CHAPTER 4

The Bonds of Empire, 1660-1750 1. How did the Glorious Revolution shape

relations between England and its North American colonies?

2. What factors contributed most significantly to the

growth and prosperity of the British mainland colonies?

3. What factors explain the relative strengths of the

British, French, and Spanish empires in North America?

4. What were the most significant results of the Enlightenment and Great Awakening in the British colonies?

Rebellion and War, 1660-1713

Royal Centralization, 1660-1688English kings Charles II and James II took

control of the British colonies by creating

the royal colony of New Hampshire (1679),

making Massachusetts a royal colony (1684),

and creating the Dominion of New England

In 1686-1688.

Sir Edmund Andros was

the royally appointed

governor of this new

“supercolony”

Rebellion and War, 1660-1713

The Glorious Revolution, 1688-1689In 1688, William and Mary (Protestant/Anglican) oust James II (Catholic) who fled to France

They set up a limited monarchy in England

They dismantled the Dominion of New England, but kept a little more control than before the Dominion was created (esp. in Massachusetts)

They reestablished representative govt. and religious freedom (for Protestants)

The goal in the colonies was to have voluntary allegiance rather than involuntary submission

Rebellion and War, 1660-1713

A Generation of War, 1689-1713King William’s War (1690-1697): England vs. France

In America: mostly border wars with New France, lost some allegiances from the Iroquois Confederacy

Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713): England vs. France and Spain

In America: Colonists realized they were weak

So… these wars showed that the colonists were

militarily weak and still

dependent on their mother

country = renewed loyalty to

Britain

Colonial Economies and Societies,1660-1750

Mercantilist Empires in AmericaMercantilism worked well for Britain (and its

colonies)

It didn’t work so well for France and Spain

Many colonists (British, French, and Spanish) just

ignored the mainland’s policies and did their

business privately

MERCANTILISM

Colonial Economies and Societies,1660-1750

Mercantilist Empires in AmericaBRITISH NAVIGATION ACTS

• 1651: Trade only allowed on British (including colonial) ships

• 1660: Banned sale of certain items (i.e. sugar, tobacco, rice, furs) to foreign countries unless they first passed through England

• 1663: Placed high taxes on products bought outside the British Empire (i.e. French molasses)

These Acts inadvertently helped the colonists by increasing the colonial merchant marine, shipbuilding industry, and urbanization around port cities

Colonial Economies and Societies,1660-1750

Population Growth and Diversity1700 1750English: 250,000 1,170,000 (20% were slaves)

French: 15,000 60,000

Spanish: 4,500 19,000

WHY???English: open to all Europeans

focus on families

French: open to French

traders and missionaries

Spanish: open to Spanish

soldiers and missionaries

Colonial Economies and Societies,1660-1750

Population Growth and DiversityBritish colonies had growth both from natural increaseand from immigration

Majority of European immigrants were poor and/orindentured servants (still)

This is where they ended up

There was also a huge increase in slaves, but way more slaves were still headed to the West Indies rather than America

Colonial Economies and Societies,1660-1750

Rural White Men and WomenFarming wasn’t a lucrative career choice

Most farmers were in debt for most of their lives

An increasing number of young men turned

away from farming and looked to the frontier,

port cities, or the high seas for a livelihood

Colonial Economies and Societies,1660-1750

Colonial Farmers and the EnvironmentRapid deforestation caused…

• Removal of forest animals

• Addition of field animals

• Warmer summers and colder winters

• Unstable water levels in streams

• Huge decrease in fish population

• Dry and hard soil

To make matters worse, the famers rarely

used any fertilizers or methods to

replenish the soil, such as crop rotation

Colonial Economies and Societies,1660-1750

The Urban Paradox• Only 4% of colonists lived in cities, however…

• They became overcrowded

• There was poor sanitation

• This caused the spread of disease and early deaths

• There was high unemployment

• The wealth was highly concentrated

Colonial Economies and Societies,1660-1750

SlaveryYou know the conditions… very harsh

• Slaves worked from about 7 yrs. old ‘til death• Men and women both performed hard labor• What little time they had “off” work, they used

to tend their own crops• Rebellions were usually quickly and brutally suppressed by the fearful

whites, such as the…

STONO REBELLION (1739) in South Carolina

Colonial Economies and Societies,1660-1750

The Rise of the Colonial ElitesThe 18th century colonial elites began to show off their wealth by imitating the upper-crust Europeans

• Huge mansions

• Refined manners

• Fancy clothes

• Rode in carriages

• Expensive material goods

• Well-educated

This led to even more of a

desire by the colonists to

acquire British consumer goods

Competing for a Continent, 1713-1750

France and the American Heartland1718: France founds New

Orleans and makes

it the capital of

Louisiana

French had better relations

with the Indians than the

British, but not great

French success was often

dependent on their relations

with the Indians

Competing for a Continent, 1713-1750

Native Americans and British ExpansionBritish continued their alliance with some Indians (i.e. Iroquois), but mostly either killed them or dislocated them…

Tuscarora War (1711-1713):

Dislocated the Tuscarora Indians out

of Carolina (North)

Yamasee War (1715-1716):

Dislocated the Yamasee Indians out

of Carolina (South)

Competing for a Continent, 1713-1750

British Expansion in the South: GeorgiaFounded in 1732; led by James Oglethorpe

• Set up to be a haven for British debtorsand a buffer colony from Spanish Florida

• No landholdings of over 500 acres• No alcohol• No representative government• No slavery!

– Degraded blacks (according to Oglethorpe)– Made whites lazy– No slave revolts (near Spanish Florida)– Wouldn’t help poor whites recover from debt

Georgia didn’t really succeed until they let inslaves (1750) and large landholdings (1754)

Competing for a Continent, 1713-1750

Spain’s Borderlands

Very sparsely populated

in NM, TX, and FL

They started having

better relations with the

Indians

They offered freedom to

any English-owned

slaves who made it to

FL and became Catholic

The Return of War, 1739-1748The War of Jenkins’ Ear/King George’s War (1739-1748)

This was mainly a war between Englandand France, but it spilled over to NorthAmerica like prior European wars

The main engagement in North Americawas when New Englanders captured theFrench fort at Louisbourg

After the war, the British gave it backwhich improved international relations,but kinda ticked off the New Englanderswho fought so hard… for nothing!

Competing for a Continent, 1713-1750

Public Life in British America,1689-1750

Colonial PoliticsAfter the Glorious Revolution,

the power shifted from here

to here

because of this

Only white men could vote and colonial politics were dominated by the

wealthy elite; yet it was still more democratic than in England

Public Life in British America,1689-1750

The EnlightenmentBased upon logic, reason, and science

Epitome of Enlightenment in America was…

More popular in cities (that’s

where the educated people were)

Many Enlightenment thinkers

trusted in reason over the Bible

and were Deists – they believed

in God, but that He set things in

motion and then stopped

intervening

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Public Life in British America,1689-1750

The Great Awakening(1730s – 1740s)

Jonathan Edwards – “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

George Whitefield

New Lights: Old Lights:Emotional Rational

Repentance Human Improvement

Enthusiastic Reserved

Decrease: Quakers & Anglicans (Old Lights)

Increase: Baptists & Presbyterians (New Lights)Colleges (Old & New Light)

Also: Crossed racial and gender lines