Chapter 5 Life in the English Colonies 1630

Chapter 5 Life in the English Colonies (1630 – 1770)

Colonial Governments/Assemblies q Assemblies – based on Parliament * Bicameral (two houses) * Had power to raise taxes and organize local government * control of military with governor q First colonial legislature was an assembly in Jamestown, Virginia (1619) * House of Burgesses – elected by colonists q Town meetings became the center of New England politics * Developed tradition of holding one or more per year

Colonial Courts q Used to control local affairs q. Used to support local interests and ideas * Laws in Massachusetts enforced Puritan’s religious views (efforts to combine church and state)

The English Bill of Rights q Reduced powers of English monarchy q Parliament gained power q Colonists interested in shift of power from one monarch to representative governing body

The Growth of Trade Section 2

English Trade Laws q Mercantilism – create and maintain wealth by controlling trade *Good balance of trade = fewer imports than exports q Navigation Acts – required colonists to do bulk of trade with England q Best for England; limited colonies

Colonial Trade q Molasses Act (1733) – placed duties on sugar, molasses and rum q Triangular Trade – goods and slaves moved among England, American colonies, West Indies and West Africa

The Middle Passage q Brought enslaved Africans to West Indies or N. American colonies q Slavery important in southern colonies – rice and tobacco production required many workers

The Colonial Economy Section 3

Agriculture in the Southern Colonies • Southern economy depended on agriculture • Exported materials for building ships • Many small farms and some large plantations – Did well because of warm climate and long growing season • Cash crops – many farms grew tobacco (Virginia), rice and indigo (South Carolina) to sell for profit – These crops required many workers – slaves performed most of the plantation labor • 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

Industry and Trade in New England • Few grew cash crops because of harsh climate and rocky soil • Little demand for large numbers of farm laborers – Slavery not as important • 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

The Middle Colonies • Good growing season and rich land • Middle colonies grew staple crops (crops that are needed) – wheat, barley and oats; raised and sold livestock • Slaves more important here than in New England – Worked in cities as skilled laborers (blacksmiths, carpenters) – Worked on farms, dockyards, on ships, shipbuilding industry • Indentured servants largely filled labor needs • Trade and free enterprise important • By the mid-1700 s 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

The Great Awakening Section 4

Words of the Great Awakening • Church leaders worried colonists were losing religious faith – Want to bring back sense of religious duty • Believed revivals would revive interest in religion (emotional gatherings where people came together to hear sermons and declare their faith) • Many colonists experienced “a great awakening” in their religious lives • Great Awakening reached its height in the 1730 s and 1740 s – widespread Christian movement involving sermons and revivals

Words of the Great Awakening (continued) • Jonathan Edwards was one of the most important leaders of the Great Awakening – Pastor in Massachusetts – Urged sinners to seek forgiveness for sins or face punishment in hell forever • George Whitefield was one of the most popular ministers of the G. A. – held revivals from Georgia to New England – Because of Whitefield thousands of colonists found new faith in Christianity • Ministers preached all people were born sinners who could only be saved by the will of God

• “Old Lights” – traditionalists – Did not believe that enthusiasm of Great Awakening could truly awaken spirituality – “over-heated imagination” • “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

The Great Awakening and Society • Women welcomed the message – Sought spiritual renewal around the time of childbirth • 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 • Educational opportunities improved – Colleges founded to provide religious instruction • Led some colonists to begin demanding political equality – Revivals were popular places to talk about political and social issues

American Culture Section 5