Colonial Society Flashcards
Southern Society in the 17th Century
Families
Not very families to start, young single males, and then to indentured servants. High death rate and disease. Rare there were families. Demographics were scewed. Women were allowed to own property since many of their husbands died so they had a few more rights
Southern Society in the 17th Century
Tobacco
Tobacco. Impact on the soil was acid and use up the soil, they constantly looked for more land and territory to make money. Constant issues with tribes. Need indentured servants. The headright system, plantations are developed, few towns or cities because the plantations are so spread out, not enough population density. Profit tends to go right back into the soil to purchase more lands and more laborers.
Southern Society in the 17th Century
Conflict between Classes
Freedom dues, get a chunk of land after completeing the headright system, but they didn’t have enough land to give them land. Former indentured servants are pusehd out west, not having land of their own. East Vs. West Conflicts, (people who landed first, the wealthy vs. the poor indentured servants). Bacon’s Rebleiion 16776, nathaniel bacon march on Virginia on governor Berkley. Landless are running into natives and want them out of there. Governor Berkley doesn’t do anything about the conflict, so they attack the natives and march on Virginia. Impact is wealthy easterners realize that this isn’t a good idea, so they wealthy land owners look for a permanent source of labor instead of indentured servitude. Turning towards slave labor
Southern Society in the 18th Century
Slavery
Slavery expands greatly after 1680, because indentured servants came from the enclosure movement and unimployment, but after it gets better in England, not many people want to be indentured servants. Slave Codes- Barbadoes slave codes, bring it over to the colonies and it dehumanizes the slaves. Allow for small group to dominate larger population. 1689, royal african company, held a monooply on the slave trade but looses it. Opens the door for more companies to sell slaves. Prices was more competitive.
Growth of the Wealth gap
More slaves introduces the Widening of the wealth gap. Larger population were assistance farmers. You have the lesser professional men> Yeoman aFarmers (owning land)> Lesser tradesmen, manuel workers, hired hands> indentured servants and jailbirds> slaves
Slavery
Triangular Trade
Developes triangular trade/trans-atlantic trade.
Slaves in exchange for sugar and tobacco. You buy sothern goods in terms for finished products. West africa in the sail of rum in the sale of slaves. Fuels the economy for the columbian exchange. Creates a slave culture.
Middle passage
Trip of African Slaves from Africa to the NW
Tight Pack= more slaves=more money, tighter the pack, the higher chance for disease
Loose Pack= lesser conditions, but still bad
Kept bellow deck, some killed themselves by throwing them over the ship. Smell, disease. They were auctioned. Seperation of families, tribes, physical inspection where they inspect the Africans
Slave Life
13th colonies all have slaves. Southern colonies, Harvesting tobacco, temperature, labor required was more difficult as you go south. Plantations had more slaves and lived in communal cabins. Small farms were isolated, working side-by-side. Often times treated better on small farms. Marraige wasn’t recognized. Sing songs to pass time, some christian songs. Create their own languages. by 1775, 20-25% are slaves. Blending of tribes. Stono Rebellion, 1739, 50 slaves escape from South Carolina and want to escape to Spanish Florida. They are captured and it ends the rebellion.
New England Society 17th century
Communal Experience. Leave england with a religious purpose to settle as a community. 50 families=Schools, education important, it is to read the bible. 1636, Harvard as a minister school. Have churches, townhalls, schools, ect. Families were intact, lived longer, ten pregnancies,
New England Society 17th century
Women
Basically devoid of any rights. Patriarchichal. If your husband dies, his brother takes over the family, unlike the South. ROle in society was to be a mom and make a family.
New England Experiences Change
Communal DownTurn
1st generation relied on god and eachother, but as they started growing and experiencing economic success, the merchant class starts seperating themselves, wealth starts creating division in society. Wealth gap increases in New England. Population growth. High Birth Rate, People pushing further from town center. Church Membership declines. People don’t have to rely on god as much. Don’t want to be a visual saint.
New England Experiences Change
Reaction
Want people back into the church. 1650’s Jeremaids say if you didn’t repent, you’d burn in hell, Trying to use fear of god to get them back into the church. 1662, halfway covenant, you can still attend church if your parents were covenant, acting as a half-saint. Salem Witch Trials 1692, poorer women accusing wealthier women of being witches, means lack of religious zeal.
Great Awakening 1730-1740s
Causes
Lack of religious zeal, excitement. More belief power of god diminished. Thought it was boring, preaching was boring. Wealth gap, enlightenment forms some of the founding documents. Found through men, not through god. Rely on wisdom of men and not god
Great Awakening 1730-1740s
reactions
John Edwards, is an american preachers. Goes back to Jeremaid’s, fire of brimstone preacher, telling the people that they were going to burn in hell. Whitefield is an anglical preacher, more energetic and excited. Both were seen as Evangelical christian, spreading the word. Were trained preachers. The New Lights would have meetings and preach, but were false preachers. Not trained as preachers, but spread the message from town to town
Great Awakening 1730-1740s
Outcomes
Old Lighrts VS New Lights. Old ministers who were boring between new lights who were exciting. Splitting of congregation of christianity between this fight. Growth in baptists and Methodists. First shared american experience. Spread of christianity makes its way down the 13th colonies, impact from the great awakening
