Mercantilism

What you need to know

• Mercantilism• Navigation Acts• Loss of Massachusetts Charter /

transition to royal colony• Triangular trade & Middle Passage• Growth of African American population in

the south• How African Americans held on to their

culture

Mercantilism

• Main economic theory of the time

• 2 goals:• Main goal of a country is self-sufficiency• Need to get as much gold & silver as

possible

Mercantilism

• Focus mainly on balance of trade• Are exports higher than imports?• If they are, you’re getting more gold from

other countries than you’re spending

Mercantilism

• Strategy:• Colonies are for raw materials• Home country creates manufactured goods• Home country sells finished goods

around the world (inc. to colonies)

Mercantilism

• American colonies had been doing business w/other countries

• More customers = more money

• Angered British

Navigation Acts—1651

• Prohibited colonies from selling goods to anyone but British• Sent in British ships w/ British crews• Sent into British ports

Reaction to Navigation Acts

• Some colonial businessmen resented the restrictions• Rules cut into their profits• They started smuggling goods

Reaction to Navigation Acts

• Massachusetts merchants were the worst about defying the rules• Puritans hated the king—didn’t think

they had to follow the rules• British let it go for about 30 yrs

Reaction to Navigation Acts

• 1684—King Charles II cracked down on colonies• Revoked Massachusetts’ charter• Made it a royal colony—directly

answerable to king

Dominion of New England

• Temporarily set up all northern colonies as one single colony

• Made Sir Edmund Andros governor• Universally hated

Glorious Revolution—1688

• British king replaced by Parliament• Colonists copied Parliament, arrested

Andros

• Parliament revoked Dominion of New England / restored individual colonies

Restoration of Massachusetts

• Massachusetts received charter again• King selects governor• Must have religious freedom• Non-puritans must have representation

Salutary neglect

• England stopped paying attention to colonies for several years

• Concentrated on rivalry w/France

• Let colonies self-rule as long as they were making a profit for Britain

The Southern Economy

Southern plantations

• Plantations were self-sufficient

• No need for cities—few in the south• Main one was Charleston, SC

Southern plantations

• Cash crop—crop grown for profit• Most plantations only grew 1 cash crop• Tobacco – VA and NC• Rice or indigo – SC and GA

Southern society

• Planters were small % of population but had most of the income• They controlled politics and society

• Small farmers were the majority of the white population, had little say

Before slavery was big

• Natives made bad workers• Disease• Deserted easily

• Indentured servants• Reports of mistreatment dropped # of

willing indentured servants• Increased price b/c of lack of supply

Slavery in American South

• Higher price of indentured servants increased demand for slaves

• Number of African slaves in South:• 1690 – 13,000• 1750 – 200,000

Triangular Trade

Middle Passage

• Newly enslaved Africans’ trip from African continent to Americas

• Treated like cargo on ships• Branded, packed tightly into very small

areas on ships• Many died from disease or cruel

treatment

Slaves in American South

• 80-90% were field workers• Plantations – overseen by field

bosses• Small farms – often worked beside owners

• Some were trained as artisans and rented out

Slaves in American South

• Owners could treat them any way they felt necessary• Murder of slaves was not illegal if it

was called “punishment” by owner

African American Culture

• Slaves held onto ancestors’ culture• Difficult when families are broken up

• Arts & crafts• Music & dance• Food

Slave revolts

• Slaves rebelled however they could• Breaking tools• Faking illness• Work slowdowns• Ran away

• Sometimes joined with Native tribes

Stono Rebellion—1739

• Largest slave uprising prior to American Revolution

• Open revolt against slave owners• SC slaves killed planters, marched

toward Spanish Florida• Local militia battled, executed them

What you need to know

• Mercantilism• Navigation Acts• Loss of Massachusetts Charter /

transition to royal colony• Triangular trade & Middle Passage• Growth of African American population in

the south• How African Americans held on to their

culture

The Northern Economy

What you need to know

• Development of northern colonies• Salem Witch Trials• Enlightenment• Great Awakening

Northern farms

• Weather & soil make farms smaller• No plantations

• More variety of crops than south• Sold excess of crops to West Indies

• In exchange for sugar/molasses

Northern merchants

• Large industries:• Lumber yards• Grist mills• Fisheries

• Handled sale of goods for farmers• Industry created strong economy

Northern merchants

• Merchants were most politically and socially influential people

• Required skilled workforce• Education important

• Bigger cities needed for merchants

Immigrants

• More important in north than south—more opportunity• Easier to work your way up in north

• More job opportunities in cities• More religious freedom than home

country

Immigrants

• Majority of early immigrants:• Germans• Scots-Irish

• English in north concerned that immigrants would ruin society

Slaves in north

• Crops grown in north (corn/wheat) required less labor

• Fewer slaves were needed• Treated better than in south (but still badly)

Salem Witch Trials 1692

• Girls accused slave woman of being a witch, then accused other women

• Everyone panicked• Impossible to prove innocence• If someone was accused, they’d accuse

others to get lesser punishment

Women’s rights

• They didn’t really have any

The Enlightenment

• Belief that reason & science can be used to obtain knowledge

• Rational explanations for natural phenomena• World run by mathematical laws, not chance

• Puritans believed everyone should read bible—very high literacy rate

The Great Awakening

• Early 1700s – b/c of $ prosperity –church attendance was low

• Puritans wanted ppl back into church• Traveling ministers held tent revivals

in small towns all over north

The Great Awakening

• Revivals led to people becoming more active in churches

• Inc. popularity of various protestant churches (not just Puritans)

Jonathan Edwards• Influential

evangelist

• “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”• Famous sermon

scared people about God’s wrath

Great Awakening & Education

• As church membership grew, more ministers needed

• Many major colleges & universities built for training ministers

What you need to know

• Development of northern colonies• Salem Witch Trials• Enlightenment• Great Awakening