ch 10 .08 slave ship Ch 12 1.40

The Middle Colonies (106) Had more fertile soil and a milder climate than New England Cultivated larger plots of land and produced bigger harvests Grew cash crops, like wheat, that could be sold in markets both in the colonies and abroad New York and Philadelphia (both important port cities) became the largest cities in the colonies

Industries in the Middle Colonies (106) New Jersey and Pennsylvania = big industry Iron mills (later steel production) Commercial industries such as lumbering, mining, manufacturing

German Immigration (107) Most of the 100,000 Germans who came to colonial America settled in Pennsylvania Brought over European farming methods = successful The German immigrants along with the Dutch, Swedes, and other non-English immigrants gave the Middle Colonies diversity ( or variety)not found in New England With diversity comes tolerance!

The Southern Colonies (107) Rich soil and warm climate = perfect for large cash crop farming Because the Southern Colonies had a very successful agricultural industry they had no need to develop commerce and industry (this separates them economically from the North)

Tobacco and Rice (107) Tobacco = cash crop of Maryland and Virginia Required a great deal of labor Originally used indentured servants but when they became scarce and expensive planters began using enslaved Africans Large plantation owners become VERY wealthy Rice = cash crop of South Carolina and Georgia Because harvesting rice was so labor intensive planters relied on slave labor Rice = more profitable than tobacco South Carolina and Georgia had fastest growing economies in the colonies

Tidewater and Backcountry (107) Most large Southern plantations were located in the Tidewater, or the region of flat low-lying plains along the sea coast Plantations were often located along rivers for better shipping access West of the Tidewater lay the backcountry, a region of hills and forest leading up to the Appalachian Mountains Grew corn and tobacco on smaller farms Relied little on slave labor (this will be important when we study the Civil War!)

Plantation Owners vs. Backcountry Backcountry farmers out number plantation owners. But. . . Plantation owners have more wealth and influence Plantation owners control the political and economic spheres of Southern colonial life (this is important!)

Slavery (108) Most enslaved Africans worked on plantations either working in the house or in the fields Hired overseers, or field bosses, to keep the slaves working hard Often used fear and violence All Southern Colonies had slave codes governing the behavior and punishment of slaves Could not leave plantation without permission Could not be taught to read and write Whipped for minor offenses Hung or burned for serious crimes --Resulted in a race based society

African Traditions (109) Families torn apart by slavery Found strength in their African traditions Developed a unique culture based on the languages, customs, and religions of the West African homelands mixed with the English way of life Some enslaved Africans were able to learn a trade and buy their freedom

Anti-Slavery Movements (109) Not all colonists believed in slavery Many Puritans and Quakers refused to own slaves Began abolitionist movement The debate over slavery would eventually be one of the main causes for a bloody civil war –North vs. South