British Imperial America

British Imperial and Colonial AmericaChapter 3

Colonial SurveyFurther ColonizationDuring the Restoration serious colonization resumed:CTincorporated 2 other colonies 1662Carolinasnorth separated 1691; south attracted slaves to drain swamps and work riceNYtransferred to royal status 1685NJunited under royal control 1702 (Delaware still attached)GAcarved from SC as buffer and utopian penal colony 1732MEattached to Mass Bay

Developing Society1700-1750 population rose to a millionTravel still cost about a years wagesMost people lived in countryside but cities were growing quickly, yet paled to London (700,000)Stratification increased with the wealth of some cities controlled by 5%Growing poor became more evident

Imperial MeddlingRevenue Act 1673 placed duties on exports from colonies after Navigation ActsColonists scuttled these restrictions1679 MA was denied access to NH land1684 MA charter annulled1686 CT and RI charters revokedMass. Bay and Plymouth become Dominion of New EnglandIncreased RestrictionJames II admired Louis XIVs authoritarianismNY and NJ added to DominionTown meetings banned in MassPublic Church of England worship encouragedPrevious land titles challenged, new titles granted for a fee

Glorious RevolutionJames abdicates in bloodless coup 1689 English Bill of Rights established Constitutional monarchy created based on Lockes Two Treatises on Govt (1691)Duties and regulations relaxed

Internal StrifeJacob Leisler led a Dutch militia to oust an Andros appointed Lt. Gov. Leisler turned oppressive and was hung and decapitatedAndros deportedGang of protesters in Maryland removed the Catholic govt making Church of England officialGlorious Revolution noticeably anti-Catholic Eternal ConflictFrench and British enter a constant state of war in late 17th to the fall of NapoleonKing Williams War(1689-1697)French attack New England from St. LawrenceQueen Annes War (1702-1713)British regain Hudson; gain Newfoundland, Nova Scotia; fighting in Mobile and CarolinasPart of War of Spanish Succession(1701-1714)Charles II has no heir and a conflict erupts over Hapsburg land between all partiesTreaty of Utrecht (1713) Britain gains Gibralter, recognition of Iroquois as British subjects, claim to OH and Miss. Valleys and contract to supply slaves

Enlightenment & Great Awakening

EnlightenmentFrom 1500s onwards scientific and intellectual knowledge spread from EuropePhilosophers and scientists promoted rational, natural, logical order and understandingDistinctly secularLocke, Montesquieu, FranklinGreat AwakeningRevival of Christianity also swept colonies 1720 - 1770John Wesley (GA), John Edwards (CT), Frelinghuysen (NJ), Tennant (Mid-Atl)Large enthusiastic crowds around powerful rhetoricSplit churches into old light and new lightChurches bore educational institutionsPrinceton (NJ Presby.), Columbia (NY Anglican), Brown (RI Bapt.), Rutgers (NY Dutch Ref.)Revivals and awakenings devolved power, challenged status and encouraged inclusion

QuakersSought to restore simplicity and spirituality to ChristianityRejected CalvinismFounded on the beliefs of Margaret Fell and George Fox arguing for believers inner lightNo ministers at meetings; converts would quake when possessedPenns Frame of Govt applied Quaker ideals to politics w/o a legal church

Religion for the RestCrowds mingled at revivalsBaptists allowed slaves to worshipGerman Moravians used Christs suffering to convert IndiansNatives generally began to reject colonial society and separate themselves

The Slave Economy

Foundations of SlaveryBritain came to rely more heavily on American tradeSugar, rum, tobacco, riceThese societies were organized around plantation economiesBy 1700 British supplanted Portuguese as slaversBy 1750 half of Britains exports came from sugar or tobaccoFoundationsSlave trade could bring 10 times the value of a purchased slave at marketGrowth of slave trade led to growth in related industriesShipbuilding, port construction, weapons, sugar, tobacco, rum, textiles, iron commercial expansion led to growth in Britains Navy

Slave LifeSlave system likely displaced 9-11 million Africans altering continental societiesWars and raids between states and rival groups contributed growing number of slavesMiddle Passage was brutalOvercrowding, little nutrition, unsanitary, punishments, 1 in 10 trips saw revolts; at least 1000 diedProbably a million died of sicknessDysentry, scurvy, measles, yellow fever, small pox Slave LifeConditions in New World were no better10 hours of work, shabby shelter, paltry diet, brutal discipline10 times cheaper to buy new slaves than care for themAfter Bacons Rebellion coastal Virginia and the Carolinas turned to slavery

Slave SocietyBy 1720 African slaves made up 20% of Chesapeake societyWithin 30 years, a third (3/4s were American born)Some owners purchase females for growth1692 VA law stated that English and Africans could not copulate1705 all non-Christian imports counted as slavesMid Atlantic SlavingMid Atlantic slaves fared better than Caribbean and Chesapeake counterpartsTobacco was less labor intensiveDisease didnt spread as easilyProfits were lower and care of slaves was necessary

Southern SlavingSC turned to profitable rice cultivationIn some areas 80% of population was slavesWork tougher, sun hotter, disease rampantTo discourage rebellion, diverse groups were needed from different parts of Africa

Life of a SalveMarriages began slowly, ethnic lines were crossedLanguages assimilated, created and even died off (Gullah, Geechee)Crafts, rituals were retained and syncretizedEducation and possessions limitedLashings, chainings, humiliations, amputations, movement restrictions Life of a SlaveResistance took all forms: fleeing, dodging work, slowing down, breaking tools, even violenceStono Rebellion (1739) in Chas., Sc saw large groups of slaves attack and kill at least 25 whitesAttempted to march to St. AugustineSubdued within 6 monthsLed to decline in slave importation

Developing Colonial Society

Northern SocietyLargest ports in the North closely linked to IndiesRum, fish, furniture, breadStable merchant class developedBy 1750s the largest cities neared 20,000 (Boston, NYC, Philly) the smaller at 10,000 (Chas., Newport)Nearly half of NE society was of the middling ranksOn the bottom were hordes of laborersNorthern LandPuritan women essential to the household economy, duty bound to be subservientLand was the most crucial assetThe frontier was always an option for more landPuritan society doubled in 25 yearsSociety broke down as inheritance dwindled, land was bought up and traditional methods of family control fell apartFamilies shrunk, frontier exploration expanded, yields increased and localized exchange grewMid Atlantic SocietyBetter land and growing season, mild climatePopulation quadrupled during early 18th Living conditions were diverse1 or 2 room houses, stone mansions, small farms, slaveholdingExcess labor availableQuaker dominated, banned slaveryGerman influx of Protestants Scots and Irish came tooSouthern SocietySociety was not just slave and masterMany gentry lacked aristocracy and connections to attain wealth and appointmentsAfter Bacons Rebellion taxes and voting restrictions lowered creating alliance and allegianceMore affluent competed with one anotherSons educated at best schoolsBrick mansions outward wealthMirror the wealthy of EnglandBackcountry SocietyInterior and rural communities were largely non-EnglishLess sophisticated and less connected to Atlantic economyIndependent spirit and closer to egalitarianLittle to no representation, few taxes or official justice Salutary NeglectThe commercial success of colonies might have led to more lenient colonial policies dubbed Salutary NeglectLocal assemblies controlled taxation and appointmentsParliament had no representatives from the colonies but had authority over themNot physical representation but virtual more voting age citizens reside in the colonies than in BritainWar!1600 2 million Indians east of Miss., 1700 250,000Drawn into the Atlantic economy, natives attacked one anotherWars over population evolved into wars over territoryStrategy of playing French and British off one another was frayingBorder disputes became frequent Georgia and Conflict GA subsidized as a buffer colony to protect SC riceIts proximity to FL and increased naval seizure likely led to conflictWar of Jenkins Ear (1739-1748) began as British assault on N FLSpain reinforced in GAOglethorpe ambushed Spanish units on St. Simons ended Spanish expansion in the SouthTreaty of Aix la Chappelle (1748) restored French and British possession, eliminated Spanish from New WorldBorder ConflictKing Georges War (1744-1748) FR, SPN/ ENGAmerican theater of War of Austrian SuccessionConflict over Nova Scotia and Ohio borderlands French had also began creating border fortifications linking Canada to Louisiana Largely fought by native allies without much aid from mother countriesBritish created OH Company in 1747 to counter French controlFrench and Indian War1754 Col. George Washington sent to protest French claims at Ft. DuquenseWashington was overwhelmed, surrendered 1755 Gen. Braddock attacked again and was killed70% casualty rateBritish sent reinforcements1756 French and Indian War for control of North America breaks out

7 Years WarShortly after conflict began a larger global war broke out (7 Years War)included Prussians, Austrians, Russians, French, British1763 Treaty of Paris gave British control of Canada, land south along Miss., all of Eastern North America Drove French from India, Martinique, Guadaloupe Drove Spanish from Cuba, Florida and the PhilipinesProclamation Line of 1763 prohibited settlement beyond Appalachians

Internal Conflict and the WarMany natives were alarmed at the new British DominionNeolin, a revivalist, advocated pan-Indian resistanceOttawa chief Pontiac led a rebellion from NY to MN Agreed to compromise and recognize British ascendancePaxton, PA settlers marched on Philly to demand anti-Indian militias

Colonial Economy in the AftermathBritish technology and output were growing quicklyAmericans extended more credit and bought 30% of British exportsAccess to credit allowed farming and business expansionColonists bought more consumer goods leading to a trade deficit and recessionLiving standards had increased but colonists were dependantLand, Land, LandEastern land became scarce; land disputes eruptedMore yeoman and tenant farmers headed inlandSC raids on property led to a vigilante groupThe RegulatorsSuppressed outlawsDemanded interior representationSought equal tax distribution

Land DisputesNC recession nearly bankrupted tobacco farmersCreditors took them to courtRegulator mobs resisted and demanded reformsRoyal Gov. suppressed leaving 30 dead and executing leadersRegulators were unable to take power from the elite, but did force concessionsRegulating TradeTrade and Navigation Acts highly regulated how colonies could tradeHat Act (1732) prohibited selling and exporting hats as well as hiring blacks in hat industrySugar and Molasses Act (1733) extra taxes on non British molasses Iron Act (1750) prohibited growth of iron industry outside of raw metals

Colonial EconomyColonists began to dominate Atlantic trade95% of continental and Caribbean traffic, 75% of AtlanticRelied on British credit saw a drain of cash to EnglandSmall banks began issuing currencyParliament Act (1751) prohibited establishment of banks and paying private debts with paper money