1. the Struggle for a Continent
Provincial America
and
the Struggle for a Continent
(c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved 5

2. Expansion
18th Century British colonies emulate homeland, becoming more Anglicanized:
Import British goods
“Gentlemen” farmers and politics
Inheritance
Gender differences
Colonies’ population grew rapidly and demand for skilled and unskilled laborers, clergy, professionals outgrew supply
Northern colonies trained their population for these roles
Southern colonies rely on immigrants
Scots-Irish and Germans (redemptioniers)
Back country (Virginia and Carolinas)
Develop own culture
Clannish, violent
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3. The Enlightenment in America
Emphasized man’s capacity for knowledge and social improvement
Focus on science and philosophy
Religious moderates
God not vengeful
Enlightenment spirit dominates Harvard (1636)
Unitarians
Rise in legal and medical professions
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4. The Press English Enlightenment spreads through printing
17th century printing limited to Boston
John Peter Zenger
New York Weekly Journal (1733)
Freedom of the press: 1735
Acquitted of seditious libel
Benjamin Franklin
“The most celebrated North American in the world”, personified the Enlightenment
Pennsylvania Gazette: 1729
Junto (American Philosophical Society): 1727
Public citizen work: fire company (1736), library (1731), hospital (1751), and College of Philadelphia (1750s)
Inventor and scientist
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5. The Great Awakening
Mid-1730s to early 1740s: immense religious revival
Swept across Protestant lands throughout Europe and the colonies
Jonathan Edwards
A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God (1737)
John Wesley
Methodists
George Whitefield: “new birth”
Religious groups that gained popularity:
Methodist
Baptist
Presbyterian 2

6. The Rise of the Assembly and the Governor
In all 13 colonies, settlers elected their assembly (common man)
Three-fourths of free adult white men in colonies could vote (vs. one-third in England)
Assemblies gain power at expense of councils (more aristocratic)
Royally appointed governors: success dependent on winning over assembly
“Factions” (political parties) universally condemned in colonies
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7. The Danger of Slave Revolts and War with Spain
Mose (Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose): 1738
Francisco Menéndez
Stono Rebellion: South Carolina (1739)
Black citizens of Mose dispersed by Georgia Governor James Oglethorpe
Oglethorpe defended Georgia: Colonies again safe haven for liberty, property, slavery; no popery
New York conspiracy trials
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8. The Albany Congress: June 1754
Intercolonial congress that met in Albany, NY
Keep Six Nations (Iroquois) neutral
Benjamin Franklin and the Albany Plan
President General – appointed by Crown
Grand Council – 3-year term; members elected by colonial assemblies
Raise soldiers, build forts, levy taxes, deal with Indians, administer territories
Rejected by all 13 colonies
Centralized relations with Indians
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9. French and Indian War: 1756 - 1763
Territorial dispute with France
Frontier war scattered Britain’s superior resources
Tensions between Redcoats and Provincials
William Pitt, war minister, solves some problems
By 1758, Britain finally had a military force capable of overwhelming New France
Cooperation between redcoats and provincials
Peace between Indians and British 1758
Quebec 1759
Marquis de Montcalm and the Plains of Abraham
Spain (French ally) neutral until 1762
British forces took Havana and Manila in the Philippines
France and Spain sued for peace
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10. The Peace of Paris: 1763 Ended the French and Indian War
Britain returned Martinique and Guadeloupe to France
France surrendered some West Indian islands and mainland North America (including Canada) east of Mississippi to Britain
Havana returned to Spain, Florida ceded to Britain
France gave New Orleans and lands west of the Mississippi River to Spain
Indians angrily rejected peace settlement and France’s surrender of their lands to Great Britain
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