The 13 Colonies II Flashcards
Timeline: Rule Britannia! The English Empire 1660-1763
1660: Charles II ascends English throne and Restoration begins. 1681: William Penn founds Pennsylvania Colony. 1688-1689: Glorious Revolution overthrows King James II. 1689: Bill of Rights establishes constitutional monarchy in England. 1733: James Oglethorpe founds Georgia for “worthy poor”. 1739: Slaves revolt in Stono Rebellion. 1741: Suspicious fires lead to New York Conspiracy Trails. 1754: French and Indian War (Seven Years War) begins. 1763: Treaty of Paris eliminates New France.
*Charles II and the Restoration Colonies*
After the English Civil War (1642-1651) and interregnum, England began to fashion a stronger and larger empire in North America. In addition to wresting control of New York and New Jersey from the Dutch, Charles II established the Carolinas and Pennsylvania as proprietary colonies. Each of these colonies added immensely to the Empire, supplying goods not produced in England, such as rice and indigo. The Restoration colonies also contributed to the rise in population in English America as many thousands of Europeans made their way to the colonies. Their numbers were further augmented by the forced migration of African slaves. Starting in 1651, England pursued mercantilist policies through a series of Navigation Acts (~1651-1696) designed to make the most of England’s overseas possessions. Nonetheless, without proper enforcement of Parliament’s acts and with nothing to prevent colonial traders from commanding their own fleets of ships, the Navigation Acts did not control trade as intended.
World Events and the Colonies - The English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642-1651) was a series of extremely violent armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists over, principally, the manner of England’s government. The Parliamentarians won and, constitutionally, the wars established the precedent that an English monarch cannot govern without Parliament’s consent, although the idea of Parliament as the ruling power of England was only legally established as part of the Glorious Revolution in 1688. This extremely bloody and chaotic war highly influenced the thinking of Thomas Hobbes.
World Events and the Colonies - Explain why King James II created the Dominion of New England
During the 1600s, there tended to be a struggle for economic power between the colonies and monarchy in Britain. Salutary neglect in the colonies occurred when parliament was in control, but when the monarchy was in control they wanted to rule with direct royal authority. In 1686, King James II created the Dominion of New England to regulate Massachusetts and over concern about French and Indian threats. The Dominion consolidated Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New Hampshire, and several independent settlements into one large colony. It was to be ruled by a president with an appointed council and no elected representatives. It ended with the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
World Events and the Colonies - The Dominion of New England and Edmund Andros
Edmund Andros was made leader of the Dominion from 1686 to 1688 after a local president was ineffective. He alienated just about everyone under his authority by demanding that Puritan churches hold services for the Church of England, attempting to unify the tax system across all of the colonies, raising taxes for residents of some colonies, restricting town meetings, and attempting to certify all land titles in order to charge rent. His actions were a factor in causing New England colonies to begin to align together politically. He was largely ineffective because of the colonies preference for salutary neglect.
*The Glorious Revolution and the English Empire*
The threat of a Catholic absolute monarchy prompted not only the overthrow of James II but also the adoption of laws and policies that changed English government. The Glorious Revolution restored a Protestant monarchy and at the same time limited its power by means of the 1689 Bill of Rights. Those who lived through the events preserved the memory of the Glorious Revolution and the defense of liberty that it represented. Meanwhile, thinkers such as John Locke provided new models and inspirations for the evolving concept of government.
World Events and the Colonies - 1688 Glorious Revolution
The 1688 Glorious Revolution was a remarkable event. The English Parliament managed to finish the job of subjugating the monarchy to parliamentary authority, a task which had begun with the civil wars of the 1640s (See ‘English Civil War’ 1642–1651). By displacing James II for William and Mary, on grounds that James II had transgressed against the rights of the people, the English parliament substantiated the theories of John Locke and others that the king had a binding, social contract with his people. In addition, the English managed to pass a Bill of Rights for its people, which guaranteed each English citizen a certain modicum of power which the monarchy could not touch - the first measure of its kind in Western Europe, and a landmark in English history.
World Events and the Colonies - Describe the Glorious Revolution and its effect on the American colonies
Following England’s Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Dominion of New England collapsed, and the colonial assemblies resumed power, bolstered by the English Bill of Rights. Edmund Andros was arrested and sent back to England and royal governors were deposed in favor of local leaders. The Dominion’s failure convinced many English authorities salutary neglect might be the best policy. In the subsequent decades, the colonial assemblies developed into more sophisticated legislatures that took the new English Bill of Rights seriously. By law, colonial assemblies became the legal means through which British citizens could be taxed, unless suspended with Parliament’s consent. When imperial policy conflicted with local interests, the colonial legislatures could simply vote down the taxes that were needed to fund whatever policy the royal governors were trying to enforce.
World Events and the Colonies - Britain’s Wars for Empire
American colonists fought on England’s behalf four times between 1689 and 1763, as England’s monarchy focused its efforts on wars with other empires. Each war increased resentment in the colonies for two reasons: The lack of respect paid to the American soldiers and the lack of regard paid to the colonies as a whole when it came time to sign treaties. More than once, territory they had fought for and won was returned to France.
World Events and the Colonies - Understand how conflict in Europe fueled immigration to America - Central European Immigrants
War in central Europe drove immigration from Germany in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Many were religious pacifists, such as Mennonites, Moravians, and Amish. Some sought political asylum. Others wanted to start a new life after everything had been destroyed. Some were recruited to be indentured servants promising a better life in America.
World Events and the Colonies - Understand how conflict in Europe fueled immigration to America - Scottish Immigrants
In 1707, the newly United Kingdom of Great Britain prompted large-scale immigration from Scotland. Many of the earliest Scots came for religious, economic, and agricultural reasons. A failed rebellion in 1745 caused a surge in immigration, especially into the frontiers, influencing America due to their high numbers and literacy. Perhaps most importantly, they brought their Presbyterian religion, providing an alternative to colonists who had turned their backs on the established churches of the English, Dutch, Catholics, and Puritans.
*Great Awakening and Enlightenment*
The eighteenth century saw a host of social, religious, and intellectual changes across the British Empire. While the Great Awakening emphasized vigorously emotional religiosity, the Enlightenment promoted the power of reason and scientific observation. Both movements had lasting impacts on the colonies. The beliefs of the New Lights of the First Great Awakening competed with the religions of the first colonists, and the religious fervor in Great Britain and her North American colonies bound the eighteenth-century British Atlantic together in a shared, common experience. The British colonist Benjamin Franklin gained fame on both sides of the Atlantic as a printer, publisher, and scientist. He embodied Enlightenment ideals in the British Atlantic with his scientific experiments and philanthropic endeavors. Enlightenment principles even guided the founding of the colony of Georgia, although those principles could not stand up to the realities of colonial life, and slavery soon took hold in the colony.
Intellectual and Social Revolution - Renaissance
The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature, and art. Some of the greatest thinkers, authors, statesmen, scientists, and artists in human history thrived during this era, while global exploration opened up new lands and cultures to European commerce. The Renaissance is credited with bridging the gap between the Middle Ages and modern-day civilization.
Intellectual and Social Revolution - The Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual, and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era. In northern and central Europe, reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Henry VIII challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice. They argued for a religious and political redistribution of power into the hands of Bible and pamphlet reading pastors and princes. The disruption triggered wars, persecutions, and the so-called Counter-Reformation (~1517-1648), which was the Catholic Church’s delayed but forceful response to the Protestants.
Intellectual and Social Revolution - Scientific Revolution
The Scientific Revolution, in the 16th and 17th centuries, drastically and irrevocably changed Western European science and philosophy by changing the fundamental views on the nature of knowledge. Rather than accepting revealed truths, specifically those revealed by the Christian church, on faith, the scientific method and its corresponding emphasis on observation and empiricism presented Early Modern thinkers with a new basis for knowledge, one which was tangible and could be demonstrated and reproduced. The discoveries they made, and most importantly the methodology these Early Modern thinkers developed, changed the course of Western history by ushering in the beginning of modern science.
Intellectual and Social Revolution - Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an intellectual movement which dominated the world of ideas in Europe in the 18th century. It was humanity’s growth into intellectual maturity. Kant and others claimed that, through scientific inquiry and an emphasis on reasoned discussion, mankind was finally able to think for itself rather than appealing to the authority of the Church, Greek philosophers, or other sources of supposedly revealed truths. Sociocultural constructs created or revived during this movement where freedom of the press, the rule of law, the health of dissent, pluralism, and tolerance.
Intellectual and Social Revolution - Age of Enlightenment - John Locke
John Locke (1632-1704) was an English Enlightenment philosopher who is often considered the ‘Father of Classical Liberalism’. In his ‘An Essay Concerning Human Understanding’ (1689) he formulated the concept of ‘tabula rasa’, meaning ‘blank slate’. In his ‘Two Treatises of Government’ (1689), he argued [first treatise] that no monarchy had a divine right to exist and kings held power by the luck of their birth. He then argued [second treatise] for his version of the social contract theory, which means the relationship between government and the governed is a binding ‘contract’ agreed to by both parties (enlightened absolutism). He believed that humans, when placed in a natural state, were generally good and wise. His thinking was influence by the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
Intellectual and Social Revolution - Age of Enlightenment - Baron de Montesquieu
Baron de Montesquieu’s (1689-1755) abhorrence of despotism and governmental corruption caused him to create the philosophical justification for a common feature of modern Western government: The separation of powers and the checks and balances system. These were meant to keep one branch of government from getting more powerful than another. (See also: Aristotle, “The Politics”, and Separation of Powers.)
Intellectual and Social Revolution - Age of Enlightenment - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) went so far as to say that society should be ruled by the ‘general will’ of the people, essentially advocating for democracy. This stood in contrast to the social contract theory. Political society is seen by Rousseau as involving the total voluntary subjection of every individual to the collective general will; this being both the sole source of legitimate sovereignty and something that cannot but be directed towards the common good.
Intellectual and Social Revolution - The American Enlightenment - Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Pain
Benjamin Franklin, arguably the single most important figure of the Enlightenment in America, printed inexpensive pamphlets and newspapers to spread the ideas quickly. He published ‘Poor Richard’s Almanack’ to entertain the colonists and instill Enlightenment values in them. Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called ‘Common Sense’ in language familiar to average Americans. It helped colonists better understand other Enlightenment philosophy and generated support for a revolution against British rule.
Intellectual and Social Revolution - The American Enlightenment - ‘Rational’ Christianity’ and Deism
A theology, known as ‘rational Christianity’, emerged. It taught that God gave humans the ability to reason, allowing them to understand and follow moral teachings, regardless of which religious group they belonged to. Religious tolerance became even more widespread. Many Americans moved toward Deism, a belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe.
Intellectual and Social Revolution - The American Enlightenment - Republicanism
The American version of republicanism combines concepts of reason, enlightened government, religious tolerance, and natural rights. (See U.S. Constitution - Article 4 - Section 4)
Intellectual and Social Revolution - The American Enlightenment - Legacy
The Enlightenment was a blueprint for a modern democratic society. The Declaration of Independence and constitutions of the U.S. cannot be separated from its ideals, especially John Locke. It also fostered values necessary for cooperative citizenship, such as patriotism, virtue, and personal rights. It defined freedom as a right within the context of citizenship and civic responsibility.
Stono Rebellion
Stono rebellion, large slave uprising on Sept. 9, 1739, near the Stono River, 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Charleston, S.C. Slaves gathered, raided a firearms shop, and headed south, killing more than 20 white people as they went. Other slaves joined the rebellion until the group reached about 60 members. The white community set out in armed pursuit, and by dusk half the slaves were dead and half had escaped; most were eventually captured and executed. The slaves may have been hoping to reach St. Augustine, Fla., where the Spanish were offering freedom and land to any fugitive slave. White colonists quickly passed a Negro Act that further limited slave privileges.
