1. Colonial Culture and Tension with England
Unit 1, Lesson 5

2. Africans in the Colonies
Slave Codes: These laws controlled slaves and kept them at a low status
Slaves could not own property, testify against whites, could not travel or assemble freely
Slaves worked long days performing hard labor and sometimes were beaten
Slave owners would sometimes break up families by selling off members
Slave Resistance:
Slaves would work slowly, pretend to be dumb, or run away
Stono Rebellion- in 1739, slaves in South Carolina rebelled against their owners
They killed 21 whites but were caught when they tried to escape to Spanish Florida
Slave Conditions and the Stono Rebellion

3. The Colonies Grow
By 1776, over 300,000 non-English immigrants had moved to the English colonies
Germans and Dutch moved to the middle colonies
The Scots-Irish, who had been oppressed by England, moved to the western frontier
Birth Rate Increases
In the 1700s, the population in the colonies grew rapidly
Families averaged seven children each, and even more in New England (Northern population grew faster)
The population doubled every 25 years, up to 2.5 million by the American Revolution in 1776
By 1776, most colonists had been born in America, NOT England

4. The Navigation Acts Colonists could only trade on English ships
England listed several products the colonists could ONLY sell to England
Navigation Acts: series of acts from , beginning of Mercantilism in the English colonies
The Navigation Acts established three rules:
Trade to and from the colonies could only be carried on English ships
All goods imported into the English colonies could only pass through English ports
The colonies could sell certain “enumerated” goods (tobacco) only to England

5. Colonies React to the Navigation Acts
The colonies felt these acts restricted their economies
Beginning of American resentment of English rule
Positive effects: 1) New England Shipbuilding expanded, 2) Colonial tobacco had a monopoly in England and 3) The British military protected the colonies from the French, Spanish and Indians
Negative effects: 1) limited colonial manufacturing, 2) low tobacco prices and 3) colonists paid high prices for manufactured goods
Beginning of American resentment/dislike of English rule

6. England Tightens its Grip
In 1686, English King James II merged the New England colonies together and put a governor-general, Sir Edmund Andros, in charge
This was meant to crack down on smuggling
Andros strictly enforced the Navigation Acts and higher taxes
The colonists’ relationship with England worsened
Town meetings were severely restricted, the local legislatures were disbanded and a council was created to assist Andros in governing the colony.
According to the book The Imperial Executive in America, it was the lack of local legislatures that became the biggest source of strife in the Dominion:

7. Loyalty to England Declines
By 1776, most people in the colonies had either been born in America or in a country other than England
England had passed many laws and committed actions the colonists hated
Respect for England’s authority declined

8. Glorious Revolution King James II removed from power
England created the English Bill of Rights, allowing free speech, jury trials, and ending “cruel and unusual punishment”
This foreshadowed the American Revolution/the American Bill of Rights
This foreshadowed the American Revolution and the American Bill of Rights

9. New Ideas: The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment emphasized logic, science, and reasoning
Many Enlightenment thinkers believed God let natural laws run the universe but had no personal relationship with humans

10. Enlightenment Thinkers
John Locke:
Natural Rights- rights people are born with, including the right to life, liberty, and property.
Govt rules at the consent of the governed
People should abolish a govt that doesn’t protect natural rights
Compact theory- govt exists as a compact with the people in order to protect natural rights

11. Enlightenment Thinkers
Baron Montesquieu:
Separation of Powers- division of govt into 3 branches—executive, legislative, and judicial
Checks and Balances- branches “check” each other’s power

12. The Zenger Case (1733)
John Peter Zenger was put on trial for criticizing the New York governor in the newspaper
Zenger was ruled not guilty
This related to government ruling by consent of the governed
Helped set the precedent of freedom of the press (1st Amendment)

13. New Ideas: The Great Awakening
A revival of Christianity in the colonies
Emotionalism was emphasized over rationalism and people were converted at large public revival meetings
The movement rejected traditional church authority and stressed a personal connection with God
Jonathan Edwards- called on people to repent or be sent to hell by an angry God
George Whitefield- preached emotional sermons with a booming voice

14. The Great Awakening Impact: American churches split into two groups
“Old Lights”- traditional authority
“New Lights”-emphasized personal religious experience over traditional church authority

15. Impact of Movements
The Enlightenment led Americans to feel England had violated their natural rights
The Great Awakening led Americans to question England’s traditional authority
These two movements made Americans prone to consider independence from England in 1776