HIST 2111U. S. History I

Toehold to FootholdChapters 4-5

Mike “Wheels” Breakey

Questions

• Questions from last week?

Key Points from Week 1• Reasons for the demise of Mesoamerican native

cultures (at least 3)?• Which country led the age of discovery initially• Civilization discussion• Where was Portugal focused?• Where was Spain focused?• How did Spain lose the lead?• Were early English colonies homogenous?

Spanish and Portuguese Empires

DIME—what and WHY?• Diplomacy—how does this work again?

– Gunboat diplomacy?

• Information– Pro—truth and light (or perhaps OUR side)– Con—Propaganda (their side)– How can we tell the difference?

• Military– Pro—exercises and training = $$$– Con—Iron bombs on your head

• Economic– Pro—free and open trade, no tariffs– Con—Heavy sanctions, embargoes

Words of the day• Misnomer• A name wrongly or unsuitably applied to a person or an object.• Mercantilism• National policies of establishing colonies, a merchant marine, developing

industry/mining, and accumulating bullion in order to attain a favorable balance of trade.

• Enumerated Articles• Specifically sugar, tobacco, cotton, and indigo - that the colonies could export

only to England– Notice anything about these crops?

• Piedmont• A plateau region of the eastern US from New York to Alabama between the

Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coastal plain.

Indentured Servants Wealthy would pay for transport a young workers What did this do for the person paying the passage? Work for several years to pay off the debt of travel costs. During the indenture period the servants were not paid

wages, but were provided with food, accommodation, clothing and training.

The indenture document specified how many years the servant would work, after which they would be free.

Terms of indenture ranged from one to seven years with typical terms of four or five years.

The Headright System An attempt to solve labor shortages due to growing tobacco economy Large disparity between the amount of land available and the

population—although lands available is a misnomer Low supply of labor, resulting in the growth of indentured servitude

and slavery. Colonists who had already been living in Virginia were each given

two headrights of 50 acres (started just after Jamestown—1620ish) Immigrant colonists who paid for their passage were given one

headright Individuals would subsequently receive one headright each time they

paid for the passage of another individual. Do slaves count for 50 acres? Wealthy who imported lots of slaves = LOTS of land Does this solve the issue of lack of workers?

Map 3-3 p52

Which colonies look to be the most powerful in the future?

The Colonial Connection Goal was for the imperial country (in this case

England) to be self-sufficient—or at least closer England imported timber, cotton, wine, sugar,

tobacco, etc. Why timber—England is plenty green? Why cotton—what did they have for clothing?

Colonies DO help England reduce dependence on foreign countries Each your cheese you silly French!

Why was this so important?

Trade England had no coherent trade policy until 1650s

Remember, they were late to the game compared to Spain

1660: Navigation Acts passed Colonies exist for mother country’s benefit Trade must be in English vessels Trade must go through certain English ports Some colonial goods labeled “enumerated articles”

Mercantilism Object to increase a nation’s wealth Key was to create a favorable balance of trade

What does than mean?

Crown create favorable conditions for the crown!

Mercantilism in the Colonies Colonial Regions

Southern Middle New England

How did they differ? Merchants found South most profitable

Provided tobacco and rice

Cant live on tobacco and rice so… Southern region had to buy manufactured goods Continuous need for cheap labor

Tobacco most profitable “enumerated article”

The Middle Colonies Rich soil, long-growing season, deep rivers

Cities grew fast – Philadelphia and New York Economy

Mid-size commercial farms America’s “breadbasket” Some large estates Many owned a few slaves Trade relatively independent of England Farmers sold goods through city merchants who grew rich

and politically powerful Diverse population

Religious diversity produced tolerance Liberalism and cheap land made appealing to immigrants Dutch, Jews, French, Germans, Mennonites, etc.

The Tidewater

Chesapeake Bay area Huge estuary fed by smaller ones Allowed small ships to come inland Area of oldest plantations

Worked by white servants and black slaves Owned by few hundred planter families

Tobacco agents Ships provided variety of merchandise to buy Arrival took on festival atmosphere

Southern flavor

Map 4-1 p61

The First Families of Virginia

Planters (farmers) in charge Most of the Tidewater aristocracy related Six out of seven Virginians were indebted class That means 1 in 7 are really in charge

Lighthorse Harry Lee Fought with George Washington Son—Robert E Lee

R. E. Lee is married to Mary Custis Lee

Custis is Martha Washington’s maiden name

Tobacco’s Luster

Southerners enjoyed monopoly BUT

Excess planting leads to falling prices in 1660s This impacts smaller farmers!

Planters evade Navigation Acts Smuggling common and “respectable”

Remember, tobacco very hard on the soil

Conflict in the Piedmont Drop in tobacco prices wiped out many small farmers

who pushed west West at this stage is up toward the Appalachians

Piedmont settlers see Indians as enemies and become more aggressive in stopping Indian incursions Ask for help—FROM WHO?

Planters continue trading with Indians Virginia Governor Berkeley built defensive stockades

along frontier but they were easily bypassed by Indians Piedmont settlers wanted land from the natives!

Think DIME—what comes next?

Bacon’s Rebellion, 1676 Piedmont settlement leads to conflict with Indians Nathaniel Bacon Leads Piedmont Settlers against

Oconeechee tribe Tribe not hostile and actually wanted an alliance with

Virginia colonists Massacred

Bacon then leads force to Jamestown After arrest and release he temporarily gains control of

colonial government Bacon governed Virginia for several months in 1676

Bacon dies; revolt ends Conflict continues between classes—planters and piedmont

Virginia circa 1791

Big Spenders

Colonists want to live in European style Import goods from Europe

Planters copied English gentry Question—how do you become a Lord or a Royal?

Sent sons back to England for school Lavish lifestyle leaves many deeply in debt

How do you get out of debt?

The south…South Carolina Dominated by small, wealthy, intermarried,

landowning elite Grew rice and indigo year round

Both labor intensive crops heavily dependent on slave labor

Area prone to mosquito-borne disease Malaria and yellow fever African slaves resistant

We will see SC again at least twice before the Civil War

New England Lots o’ Puritans Long winters so short growing season

Lower disease rate Rocky soils

Glacial moraine Required intensive labor to clear land

Some Households had a few servants and slaves

Small family farms that fed themselves and a small surplus for neighboring towns but no large, wealthy plantations like Virginia

Less agriculture but more trade!

Yankee Traders

New England Crops Grain, squash, beans, orchards, nuts, and livestock What is different than southern crops?

Shipwrights Merchants, fishermen, and whalers Successful builders of ships

Commerce Competed with Britain Triangular patterns of trade

Yankee Traders

Triangle trade routes Rum from New England to west Africa Slaves from Africa to West Indies Sugar or molasses from West Indies to colonies

Other trade Produce and livestock to West Indies Tobacco to Britain

Those Yankees coined own money

How does this sit with the Crown?

Map 4-2 p67

The Dominion of New England King James II of England attempted to combine New

England into single colony Unpopular in Puritan areas WHY?

James II’s rule ended by Glorious Revolution of 1688 A revolt that ousted James II and brought monarchs William

and Mary assume throne in 1688 Encouraged the idea of popular revolts in colonies?

Massachusetts became a royal colony & combined with Plymouth

Governor now appointed by Crown, no election

Witchcraft Belief in witchcraft common in many New England

towns and villages including Salem, Mass Vulnerable members of society mostly accused

130 charged, 114 tried, 19 hanged

Most of Salem’s convicted witches were very poor or highly eccentric.

Those with a man of social standing to defend them were either not accused or were promptly acquitted.

Finally ended by Massachusetts governor after great damage to reputations of prominent people

Remember—God was a wrathful God back then

Map 5-1 p77

The Iroquois Confederacy

Most powerful of Eastern Indians At first warred among themselves Hiawatha formed Confederation Five Nations

Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk

Matrilineal society (matriarchy) Women choose tribal delegates Men more nomadic, women dominated many elements of

government Men moved to wife’s family home

Indians and Christianity

Some English colonists believed Indians were descendants of 10 lost tribes of Israel Wanted to bring them to true religion But wanted to recreate a “new” England which did not

have place for Indians A few Indians converted to Puritan Protestantism French and Spanish converted many

Catholicism was multi-cultural and adapted English colonists were nationalistic Religion was part of being English Protestants were usually literate and worship focused on

this—unavailable to illiterate Indians

The English Way?

English wanted to push Indians off of their land Illiteracy, indebtedness, failure, more of a character

flaw than bad luck or bad circumstance? If illiterate and/or poor—that was what you

deserved fro being lazy, shiftless, etc? The rich man is the better man?

DO we still see this in the threads of our society today?

Land Hunger and Trade Some English try to “buy” land

Indians do not really understand“owning” land Cant buy it—then what? Permanently changed landscape—timber anyone?

Even so, the English still trade with Indians Indians want manufactured goods: tools, weapons, textiles,

liquor English want food and fur Rivalry for furs created destructive inter-Indian warfare

Fur trade—here come the French Killed too many animals too quickly Destroyed animals and ecology Destroying the Indians way of life

WHAT COMES NEXT?

King Philip’s War 1675 Alliance of tribes try to stop colonial advance

Led by Wampanoag Chief Metacomet (“King Philip”) Not all natives side with King Philip but he is able to

overcome previous tribal issues to unite against a common enemy

Killed many Puritans War ends with leader’s death—head on a stick in Boston

Colonists considered Indians “savages” and racially inferior Banished all Indians Indians viewed colonists with disdain Colonists could adapt to Indian lifestyle Indians never accepted as equals in Euro-American culture

Manpower from Africa

Essential to economic development of America Mostly from Gulf of Guinea in West Africa Brought against their will as slaves – involuntary

immigrants?

Spanish used slavery in their colonies English had no tradition of slavery—what did they

have? Indentured servants and apprenticeships

SO—how did the appetite for slave labor develop?

Black Servants

Entered Jamestown in 1619 Treated as indentured servants

1624 New Netherlands New Netherlands and then (English) New York had high

numbers of African Americans BUT African Americans in N.Y. more likely to be domestic

servants or farmhands than slaves

Indentured servants initially cheaper than slaves

The Emergence of Slavery In Tidewater and South—laws start to change:

Durante vita (Latin for During Life) made servants for life Indentured servant for life = slave?

Race plays a part? Could make Africans slaves—not protected by English law Christianity was not seen as a reason to free black servant Harder for Africans to escape than white servants Children had status of mother—self perpetuating? Better economically for tobacco planters to have permanent

slave labor WAIT A MINUTE--White indentured servants cheaper to

buy and transport After 1700 this changes

Africans better able to survive malaria and yellow fever Economy of scale

The African Slave Trade Slaves traded for manufactured goods Slaving cooperative between Europeans and African

Slaves usually captured by enemy African tribes Get rid of my enemy AND make some money

Voyage to New World for slaves Inhumane—crammed into ships Preceded and followed by overland marches High death rates

10 millions slaves taken to New world 400 thousand to North America

Note: Draft of the DoI said life, liberty, and property —what property?

Map 5-2 p90

Point to ponder Hierarchy or caste system—each group will eventually chafe under the group above them and revolt in some fashion

Each revolution slower as we move down the scale because how much clout to the poor and disenfranchised have to rebel?

Looking ahead

As we look at the founding of the new nation—how does the idea of “all men are created equal” jive with slavery?

Next up is greater colonization, growth, and war—but not a revolution just yet.

Presentation selection by 4 February Based on class size—5 presentations by groups of three What I would prefer is to use some time next week to set

the teams and work on how to divide and conquer the presentation

Next week

Read Chapter 6 and early Georgia history links 1 and 2

Quiz on chapter 1-5 Look over glossary and remember key points we

covered at start of class today. 10 question, T/F, Multiple choice and 1-2 short

answer

Presentation selection?