C.5 U.S History, Skill #2

C.5 U.S History, Skill #2

Analyze the social, cultural, political, and economic development of the Americas during the colonial period.

The Colonial World

colonization impacted by four major factors: mercantilism colonies exist for the economic benefit of the mother country and are useless unless they help achieve profit each nation's goal was to export more than it imported believed econ activity should be regulated by gov colonies provided staple crops that England would have been forced to import from other countries rivalry of  major nations (England, France, Spain) geography native population in the area

Spain

focused primarily on South America, Central America, Mexico, and the American Southwest king remained source of all authority, explorers needed king's permission/ help sought gold brought in Catholic priests to convert natives, damaged their civilizations, and were cruel to their laborers; included them in the social and economic aspects of society

France

focused on North America Samuel de Champlain established trading post in Quebec in 1608 exploration spread through the Great Lakes region and the valleys of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers settlements generally forts and trading posts serving the fur trade joint stock companies friendly with Natives, included them in the social and economic aspects of society

Holland

Henry Hudson (Englishman) sent to look for Northwest Passage discovered Hudson river and made trade agreements with Iroquois for furs not interested in forming colonies, interest in New World purely economic 1624 Dutch trading outposts were estab on Manhattan Island and Albany

England

economic commercial capitalism in England allowed colonization to be funded by private funds, rather than government funds Virginia Company of London joint-stock company that raised capital by the sale of shares of stock,  received charter from King James I to settle between the Hudson and Cape Fear rivers settled Jamestown in 1607 (1st permanent Eng. settlement) primary crop tobacco King James revoked charter in 1624 and made Virginia a royal colony Virginia Company of Plymouth joint-stock company, received charter to settle from the Potomac to the northern border of present-day Maine religious Puritans in 1629 Charles I wanted to persecute Puritans and rule without Puritan dominated parliament chartered joint-stock company called the Massachusetts Bay company, charter did not specify where headquarters should be saw colony as a place to serve God and build his kingdom; dissidents only tolerated if they didn't interfere with colony's mission Roger Williams became disruptive to colony asked to leave, bought land from the Natives, and founded Providence (1636) Anne Hutchinson openly contradicted Puritan doctrine and was banished from colony founded Portsmouth (1638) Separatists believed Church of England was beyond saving and so felt they must separate from it led by William Bradford left in 1620 under charter from London Company to settle South side of Hudson river on the Mayflower  Mayflower compact estab foundation for orderly government based on the consent of the governed Charles II Carolina granted 8 nobleman who helped him regain the crown a charter for all land south of VA and north of Spanish FL New York granted brother James, Duke of York, title to all Dutch lands if he conquered them first New Amsterdam excluded Natives from their social, econ, and political lives (the Quaker communities exhibited tolerance)

North American Colonies

New England colonies MA, RI, CT, NH Puritans placed importance on the family (patriarchy), literacy (so everyone could read Bible) economy climate/ soil unsuited to large-scale farming economy based on small farming, home industry, dishing, trade, shipbuilding Boston first international port Southern and Chesapeake Colonies mercantilism tobacco first planted in 1611 and quickly became commodity crop that helped VA grow into full-sized  settlement headright system VA Company disbanded and made a royal colony by James I 1617 way to get more Europeans to come to America to grow tobacco (every new person given 50 acres of land) indentured servants: wealthy planters offered to pay for passage of those who could not afford to pay themselves in exchange for labor for an agreed upon period of time, after which they would be given a plot of land to tend on their own Blacks made up small percentage of population at first and by 1750 made up 30-40% of the population; initially treated as indentured servants and eventually came to be seen as lifelong slaves whose status would be inherited by their children NC followed VA in econ and social development while SC developed society even more dominated by large plantations and chattel slavery Mid-Atlantic Colonies Quakers founded PA believed all people held an "inner light" that allowed them to commune directly with God, little importance on the Bible Delaware initially part of PA and eventually given separate legislature by William Penn types of colonial governments Royal colonies: English monarch controlled the colonies and appointed governors and their councils to run them all 13 colonies became royal colonies by mid-1700s shifted from a focus on farming to a focus on household manufacturing and some commercial industries for profit such as fishing, lumbering, shipbuilding, etc. proprietary colonies: landowners determined the direction of government corporate colonies: corp. and their stockholders determined the direction of the gov and econ  

Economic changes during 18th cent

types of colonial work agricultural plantation farming: based on commercial single-crop commodities commercial farming: people on smaller farms would raise crops to sell on the market self sufficient family farming where people grew crops to satisfy their own needs and used surplus to buy goods/ pay taxes craftsman men went through apprenticeships to become blacksmiths, coopers, weavers, carpenters, and shipwrights mercantilists in trading, merchants would buy and sell goods they themselves did not make in order to make a profit service provision other people offered services in the community such as butchers, market workers, doctors, etc. social classes rural landowners southern plantation owners who invested in land, slaves, buildings, tools, etc. merchants traders and sellers of goods and services wage earners invested in industrial stock/ various enterprises

American Colonies

Types of colonial societies

Colonial Farming societies majority of colonists lived on small, family-run and self-sufficient farms most in the New England and Southern Colonies, many in Middle Colonies Urban Seaport  big cities developed along the Atlantic Seaboard and became major seaports and commercial centers (Boston, NY, Newport, Philly, and Charleston) wealthy merchants and traders became powerful Frontier colonists living with bare necessities and creating every aspect of their society did not have strong community presence because everyone was spread out and lacked organized law and order, community institutions, or organized churches believed they were not given adequate protection or equal representation because they were "foreigners" (mainly German or Scot/ Irish) Plantation/ Slave highly stratified society in which social mobility did not occur Native American natives moved westward as they were dispossessed of their lands and their populations decimated

Social Changes During the 18th Century

enormous population growth (300k in 1700 to 2.5mil. in 1775) ethnic and linguistic composition changes de to West African slaves and Scots-Irish ang German immigrants cities contained 20% of population; 4 main cities: Boston, NY, Philly, Charleston social and economic stratification intensified after 1750 aristocratic plantation owners in the South had the most wealth and influence lawyers, merchants, officials clergymen dominated North Land-owning, Yeoman farmers made up the majority of the population  indentured servants and slaves were the lowest level of society; about 20% of pop. slaves Great Awakening spread in the 1730s-40s in the Southern and Middle colonies revitalization of religious beliefs and practice action against established churches

Population of the New England Colonies