Growth of the American Colonies: Ch. 3Essential Question:How did Mercantilism connect the American colonies with Great Britain?

Main IdeasMercantilismBalance of TradeNavigation Acts“Salutary NeglectColonial Assemblies

“If the might and eminence of a country consist in its surplus of gold, silver, and all other things

necessary or convenient for its subsistence, derived, so far as possible, from its own resources, without dependence upon other countries, and in

the proper fostering, use, and application of these, then it follows that a general national economy

(Landes-Oeconomie) should consider how such a surplus, fostering, and enjoyment can be brought

about, without dependence upon others…”-Philipp Wilhelm von Hornick

Austria Over All, If She Only Will (1684)

MercantilismIt was an economic system that held that a country’s superiority resided in the monetary wealth accumulation of the particular country.There were three key aspects of mercantilism:

A favorable balance of trade,The development of agriculture and industry,Monopolizing colonies for raw materials and to import products.

The sole purpose of mercantilism is to enrich the “parent” country of the colony.Regulation of the North American colonies allowed for Great Britain to increase their revenues.Great Britain’s attempt to regulate trade and commerce in the colonies created tensions between the colonists and the monarchy.What comes to be known as the “Triangular Trade” between England, the Americas, and Africa is an example of mercantilism.

North American Colonies

New England Colonies: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode IslandMiddle Colonies: New York, Delaware, New Jersey, PennsylvaniaSouthern Colonies: Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia

The Navigation Acts: Regulation of Colonial

TradeThe purpose for the Navigation Acts was to protect English trade and to obtain a large profit from the colonies.The colonists exported to England large amounts of raw materials and staples and imported manufactured goods.As the colonial economy grew England viewed their mercantile pursuits as a potential economic threat.

England’s acquiring of New Netherlands (New York).

Trade related Acts were normal during this time.

The Parliament of England passed a series of trade restrictions against the colonies:

1621, Virginia tobacco can be sold only in England.1650, Forbidding the importation of all goods to the colonies except on English ships.1660, Provides for no goods in and out of the colonies except in British ships or ships with ¾ English crews.1662, Goods and raw materials may be imported in English built ships only.1673, Duties are instituted at ports.1733, Molasses Act, imposes a duty on rum.

Smuggling made this impossible to enforce.

1764, Sugar Act, started the pre-Revolutionary acts.

The Anglo-Dutch WarsA series of four naval wars:

1652-1654, 1665-1667, 1672-1674, and 1780-1784

These naval engagements were fought for supremacy in the Atlantic, as well as trading routes.The Navigation Acts regulated trade between England and the British colonies, but also were an attempt to cripple Dutch trade in the 17th century.

Rising TensionsThe Navigation Acts were unpopular with all of the colonists.Colonists, especially in Boston, were very adept at smuggling goods to foreign markets.Failing relations in 1684 between Massachusetts and Great Britain caused the Mass. Bay Company’s charter to be revoked.Upon King James II accession to the throne the “Dominion of New England” was created.

A Colonist’s Perspective“Care was taken to load Preferment upon such

Men as were strangers to, and haters of the People. Nor could a small volume contain the illegalities done by these Horse-Leeches in the two or three Years that they have been sucking of us; and what Laws they made it was as impossible for us to know, as dangerous for us to break…It was now plainly affirmed that the people in New England were all Slaves. Persons who did but peaceably object against the raising of Taxes without an Assembly.”-Nathaniel Byfield, An Account of the Late Revolutions in New England, 1689

“The Glorious Revolution”The reign of James II was short-lived

from the unrest witnessed in the colonies and in England. Parliament replaced James II with his daughter Mary and her husband William III of Orange.The English government rapidly restored the status of the New England Colonies, but with alterations:

Governor appointed by the King in each colony.Required more religious toleration.Required non-Puritan representation in the assembly.

England Loosens the ReinsThe English government initiated a

policy that loosely enforced its trading regulations towards the colonies, which is known as “salutary neglect.” By distancing itself from the colonies, Britain hoped to address its political issues in Europe.“If no restrictions were placed on the colonies, they would flourish.”

-Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of Great Britain

Salutary NeglectThe colonies began to flourish under the relaxed trading regulations previously imposed.They were able to trade in non-British markets, but still were able to purchase British made goods and keep sending raw materials.“Salutary neglect” thrived, in part, due to the loyal sentiments most colonists felt towards Great Britain.This policy of loosely enforced rules would exist in the colonies until the French and Indian War.

The Seeds of Self-Government

It came to be that the colonial legislatures, appointed by the people, held the power in colonial governments.The colonial assembly, not the King, paid the governors salary.

This gave them influence over the governors.

These legislatures were able to pass their own laws and taxations. The beginnings of a larger democratic government can be seen in these colonial assemblies.

African Americans in the ColoniesEssential Questions:

What role did the Middle Passage play in the trans-Atlantic trade?

How did the triangle trade affect population and culture in the southern colonies?

Main IdeasIn the south, a predominately agricultural society developed.Terms:

Cash CropSlave Labor“Triangular Trade”Middle PassageStono Rebellion

The Emergence of PlantationsSouthern colonists relied on the fertile

soil of the south.A majority focused on cultivating a single crop, known as a “cash crop.”A plantation society began to develop in place of more commercial towns.Small farmers made up the majority of the population.

Labor in the ColoniesFrom the outset there was an abundance of land, but a shortage in labor therefore making it expensive.Different types of labor:

ApprenticeshipIndentured ServitudeSlaveryFree Labor

The Terrible Transformation

Slavery in the colonies was not inevitable or automatic, but grew from a perceived necessity.As slavery developed in the colonies it varied across different regions.To the southern colonists, slavery was not an immoral institution, but a historical and economic pattern of labor.For colonists, slaves were a better investment than indentured servants.

Bacon’s Rebellion

Slavery in the SouthChesapeake“Gang” laborTobacco farms, tediousBetter housing and diet

CarolinaTask laborRice and Indigo plantations, harshIn free time, grow their own cropsPoor living conditions

The European Slave Trade

The most immediate example of slavery in the Americas was in the Caribbean.Slaves were brought here by the Spanish and Portuguese in order to work on sugar plantations.Many of the founders of the Carolinas were planters from Barbados.

In Barbados, the African population was three times that of the white population.

“Triangular Trade”The movement of slaves to the Americas, raw materials from the colonies to England, and transportation of goods to Africa forms the “Triangle Trade.”The part of the journey that involved African slaves was considered the “Middle Passage.”

The Middle PassageHorrific conditions and cruelty shown towards Africans characterized this journey.Africans were often whipped, clubbed, and/or branded during the voyage.Due to poor conditions and nutrition during, many Africans fell victim to diseases.More than 20% died in route to the Americas.

Olaudah Equiano The son of a village leader, he was captured at the age of 10 and thrown into slavery.Equiano’s experiences on the Middle Passage provide an insight to the cruelty thousands of Africans endured.He would eventually buy his freedom and begin to work as an abolitionist in Europe.

Slavery in the South80-90% worked in the fieldsOn large plantations slaves were managed by the owner or an overseer, field boss.On small farms, slaves worked alongside their master10-20% worked in the householdWorked from a young age, and continued until death

African Resistance and RevoltMaintaining African traditions and culture amongst each other

was a form of resistance.Creole languages, music, and clothing.

The formation of new “kinship” relationships helped to unite Africans.Education was a way that slaves resisted, by gaining more knowledge.Slaves also would work slowly, fake illnesses, break their tools, or ran away.

Resistance towards slavery could also turn violent, however not common in the colonies.The Stono Rebellion in 1739.

A group of slaves in Charleston killed more than 20 white colonists and were on their way to Spanish-Florida before they were stopped.

Slave revolts create a culture of fear among the owners and the people, which causes tighter legal control over slaves.

1740 South Carolina Slave Codes

The South continued to develop agriculturally, and became more and more dependent on slavery, in contrast to the North.The North’s economy was based on commerce instead of agriculture, so the need for slaves was not as pressing.

Slaves were more of a status symbol.

The Commercial North, the Age of Enlightenment, and the Great Awakening

The Northern colonies developed a predominately urban society, which was based on commerce and trade.Main Terms:

Age of Enlightenment Benjamin Franklin Jonathan EdwardsGeorge Whitefield Great Awakening

Commerce Grows in North

The economic theory of Mercantilism stated that it was the colonies purpose to help the “parent” country to amass wealth, or bullion.The economy in the North grew twice as fast as England’s economy from 1650-1750.

This growth is best seen in the Northern and Middle colonies.

Commerce was centered mostly around ports.

A Diversified EconomyUnlike the rich soil and warm climate of the South, the North’s soil and climate limited agriculture.Farmers grew a range of crops instead of one.Raw materials like lumber helped to make the North into a shipbuilding industry, along with iron smelting.Trade set up through textiles and mills, which were dependent on agriculture.

Population DiversityThere is an influx of immigrants to the urban cities of the North, like Boston and Philadelphia.Irish, German, Scottish, Welsh, Dutch, EnglishSlavery exists in the North, but it is not as prevalent and is more of a status symbol.Slaves in the North are more likely to work in the household.

Racial prejudices against African Americans existed.

The Age of Enlightenment

Ideas about science and nature became prevalent in the 1700s.

Influenced by the English Enlightenment

Benjamin Franklin is the most well-known figure of the movement.

Scientist and philosopher.

Enlightenment thinking also spread to political thought, such as with Thomas Jefferson’s belief in the “natural rights” of men.

The Great AwakeningIt was a major religious revival beginning in the middle of the 18th century.Emphasis on personal faith through the individual experiencing a “new birth” by a spiritual conversion, which the person rejects their sinful past.

“A new Age of Faith rose to counter the currents of the Age of Enlightenment, to reaffirm the view

that being truly religious meant trusting the heart rather than the head…”

-Christine Leigh Heyrman

Leaders of the RevivalJonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were the most popular preachers during the Great Awakening.

Characterized by powerful imagery and fiery speech

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” by Jonathan EdwardsGeorge Whitefield made several trips to the colonies and spoke in both the North and South.

His sermon in Boston was attended by 30,000 people

“When I saw Mr. Whitefield come upon the Scaffold he looked almost angelical, a young, slim slender youth before some

thousands of people with a bold undaunted countenance, and my hearing how God was with him everywhere as he came

along it solemnized my mind, and put me into a trembling fear before he began to

preach; for he looked as if he was clothed with authority from the Great God, and a

sweet solemn solemnity sat upon his brow.”

-Nathan Cole, 1740