America Past and Present Chapter 3 Putting Down

America: Past and Present Chapter 3: Putting Down Roots—Families in an Atlantic Empire SOURCES OF STABILITY: NEW ENGLAND COLONIES OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Replicating a traditional family life and social order led to greater stability and longer life in New England versus the Chesapeake (Virginia and Maryland). Gotta love those Puritans! Various local societies reflected: a. supply of labor b. abundance of land c. demographic patterns d. commercial ties w/ Europe What two things pulled American settlers together? language and religion

Immigrant Families and New Social Order Puritans believed that God ordained the family for human benefit The family was to be patriarchal Family was the source of their societal and cultural identities 20, 000 + came to NE before the English Civil War (1642) Great Migration-1630 s and early 1640 s Life expectancy in NE was greater than that in England proper *pure drinking water, cool climate, dispersed population Grandparents were “invented” Social and economic stability were enhanced

Commonwealth of Families Single life morally suspect and physically difficult Young men and women initiated their own courtships Parents discouraged union with immoral partners Children usually accepted this guidance Men offered land to the marriage Women’s dowries=1/2 the value of the land Land home represented survival and hard work Small farms produced food and surplus Surplus was used for barter Farms were not self-sufficient Towns were collections of families-people rarely moved Single newcomers were not readily accepted

Church government was built on familial connections and “election” Half-Way Covenant adopted in 1662 Allowed sacraments based upon the spiritual traditions and reputations of grandparents Parents did not need to show evidence of election Massachusetts General Court mandated the teaching of reading (1642) For religious and moral purposes 15 families must open elementary school New-England Primer taught children the alphabet Allowed publications like The Day of Doom to sell fate of sinners on Judgment Day First seminary, Harvard, founded in 1638 Yale in 1702

Women’s Lives in Puritan New England All work, no play, but impressive church attendance! Quakers gave women a larger role in religious affairs. WHY? Women’s production of food essential No property rights Divorce was difficult and uncommon (you could run…quickly) Anne Bradstreet poet-wrote of affection for husband

Rank and Status in New England Society Lack of wealth and title made social status a tricky thing to judge “Natural leaders” became provincial gentry Winthrops, Dudleys, Pynchons Sumptuary laws were passed-only wealthy can wear fine apparel Economic status was more fluid than was “planned” Most northern colonists were yeomen-independent farmers Economic independence was highly likely in this region Possession of land gave agrarian families a sense of independence from external authority Some NE families placed their adolescent children in nearby homes for 4 -5 years as an apprentices

THE PLANTERS’ WORLD Why were the regions so different? You know the answer— plantations! Family Life in a Perilous Environment 70 -85% of white immigrants to this region in the 1600 s were not free Most were young men, aged 18 -22 Ratio of men to women was 6 to 1 before 1640, 2½ to 1 by 1700 High mortality rates brought life expectancy to 43 for men, women ↓ Average marriage lasted 7 years Few children were raised by birth parents Women had great value, sort of… Infant mortality was 25%, another 25% died before age 20 Young women in servitude lost several reproductive yearsvulnerable to sexual exploitation by their masters

Rank and Status in Plantation Society Indentured servants and slaves were imported for plantation labor Tobacco was the staple of the Chesapeake region Planters dominated society Freemen were the largest class—these survived their period of indenture Indentured servants were below planters and freemen Slaves were at the bottom A longer-lived creole class (native born Americans) developed after 1680 NOT mulatto—don’t get confused! Built Williamsburg, College and William and Mary Key to the success of this class was slavery This class did not want education for other classes Creoles sent sons to university in England or Scotland Even William and Mary did not suffice Opportunities for advancement decreased during 17 th c. Gentry consolidated its hold on political and econ. instit.

Brother Ali The Travelers

RACE AND FREEDOM IN BRITISH AMERICA Roots of Slavery Africans first landed in VA in 1619 as a cargo of slaves stolen by a Dutch trader from a Spanish merchant ship in the Caribbean. Slavery grew quickly in the 1700 s Males outnumbered females 2 to 1 English masters saw slavery as a great way to civilize Africans Why is Anthony Johnson important? His life illustrates the complexity of race relations in early Virginia. What happened to his land when he died? Race was only a single factor shaping relations among colonists Slavery was assumed to be a lifelong legal status after 1680 11, 000+ slaves were sold to Virginians between 1695 -1709 Slaves were legally considered to be property Race mixing was not acceptable to English colonists Mulattos were considered black for legal purposes Lineage was traced through slave mothers

Constructing African American Identities * The size and density of the slave population determined in large measure how successfully black would maintain a separate cultural identity. 60% of SC lowland population was black These men and women were on isolated rice plantations, and their contact with whites was limited (creole languages). They also developed elaborate kinship networks. Native-born blacks looked with contempt on slaves who had just arrived from Africa. Newly arrived slaves were more likely to run away, assault their masters and organize rebellions. 40% of VA population was black Gullah (creole language spoken on some Sea Islands and other pidgin languages developed (A pidgin is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. ) Slaves mixed African culture with Christianity, music and art Mainland slaves had a longer life expectancy than island slaves

*Major turning point of African American people occurred in early decades of 18 th c. Blacks living in England’s mainland colonies began to reproduce successfully. WHY? Even with imported slaves the creole population was always much larger than that of the immigrant blacks. Slave rebellions were often rumored and planned The Stono Rebellion was most successful (Sept 1739) 150 SC blacks rose up and killed several planters They hoped to reach freedom in FL Local militia killed a majority This persuaded whites everywhere that their own blacks might secretly be planning a bloody revolt. 18% of mariners were African American in 18 th c. * These men brought news of distant rebellions and spread radical political ideologies to other slaves.

COMMERCIAL BLUEPRINT FOR EMPIRE Salutary neglect (British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep the American colonies obedient to Great Britain. ) reigned until Charles II. The beginnings of enforced mercantilism developed. Response to Economic Competition Yes, our old friend Adam Smith (18 th c. Scottish economist) coined the term mercantilism Aspects of this system developed over timea. king needed money, b. English merchants wanted to exclude Dutch rivals from American markets, c. Parliament wanted to improve navy, d. and almost everyone agreed England needed a more favorable trade balance.

An Empire of Trade Navigation Act of 1660 -most important piece of imperial legislation drafted before the American Revolution. • Required trade to be conducted with crew that were 75%+ English • Permitted domestic shipbuilding • Limited trade of colonial goods to English or colonial ports for enumerated goods-tobacco, sugar, cotton, indigo, dye-woods and ginger. • Rice and molasses added in 1704, rosins, tars and turpentines in 1705 • Required colonists to pay import duties

Staple Act of 1663 prohibited almost all non-Brit imports to the colonies unless first transshipped through England Dutch trade was excluded and colonial expenses rose dramaticallyespecially for small planters New Englanders simply ignored regulations Navigation Acts of 1673 were passed to rectify this situation • Enhanced collection of import duties at colonial ports • GB did not have enough agents to enforce the law • Those who did collect taxes were unpopular (Think Edmond Randolph-most hated man in Mass. ) • 1696 Parliament est. vice-admiralty courts to settle disputes that occurred at sea-no juries, nor cross examination. William III established the Board of Trade to more closely regulate the colonies

COLONIAL GENTRY IN REVOLT, 1676 -1691 Different factions fought with each other over political viability Civil War in Virginia: Bacon’s Rebellion Bacon envied gov’t patronage. Governor Berkeley denied a-fur trading license to Nathaniel Bacon These were reserved for Berkeley’s cronies Berkeley then refused to send an army to retaliate against natives Bacon volunteered to raised troops for free In exchange for the right to fight other Indians Berkeley said “NO”-build forts instead (by his friends? ) Both Berkeley and Bacon appealed to the populace Bacon burned Jamestown-forced governor to leave Women made political views clear during rebellion (Sarah Glendon) Bacon died of dysentery and the rebellion subsided Berkeley recalled to England

• *Planter elite did not see the legitimate grievances and Bacon’s followers were demanding substantial reforms, not just a share in the governor’s fur monopoly. • This was a sign of rebellion against “greedy royal appointees”

The Glorious Revolution in the Bay Colony Politic crisis between new merchants (Anglican) and Puritans emerged then… Metacomet (King Philip) declared war on New Englanders The spark that ignited King Phillip's War was a report from a Native American Christian convert (“Praying Indian") early Harvard graduate, translator, and adviser to Metacom named John Sassamon told Plymouth Colony officials the news of King Philip trying to arrange Native American attacks on widely dispersed colonial settlements. Before colonial officials could investigate the charges, John Sassamon was murdered; his body was found beneath an ice-covered pond, allegedly killed by a few of Philip's Wampanoag angry at his betrayal. [Other texts mention a stolen cow. ]

On the testimony of a Native American witness, Plymouth Colony arrested three Wampanoags, including one of Metacomet's councilors. A jury having some Indian members convicted them of Sassamon's murder; they were hanged on June 8, 1675 at Plymouth. Some Wampanoag believed that both the trial and the court's sentence were an insult to Indian sovereignty. In response, on June 20, a band of Pokanoket, possibly without Philip's approval, assaulted several isolated homesteads in a small Plymouth colony. Laying siege to the town, they destroyed it five days later and killed several settlers and others coming to help the settlers The Narrangansetts joined Metacome Thousands died, debt remained-Over 600 colonists and 3, 000 Native Americans had died, including several hundred native captives that were tried and executed or sold as slaves in Bermuda. *King Philip's War was proportionately one of the bloodiest and costliest in the history of America.

In her book, The Name of War, Boston University Professor Jill Lepore theorizes that King Philip's War was the beginning of the development of a greater American identity, for the trials and tribulations suffered by the colonists made them into a group distinct from their English ties. Tribes lost most of their power, creating a political vacuum that spurred bickering among factions of English in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Plymouth, and Rhode Island. The colonists argued over topics ranging from colonial boundaries to blame for the bloody conflict from which they had just emerged. This factionalism eventually drew the attention of England's imperial authorities who, until this point, had largely ignored the activities of New Englanders. In 1686, Royal officials finally created the Dominion of New England, which put the New England colonies under the rule of New York's Governor Edmund Andros. (pronounced Andrews)

Ironically, even though New England's colonies had prevailed on the battlefield, King Philip's War led to the loss of much of their political autonomy. The colonial charter was rescinded, the Dominion of NE created By James II, no lover of Parliament Sir Edmund Andros was selected as governor – abolished elective assemblies, enforced Nav. Acts, declared town meeting illegal, packed courts with supporters. Andros was overthrown after the Glorious Revolution He was “peacefully” arrested Increase Mather convinced William to abandon the Dominion Massachusetts received new royal charter in 1691 -gov. chosen by king The franchise was granted to male property owners Colonial government became more secular

Contagion of Witchcraft Instability of Mass. gov’t led this to be a major colonial crisis Increase Mather and others did urge restraint here-troubled over spectral evidence (dreams and visions) You know how it turned out (summer 1692) 19 dead Why? a. religious discord-factions over choice of a minister b. economic tensions-poorer farmers accused commercially oriented c. misogyny d. fear of Native American attacks So much for moderation…

The Glorious Revolution in New York and Maryland Glorious revolution in NY more violent than in Mass. Bay-religious and ethnic differences English newcomers and Anglo-Dutch v. older Dutch elite Jacob Leisler leads the fun in NYC (1689) Seizes the local fort in the name of Wm and Mary Royal governor Sloughter tells him to surrender (1691) He refuses-Was Sloughter sent by James or William? Is quickly arrested, tried and executed He was pardoned by Parliament a few years after his death John Coode leads a more healthy protest in Maryland Protestant Association forces the resignation of the governor Maryland becomes a royal colony, excluding Catholics from public service 1715 crown restored proprietorship to the fourth Lord Baltimore who had been raised as a member of the Church of England Calvert family ruled until 1776 • COMMON EXPERIENCES, SEPARATE CULTURES Political experiences converged despite regional cultural differences