Britain’s American Empire,

1713

French and Indian Wars

• The Battle for Supremacy in North America England vs. France

• (1689-1697)– French raided English outposts and settlements on the frontier– Resulted in status quo

• (1702-1713)– English gained Nova Scotia and trading rights in Spanish America

• (1740/444-1748)– Colonists captured Fort Louisbourg from French– Treaty handed Louisbourg back to France enraging the victorious

New Englanders

The South Atlantic System

• Sugar, tobacco, rice…• Plantation societies

– Slaves (wars had won England a contract to supply slaves to Spanish America for 30 years)

• Portuguese (1520-1650) Dutch (1650-1700) British (1700-1800)

– British transport about 3 million Africans to Americas (1/2)

– British made money on: sugar (10%), slaves (3-4x), trade goods (90-70%) exchanged for slaves

– Stimulated shipbuilding

Life in Southern Society

Southern Social StructureUpper Class

Middle Class

Lower Class

*hereditary

A Plantation Economy Arises

• Southern colonies were mostly agricultural– grown

primarily for sale rather than for farmer’s own use

• Tobacco (VA, MD, NC)

• Rice (SC, GA)

Tidewater

Piedmont

Fall Line

Slavery Becomes Entrenched

• Labor needs – Native Americans– Indentured Servants– African slaves

• Worked for life• Difficult to escape• Resistance to

European diseases• Knowledge of farming

techniques• Most (80-90%) worked

in fields in North America

Triangular Trade

Olaudah Equiano, 1789

• "The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us." 

• "The first object which saluted my eyes when I arrived  on the coast was the sea, and a slave ship which was then riding at anchor and waiting for its cargo.  I now saw myself deprived of all chance of returning to my native country." 

Stowage of the British Slave Ship

Brookes, 1790

Africans Cope in Their New World•

– Surrogate families– Religious/spiritual practices– Dance– Language

• – Daily forms illness, breaking tools, slowing down– Revolt

• : 1739– Slaves killed several planter families– Attempted to march south to Spanish Florida– Stopped by militia– Led to stricter slave laws

– Escape

Gullah