17th century colonial society - white plains middle school...17th century colonial society •...
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17th Century Colonial Society
• Warm-Up:• Period 2: 10 Minute Quick Write
• Period 4: Take 5 minutes to read through the notes on Colonial Society. Create three questions that you would like answered about this topic.
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• Essential Questions: – How did differences in values affect
distinct American subcultures in the Chesapeake, Southern, New England, & Middle colonies?
– What were the roles of women and the family in colonial America? Did they differ by region?
– How and why did African slavery get started in North America? What did slavery mean for African culture?
Life in 17th CenturyEnglish Colonies
The Economic, Social, & Political Culture of the English Colonies
What did the
English colonies look like in 1650?
What did the English
colonies look like at the end of the 17th century?
Colonial Society in the 17th Century:
New England
Families in New England
• New England society was much more stable than other colonies:– New England Puritans migrated to America as
families– Marriage was easy as most people shared
common values– Colonists lived longer due to more a dispersed
population, purer water, & a cooler climate
Families in New England
• New England society was much more stable than other colonies:– New England Puritans migrated to America as
families– Marriage was easy as most people shared
common values– Colonists lived longer due to more a dispersed
population, purer water, & a cooler climate
Towns became networks of intermarried families
Families in New England
• New England society was much more stable than other colonies:– New England Puritans migrated to America as
families– Marriage was easy as most people shared
common values– Colonists lived longer due to more a dispersed
population, purer water, & a cooler climate
Possibly the 1st society in history to reasonably expect to live long enough to see their grandchildren
Families in New England
• New England society was much more stable than other colonies:– New England Puritans migrated to America as
families– Marriage was easy as most people shared
common values– Colonists lived longer due to more a dispersed
population, purer water, & a cooler climate
Possibly the 1st society in history to reasonably expect to live long enough to see their grandchildren
New England “invented” grandparents
Education in New England New England towns regarded education as
fundamental family responsibility; towns began to create elementary schools funded with local taxes: NE had, by far, the highest literacy rate in America In 1638, Harvard became America’s first college
Family Life in New England
Patriarchal Society – the father was boss of the family, and society in general The female was to a subservient and obedient wife
and a loving mother Children endured a strict upbringing through
corporal punishment, plentiful chores, and apprenticeships Laws established systems of public education that
ensured the basic education of children
Women in New England
Was the colonial era the “golden age” for women? Women contributed to society as wives & mothers,
devout church members, & ran small-scale farms But were not equals with men:
Women could not legally own or sell property; divorce difficult
Women did what God ordained
Religion in New England
Since most New England colonies were founded on a belief that the colony existed through a ‘covenant’ with God, religion and state were often one and the same Local town governments ensured the good order of
Puritan society Suffrage rights and political opportunities commonly
depended on one’s membership in the local church
Strong Puritan Ideals, or the Lack Thereof…
The founders of the New England colonies were devout Puritans with strict beliefs in predestination and ‘visible sainthood’
Growing education and secularization of society eroded these strict Puritan beliefs and subsequent generations began losing touch with the church…
Strong Puritan Ideals, or the Lack Thereof…
In order to save their dwindling church congregations, New England ministers developed the Halfway Covenant Individuals could become ‘halfway saints’
Members of the Puritan church who did not visibly attest to their salvation
The children of halfway saints would be allowed the opportunity to become full saints in the Puritan church
This Halfway Covenant would play an important role in the later Great Awakening…
Triangular Trade
Though there were no plantation elite in New England, there did arise a powerful merchant class The New England merchants profited from
shipping manufactured rum, and other goods received from Southern colonies and the Indies, to Africa to be exchanged for slaves
Social Hierarchy in New England
Social Hierarchy in New England
Local gentry of religiously devout families guided
town meetings
Social Hierarchy in New England
Local gentry of religiously devout families guided
town meetings
Large population of yeomen farmers loyal
to the local community
Social Hierarchy in New England
Local gentry of religiously devout families guided
town meetings
Large population of yeomen farmers loyal
to the local community
Small population of landless laborers, servants, & poor
Social Hierarchy in New England
Local gentry of religiously devout families guided
town meetings
Large population of yeomen farmers loyal
to the local community
Small population of landless laborers, servants, & poor
NE churches focused on its members; outsiders were not welcomed & often moved away
The Diverse Middle Colonies
The Middle Colonies were a mixture of Southern and New England societies There were both large landowners who grew
cash crops and also wealthy merchants who controlled growing cities
There was broad religious diversity Quakers, Catholics, Anglicans, Puritans, etc…
There were diverse ethnic backgrounds English, Scots-Irish, Dutch, German, Swiss,
etc…
Opportunities in the Middle Colonies
As most immigrants came to America in search of economic opportunity, in the Middle Colonies they were most likely to find it… Opportunities were not limited to ethnic
background in the diverse Middle Colonies Most became farmers, but many also found
opportunities to become artisans in rapidly expanding cities such as Philadelphia and New York
Colonial Society in the 17th Century:
The Chesapeake
Families in the Chesapeake “Normal, English” family life was impossible in
Virginia: 70-85% of immigrants were young male indentured
servants High death rate (average age was 10-20 years lower
than NE) One married spouse often died within a decade Children often never knew their parents (let alone
grandparents)
Women in Chesapeake Society
Scarcity gave some women bargaining power in the marriage market; allowed some women to improve their social status
But women were vulnerable: sexual exploitation Childbearing was dangerous Chesapeake women died 20 years earlier than women
in New England
Life in the Early South
Due to their few numbers women were able to gain broad social and legal rights, as well as wealth Due to the short life spans women were commonly
able to marry many times due to the death of husbands these many marriages would allow them to gain large estates
With their material power came social and political influence
Social Hierarchy in the Chesapeake
Tobacco was the basis of wealth & cause of
social inequalities
Social Hierarchy in the Chesapeake
Tobacco was the basis of wealth & cause of
social inequalities
The plantation gentry dominated society &
the House of Burgesses
Social Hierarchy in the Chesapeake
Tobacco was the basis of wealth & cause of
social inequalities
The plantation gentry dominated society &
the House of BurgessesFree farmers were largest class; Came as indentured
servants; most lived on edge of poverty
Social Hierarchy in the Chesapeake
Tobacco was the basis of wealth & cause of
social inequalities
The plantation gentry dominated society &
the House of BurgessesFree farmers were largest class; Came as indentured
servants; most lived on edge of poverty
Indentured servants were often mistreated & cheated out of land
Social Hierarchy in the Chesapeake
Tobacco was the basis of wealth & cause of
social inequalities
The plantation gentry dominated society &
the House of BurgessesFree farmers were largest class; Came as indentured
servants; most lived on edge of poverty
Indentured servants were often mistreated & cheated out of land
African slaves
Chesapeake Culture
By 1680, social mobility in the Chesapeake was limited: An American-born elite class had emerged (this
social aristocracy was absent earlier) The plantation economy & ownership of slaves
allowed the gentry to produce more tobacco High death rates halted the development of schools
& towns
Life in the Early South
Due to the fact that there were very few large towns public education never came to be an important issue Rural and sporadic small-town society Illiteracy was very common The education that did take place was primarily given
by either private tutors or educated parents For higher levels of schooling children were sent
overseas to European institutions
Split Southern Society
The head right system quickly created a society split between poor freed farmers (former indentured servants) and wealthy plantation owners
Over half of settlers in the southern colonies were indentured servants…
Small farmers were kept poor by… Falling tobacco prices due to overproduction Poor land High taxes
Family Life in the South
Life was very isolated due to the scattering of families on farms and plantations
Children were much less disciplined than in the New England region, and of course less educated
Women did not have to perform manual labor, but in some rare cases they did run the plantation
The Anglican Church was the established religion of the region
Non-English in the South
The Scotch-Irish developed a strong presence in… North Carolina due to its open policy of granting
lands and its open-minded, democratic society Georgia in the 1750’s after the cheap lands of the
tidewater regions were exhausted in Virginia and South Carolina
Colonial Society in the 17th Century:
African Slaves
Roots of Slavery
The importation of African slaves was based on a “need” for labor:– Indians decimated by disease– Indentured servant-pool waned after 1660
An estimated 11 million slaves (mostly males) were brought to the English American colonies
Roots of Slavery
Slaves were originally treated as indentured servants but the growing black population in VA by 1672 prompted stricter slave laws:– Africans were defined as slaves for life; slave
status was passed on to children – By 1700, slavery was based exclusively on skin
color
Origins & Destinations of African Slaves, 1619-1760
The Slave Population• In the Chesapeake & Southern colonies
with large black populations, slaves found it was easier to maintain African culture
• By 1720, the African population became self-sustaining:– Fertility rates exceeded immigration rates for
1st time– Did not occur in the Caribbean or in South
America
The Slave Population• In the Chesapeake & Southern colonies
with large black populations, slaves found it was easier to maintain African culture
• By 1720, the African population became self-sustaining:– Fertility rates exceeded immigration rates for
1st time– Did not occur in the Caribbean or in South
America
60% in SC40% in VA
The Slave Population• In the Chesapeake & Southern colonies
with large black populations, slaves found it was easier to maintain African culture
• By 1720, the African population became self-sustaining:– Fertility rates exceeded immigration rates for
1st time– Did not occur in the Caribbean or in South
America
60% in SC40% in VAFree & enslaved blacks were much less numerous in NE & Middle colonies
The Slave Population
• Widespread resentment of their slave status led to resistance in the 18th Century:– Armed resistance such as the Stono Rebellion of
1739 (SC)– In 1741, 106 slaves were hanged or deported
due to a rumor that slaves planned to burn NYC– Runaways were common
The Slave Population
• Widespread resentment of their slave status led to resistance in the 18th Century:– Armed resistance such as the Stono Rebellion of
1739 (SC)– In 1741, 106 slaves were hanged or deported
due to a rumor that slaves planned to burn NYC– Runaways were common
150 blacks rose up and seized munitions hold killed & killed several white planters