chapter 5 life in the english colonies (1630 – 1770)
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 5
Life in the English Colonies(1630 – 1770)
Section 1
Forms of Government
Colonial Governments
• Privy Council set English policy in the colonies – allowed most to run own affairs
• Each colony had a governor (head of government)– Most assisted by advisory council– Job was to carry out policies set by England
Colonial Assemblies• In the colonies the government was based on
Parliament, the English lawmaking body (bicameral legisltature-2 houses)
• Colonial assemblies had the power to– Raise taxes and organize local governments. – Shared control of the military with the governor.– And approve laws
• Virginia’s Assembly (Jamestown 1619) first colonial legislature in North America– First house-Council of State– Second House-House of Burgess (elected by colonists)– Town meetings are center of politics; governor has
final say if there is a disagreement; developed tradition of holding 2 or more a year
Colonial Courts
• Colonists used courts to control local affairs• Supported interests and ideas of their
communities– Ex. Laws in Massachusetts enforced Puritan’s religious
views (efforts to combine church and state)• Sometimes protected individual freedoms
– Ex. John Peter Zenger – freedom of the press• charged with committing libel (a false statement) against a
public official• Andrew Hamilton, his attorney, argued he could publish
whatever he wanted as long as it was true• jury’s verdict = not guilty
Dominion of New England
• King James II became King of England and was determined to take more control of England and the colonies.
• Dominion of New England united the northern colonies under one government
• Edmund Andros was the appointed royal governor
• Limited powers of towns meetings to prevent protests
King James II
The Glorious Revolution• King James tried to change England from a
Protestant country to a Catholic one. • The Glorious Revolution was when William and
Mary overthrew James without a single blood dropped. Mary was James’ daughter and she was asked by England to become queen.
• English Bill of Rights- (representative body)Powers of Monarch were reduced and Parliament gained power.
William and Mary
Section 2
The Growth of Trade
English Trade Laws
• In the late 1600s England practiced mercantilism-system that created and maintained wealth by controlling trade
• Nation could be self sufficient if it had a good balance of trade (fewer imports than exports)
English Trade Laws-cont’d
• 1650-1696 Parliament passed the Navigation Acts-required colonies to do most of their trade with England. Also set duties (import taxes)
• English laws limited free enterprise, economic trade with little government control– They did this by preventing colonists from buying
or selling directly with foreign countries
Colonial Trade
• 1733, Parliament passed Molasses Act, placed duties on sugar, molasses and rum– Colonists responded by smuggling goods in
• Some merchants took part in triangular trade– Colonies traded with West Indies, then shipped
goods to Britain
Triangular Trade
Middle Passage
• Middle Passage was the voyage that brought slaves across the Atlantic to the Americas– Many died during the voyage– Lasted Three months– Legs and necks were chained. – Cramped spaces.
• Some colonists opposed the slave trade– Quakers in Germantown, PA made 1st recorded
protest against slavery
Middle Passage cont’d
Section 3
The Colonial Economy
Agriculture in the Southern Colonies
• Farms in the south did well because of the warm climate and long growing season– Many farms grew cash crops-crops sold for profit– Tobacco (VA), rice, and indigo (SC) were most
important cash crops• Slave codes passed – laws to control slaves
– Colonies with large number of slaves had strictest codes– South Carolina’s slaves could not hold meetings or own
weapons– Some colonies did not allow slaveholders to free slaves– Virginia Assembly passed law allowing people to kill runaway
slaves that resisted
Industry and Trade in New England
• Few grew cash crops because of harsh climate and rocky soil– Few slaves
• Trade was vital to New England’s economy– Entrepreneurs traded locally and overseas
• Fishing and shipbuilding were the two leading industries– Shipbuilding prospered because region had plenty of forests
and local fishing industry needed ships• Diverse economy needed skilled craftspeople
– Apprentices learned blacksmithing, weaving, shipbuilding, and printing
Middle Colonies
• Good growing season and rich land-could grow large amounts of food– Middle colonies grew staple crops (crops that are
needed) – wheat, barley and oats• Indentured servants largely filled labor needs• Trade and free enterprise important• By the mid-1700s Philadelphia had become one of
the largest British colonial cities
Women and the Economy
• Ran farms and businesses (clothing and grocery stores, bakeries, drug stores)
• Some women practiced medicine, often as nurses or midwives
• Colonial laws and customs limited women’s economic activities– Married women could not work outside the home
without her husband’s permission– Husband had the right to keep money she earned
• Most worked in the home, managed households and raised children
Section 4
The Great Awakening
Words of the Great Awakening
• Revivals were held to bring back sense of religious (emotional gatherings where people came together to hear sermons and declare their faith)
• Because of the revivals many colonists experienced “a great awakening” in their religious lives
• Great Awakening reached its height in the 1730s and 1740s – widespread Christian movement involving sermons and revivals
Words of the Great Awakening cont’d
• Jonathan Edwards was one of the most important leaders of the Great Awakening– Pastor that urged sinners to seek forgiveness for sins or face
punishment in hell forever– Author of Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God
• A British minister George Whitefield, one of the most popular ministers of the G.A., helped thousands of colonists found new faith in Christianity– Because of Whitefield
• Ministers preached all people were born sinners who could only be saved by the will of God
George Whitefield
Old and New Lights• “Old Lights” – traditionalists• “New Lights” – followers of the Great Awakening• Presbyterian Church in middle colonies changed– Gilbert Tennent led new movement attacking
traditionalists– Church split into two groups – “Old Side” and “New Side”
• Church attendance greatly increased in middle and southern colonies (particularly in Virginia)– Much of this growth took place among Baptists and
Methodists• Great Awakening influential on frontier– Traveling preachers held revivals– Important because there were few churches
Gilbert Tennent
The Great Awakening and Society• Women welcomed the message• Free and enslaved Africans were drawn to message of
acceptance and spiritual equality– Despite equality message, revivals separated by race
• Before the Great Awakening, there was little communication between people living in different colonies– Changed as ministers moved about, exchanging ideas
• Led some colonists to begin demanding political equality– Revivals were popular places to talk about political and
social issues
Section 5
American Culture
New Ideas in Europe
• During 1600s Europeans began to experiment more and make new discoveries. Their new ideas about the universe became known as the Scientific Revolution. This revolution began in math and astronomy.
• Galileo Galilei-one leading figure, demonstrated that planets revolve around the sun
• Late 1600s Isaac Newton developed much of the scientific method.
New Ideas in Europe cont’d
• Scientific Revolution also changed how people viewed human actions-Age of Reason or the Enlightenment.– Enlightenment philosophers used reason and logic. They
studied human nature and suggested ways to improve the world
– Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu formed ideas about how government should best serve people
John Locke
• John Locke believed that people had natural rights such as equality and liberty. People should obey their rulers if the state protected their life, liberty, and property
Colonial Education• More schools in New England than in Middle and
Southern colonies– Valued ability to read the Bible– Wanted to make future generations of educated
ministers so they created town schools• Schoolchildren often used the New England Primer –
characters and stories from the Bible• Middle and southern colonies – children often lived
far from towns; had to be taught by parents or tutors
• Most stopped education after elementary grades
Colonial Education• First college founded in
English colonies was Harvard
• Nine colleges were established – most in the middle colonies and in New England– Classes focused on
religion– Men studied sciences
or law
Colonial Scientists
• Scientists taught themselves by observing the world around them
• American Philosophical Society – founded in Philadelphia for the study of science by Benjamin Franklin– Members wanted to improve communication among
colonial scientists– David Rittenhouse – society’s second president;
designed mathematical and astronomical instruments
Colonial Scientists
Benjamin Banneker – free African American who lived in Maryland; predicted a solar eclipse; first colonist to build a clock
Benjamin Franklin• Most famous colonial scientist• Started the most successful newspaper in the
colonies – also published Poor Richard’s Almanack (1732-1757)
• Believed that reason could be used to make life better
• Invented useful devices– Lightning rod reduced risk of fire started by electrical storms,
Franklin stove heated homes effectively, and bifocals corrected far- and nearsightedness
• Flew kite during lightning storm to prove lightning = form of electricity
Colonial Writers and Artists
• Anne Bradstreet wrote poetry about her family and her faith
• Phillis Wheatley was one of the first African Americans to be published. Wrote On Being Brought from Africa to America. She described how Christianity changed her life
• Robert Feke became a widely admired painter