CHAPTER 1 BEGINNINGS OF AMERICA SECTION 3 COLONIAL

CHAPTER 1 BEGINNINGS OF AMERICA SECTION 3 -COLONIAL Ms. Arnold US HISTORY

COLONIAL LIFE Colonists began smuggling goods because they felt Great Britain taxed them unfairly. Britain, however, had established the colonies to obtain wealth. Great Britain and the American colonies were divided on several issues, including -Economic principles called mercantilism held that a nation’s power was directly related to its wealth. But colonial merchants wanted to make money for themselves, not for Britain.

QUESTION The economic principle that a nation’s power is directly related to its wealth is called a. mercantilism. b. navigation. c. salutary neglect. d. enlightenment.

Britain passed the Navigation Acts, laws that restricted colonial trade, to ensure that the colonies stayed profitable. For greater control, the king merged colonies and sent a royal governor, Edmund Andros. Colonists arrested and banished him.

COLONISTS BEGIN TO SELF-GOVERN Local rebellions helped some colonies regain elected assemblies. Others were ruled more strictly as a result. Several colonies formed the United Colonies of New England, or the New England Confederation in 1643. Salutary neglect, which was the British officials’ tendency to rule the colonies leniently, benefited the colonies. Local governments (town meetings, counties, parishes and local governors) ruled daily life for colonists.

QUESTION Salutary neglect allowed the British colonies in America to a. tax themselves. b. always appoint their own governors. c. unify into the New England Confederation. d. benefit from being left alone.

COLONISTS BEGIN TO SELF-GOVERN Colonists elected assemblies that were based on the British Parliament’s bicameral (two house) system, with A governor's council with executive and legislative powers An elected assembly like the Parliament’s House of Commons When the House of Commons in England gained more power, so did the colonial assemblies, winning rights such as freedom of speech in debate and the right to pass money bills.

REGIONAL ECONOMICS Northern Colonial Economies Commerce-based economy Crops did not grow well, so farmers only grew enough for themselves. The most valuable Northern resources were dense forests Timber exports Wood for shipbuilding • Northerners produced rum, textiles, ironworks, and other goods. • Good harbors and inexpensive ships encouraged commerce in the North; it was concentrated in the port cities. • These cities became part of trade routes that linked the world.

REGIONAL ECONOMICS CONT’D Southern Colonial Economies Agricultural-based economy Produced valuable cash crops such as tobacco, rice, tar, and indigo. Two agricultural systems developed: Plantations were large, warm-climate farms that grew one cash crop and depending largely on slave labor. Small independent farms raised livestock and exported beef and pork. They grew corn, wheat, fruit and vegetables for the home market.

QUESTION How did Northern and Southern colonial economies differ? a. Rice and indigo were grown in the North while tobacco was grown in the South. b. The North developed a commerce-based economy, while the South developed an agricultural economy. c. The Northern economy depended on indentured servants and

THE IMPACT OF SLAVERY Plantation owners needed more and more workers. Settlers gradually stopped using Native American workers and indentured servants in favor of enslaved Africans. The slave trade caused massive human suffering. The difficult trip across the Atlantic from Africa was called the Middle Passage. Kidnapped Africans were chained together in dark, filthy quarters below the decks and many died. The African population in America grew quickly.

THE IMPACT OF SLAVERY Slavery existed in both the North and South, but the South’s agricultural economy depended more on slave labor. Slaves developed strong cultural and religious communities.

AMERICA’S EMERGING CULTURE The Enlightenment A period in Europe that was known for its use of logic and reason to improve government, law, and society The ideas of the Enlightenment began in the European upper classes but soon traveled to the American colonies. John Locke believed the government should protect citizens’ “natural rights. ” His ideas influenced Americans such as Jefferson and Franklin.

QUESTION What idea was central to the American Enlightenment? a. Optism resides in science and reason. b. Faith is more significant than intellect. c. Morality emerges from a belief in God. Democracy is the highest form of political life.

AMERICA’S EMERGING CULTURE Locke’s ideas are found in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, including limited government and divided powers.

EMERGING CULTURE CONT’D The Great Awakening The Enlightenment led some colonists to question religious beliefs. In 1730, the clergy, trying to bring people back to church, began the Great Awakening, a major religious revival in the colonies. Jonathan Edwards was an influential religious leader of this period. The Great Awakening made religion accessible to the people and church membership grew. It’s new ideas influenced the growing colonies.

QUESTION What caused the Great Awakening? a. the publication of Two Treatises on Government b. the search of some clergy for new ways to bring people back to the church c. the widespread publication of newspapers, books, and advertisements d. the destruction caused by the American Revolution

LIFE IN THE COLONIES The colonies came of age culturally in the 1700 s. Non-British colonists, including Scots, Scots-Irish, Germans, French and Jewish people began to arrive. The newcomers, along with British settlers, created a new American culture. Colonial cities were lively: paved streets lit by oil lamps, anchored ships from foreign ports, libraries, bookshops, and impressive public buildings added to colony life.

LIFE IN THE COLONIES Colonial printers printed and distributed newspapers, books, ads, and political announcements. Influential newspapers were published in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.

THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR The Cause In the 1700 s Britain and France struggled for territory. The French built forts and allied with Native Americans to protect their fur trade. The British built forts and alliances of their own, which led to many frontier battles. In 1754 the French joined with the Native Americans to attack the English, which is why it is called the French and Indian War.

FRENCH-INDIAN WAR CONT’D The Course The British army, new to the territory, made easy targets. Britain’s William Pitt took over and forced colonists into the army. The British took the French city of Quebec in 1759. The French surrendered the following year and the Treaty of Paris ended the war in 1763.

IMPACTS OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR To avoid more conflict with the Native Americans, British officials tried to stop colonists from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Proclamation of 1763 reserved the land for the Native Americans, but colonists ignored it. Some say this war led to the American Revolution. Its effects include Colonial unity: Ben Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union, which was the first plan to unify the colonies. It was never adopted.

IMPACTS OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR New boundaries: Britain gained lands east of the Mississippi and much of Canada from the French, and Florida from the Spanish. Spain gained the Louisiana Territory from France for joining the war. War Debts: The war cost England a lot of money. King George III thought colonists should pay some of the costs of the war. These policies drove Britain and the colonies further apart. Effects on Native Americans: Chief Pontiac allied the Midwestern Native Americans and started a bloody rebellion.