Chapter 3: Society and Culture in Provincial America Flashcards
Population increase
In the seventeenth century non-native population on colonial America began to see in increase in population. New England saw a increase in life expectancy rates due to a “cooler climate, and the relatively disease free environment it produced, clean water, and the absence of large population centers that might breed epidemics”(72). In the south, high mortality rates, the prevalence of salt-contaminated water, and the outbreaks in disease limited population growth only to the result of immigration. Another factor that contributed to the growth in population was the balancing of sex ratios, going from mostly male to about the ratio in England, where women were slightly the majority.
Flow of indentured servants declines
Indentured servitude began to see a decline in the 1670’s as a decrease in the English birth rates and an increase in English prosperity reduced the pressures on many men and women who otherwise have considered emigration.
Immigration of Huegnots
After France revoked the Edict of Nantes–a royal proclamation that allowed them to practically become a state in Roman Catholic France–in 1685 many Huegenots began leaving the country. But only a small portion traveled to the English colonies.
Migration of Palatinate Germans to North America Begins
After the rejection of many religious policies in 1685, Germans. Catholics, and Protestants suffered from the devastating wars against Louis XIV of France. More that 12,000 sought refuge in England and about 3,000 found their way to the America’s. The German that migrated found their way to pennsylvania where they became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch.
John Peter Zenger
A New York publisher tried in 1734-35 for criticizing William Cosby( the British Royal Governor of New York). Zenger was defended by Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton. Hamilton successfully defended Zenger which resulted in a verdict that ruled criticisms of the government were not libelous if factually true.
Concepts of Law and Politics
- The Zenger trial (1734-35) allowed allowed extended freedom of the press.
- American’s created a group of institutions of thier own that gave them a large measure of self-government.
- Provincial governors appointe by the crown had broad powers on paper, but in fact thier influence was sharply limited.
- Governships were based on patronage appointments, a governenor could be removed anytime his patron in England last favor.
- Most governors were Englishmen not familiar with the colonies they were meant to govern. They came to the colonies for the first time to assume thier offices.
The Colonial Economics: The Southern Economy
- The Cheasapeake region thrived in hte production and cultivation of tabacco. In 1640 Tabacco saw a major decrease in price and continued to rise and fall after that.
- Georgia and North Carolina profitted from the mass cultivation of rice (and indigo after 1740). These colonies heavily benefitted from the use of African Slave labor becuase they were more adept at the cultivation of rice and could withstand the harsh conditions of the rice fields.
The Colonial Economics: Northern Economic and Technological Life
- The economy of the nothern colonies was based on farming but to a smaller extent than its counterparts–the middle and southern colonies.
- Colder weather and hard,rocky soil made it difficult for colonists to develope large scale farms
- New England colonist also engaged in a certain amount of industry at home, which would sometimes offer surplus goods that could have been traded or sold.
- Craftmen and Artisans established themselves in towns as cobblers, blacksmiths, riflemakers, cabinetmakers, silversmiths, and printers.
- Metal industries were more prominent in the north than anywhere else in the colonies, but they were not a thriving business. The Iron Act of 1750 restricted metal proccessing in the colonies which held back the iron works companies from thriving as they did in England.
The Colonial Economies: The Extent and Limits of Technology
pg 84-85
The Colonial Economies: The Rise of Colonial Commerce
pg 85-86
The Colonial Economies: The Rise of Consumerism
pg 86-87
The Great Awakening
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The Puritan Community
- The main social unit in puritan commmunities was the town, binding all residents to religous and social commitment to unity and harmony.
- Towns were arranged such that the size and location of farms were based on the family’s wealth, number of members, and thier social station. However, the families normally lived close to the village with neighbors nearby.
- Each town had a “meetinghouse” were adult males were permitted to participate in the local governments of thier towns. But even within the member social distinctions remained based on thier membership to the church.
- Puritan villages were mostly based on patriarchal relations. Males were(in theory) the head of the families. The land the father owned was distributed between all of the sons–daughters did not recieve any land but they did reciece dowries.
- The sence of community within the puritan villages began to disintegrate when the distruted land began to run low, forcing many fourth/fifth generation sons to look outside of the villages for more extensive land properties.
The Begginnings of Slavery in British America
- “Middle Passage”: the journey from west Africa to the America’s
- The first black laborers arrived in the America’s in the 1620’s and began to increase after then. But most of the slaves transported were sent to South American sugar plantations.
- In the 1670’s traders started importing slaves directly ffrom Africa (as a contrast to before were slaves usually spent some time in the west Indies before travelling to the America’s)
- A turning point in the African population in America came in the 1690’s when the Royal Africa Company of England’s monopoly finally broke.
The Rise of Colonial Commerse
