unit 1 colonial america

colony

piece of land "owned" by a mother country

why do mother countries want more colonies?

more colonies = more wealth = more power

mother countries

england, portugal, dutch

type of colonies in england

• corporate

• royal

• proprietary

corporate colony

joint-stock companies owned and funded by business investors

royal colony

owned and funded directly by the king of england or his family

proprietary colony

owned by an individual who was given a charter from the king

mercantilism

theory that suggested that nations could become rich, powerful, and self-sufficient if they acquired large colonial empires

salutary neglect

an english policy of not strictly enforcing laws in its colonies because it is beneficial for them to ignore the colonies. the colonies were practically running themselves and only had to give the king raw materials and buy their finished goods

navigation acts

series of mercantilist laws passed for the americans (1600s)

• goods can only be shipped on english ships or colonial-built ships with mostly an english crew

• goods shipped to colonies must pass through english ports

• certain goods (tobacco) could only be exported from the colonies to britain

• however, colonists wanted cheaper non-english shipping so laws were ignored or partially obeyed

effects of mercantilism

• colonies felt resentment and continued smuggling and trading goods illegally

• shipbuilding industry prospered

• colonies and their economic activity were protected by the british military

• tobacco industry of chesapeake enjoyed a monopoly in england

• slowed industrial growth in colonies

• agricultural products forced to accept english restrictions

• colonists forced to pay inflated prices for england's manufactured goods

middle passage

• africa to the americas

• slaves were transported on compact slave ships that was hot and odorous

• slaves went to the new world, brazil, and the caribbeans

southern colonies

• virginia

• maryland

• carolinas

• georgia

virgina

• corporate colony

• economic outpost for english profits

• virginia (joint-stock) company founded jamestown

• 1624: becomes a royal colony

jamestown

1607: first permanent colony in the americas located in virginia

maryland

• proprietary colony

• founded for religious freedom (especially for catholics escaping the church of england/anglican church)

• christians were granted freedom of religion

carolinas

• originally a proprietary colony

• split and become royal colonies

• founded to make money for england

georgia

• debtor's and buffer colony

• originally a proprietary colony

• founded for james oglethorpe

• 1752: becomes a royal colony

• last colony to be founded in the southern colonies

relations with the natives in the south

first had a trade relationship with the english, but as the colony expanded along with the development of tobacco culture, the natives became in conflict. unsuccessfully driving out the colonists, many natives fled the region and sought new places to live

southern colony social hierarchy

1. planter elites

2. back country farmers

3. tenant farmers

4. indentured servants

5. slaves

john smith

• president of jamestown council

• "no work, no food" policy

• 1609: gets injured and returns to england

starving time

period of starving and cannibalism occurred

john rolfe

• married pocahontas

• crossbread native tobacco with brazilian varieties in jamestown to grow the first major cash crop

• set up headright system

headright system

you pay your passage to the new world, you will get 50 acres

house of burgesses

to maintain order, wealthy people were elected into the 1st official form of government that represented democracy

bacon's rebellion

1676: nathaniel bacon and other western virginia settlers were angry at governor berkley for trying to appease the doeg Indians after the doegs attacked the western settlements. The frontiersmen formed an army, with bacon as its leader, which defeated the indians and then marched on jamestown and burned the city. the rebellion ended suddenly when bacon died of an illness.

middle colonies

• new york

• new jersey

• delaware

• pennsylvania

new york

• originally a dutch colony called new amsterdam

• known for fur trading

• taken by the english for religious purposes

• royal colony

new jersery

founded for religious freedom and toleration

delaware

founded for trade and religious freedom

pennsylvania

• founded for religious freedom

• proprietary colony

• settled by the christian group, quakers

• quakers believed quality of people and religious authority was found in the soul rather than the bible/outside source

• ran by william penn

william penn

• a quaker that founded pennsylvania to establish a place where his people and others could live in peace and be free from persecution in england

• wanted to create a holy experiment

holy experiment

religious refuge to all, colony with liberal ideas, treat natives fairly and not cheat them of land

relations with the natives in the middle colonies

better than the southern colonies

middle colonies social hierarchy

1. wealthy entrepreneurs

2. farmers

3. landless workers

new england colonies

• massachusetts

• connecticut

• rhode island

• new hampshire

massachusetts

• founded for religious purposes

• royal colony

• many moved to escape persecution because they didn't like the monarchy's growing power and wanted to reform or separate from the anglican church

• theocracy and direct democracy (town meetings)

connecticut

• founded for economic and political purposes

• proprietary colony

rhode island

• founded for religious tolerance

• proprietary colony

• founded by roger williams

roger williams

he was banished from the massachusetts bay for having different ideas from other puritans in the region, so he created rhode island and offered religious freedom to all

new hampshire

• founded as a royal colony by king charles II in hopes to increase royal control in the colonies

• last colony to be founded in the middle colonies

king phillip's war/metacom's war

• rooted in tensions over land, culture, and encroachment leading to series of raids, attacks, and counterattacks

• colonists won

pilgrims

left the anglican church and was now seen as traitors by the king and puritans

john wintrop

• founder of massachusetts

• started "city on a hill"

puritans

wanted to reform/purify the anglican church

city on a hill

to set an example for everyone around

salem witch trials

1692 salem, massachusetts: young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and women were accused of witchcraft

great awakening

1730s-1740s: movement rooted in spiritual growth bringing national identity to colonial america

causes of the great awakening

• spiritual decline

• doctrinal disputes

• social and economic changes

• the enlightenment

george whitfield

british preacher that traveled america to preach (itinerant evangelist)

jonathan edwards

american preacher famous for the "sinners in the hands of angry god" sermon meant to scare sinners to salvation

outcomes of the great awakening

• deep religious convictions in the colonies

• colonial regions now had convictions that built unity

• colonists had political power to challenge religion and have self-governance

enlightenment

• late 17th - early 18th century

• began in europe

• scientific and intellectual reason to challenge authority

• age of reason

benjamin franklin

father of enlightenment in america

major ideas of the enlightenment

• separation of power

• all men are created "free and equal"

• life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness

• free market

john locke

• father of enlightenment philosophy

• believed in life, liberty, and property

baron de montesquieu

developed separation of power

great awakening and enlightenment

• both outcome was to challenge authority

• both helped develop individualism

• great awakening = religion

• enlightenment = thoughts and science

individualism

people can think on their own and determine what's best for them

roanoke colony

when ships returned with supplies, there was no sign of colonists making it the lost colony

new england colonies geography

• thin, rocky soil

• coastlines

• dense forests

• some rivers

new england colonies economy

• fishing, whaling

• shipbuilding

• lumber industry

• trade

middle colonies geography

• decent soil, but short growing season

• access to major rivers

• warm/mild weather

• harbors

middle colonies economy

• breadbasket farmers (oats, wheat, barley, potatoes)

• small farmers

• merchants/traders

• artisans

southern colonies geography

• coastal plains

• hot climate

• very fertile soil, long growing season

southern colonies economy

• commercial agriculture (tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton)

new england government

direct democracy

middle government

representative government

southern government

local law enforcement