1. The Bonds of Empire: 1660-1750
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HIS 156: History of United States to 1865 1LT Scott Wagner
2. Chapter Outline
• New England vs. Chesapeake Society
• Culture, Religion, Economics
• Servants to Slaves
• Economics and Politics
• Enlightenment and Religion
• Social Compact
• Great Awakening
• Conclusion
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3. Key Terms
• Indentured Servants
• Middle Passage
• Mercantilism
• English Bill of Rights
• Navigation Acts
• John Locke
• George Whitefield
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4. New England Society
• Education levels tended to be higher
• About 90% of adult men and 40% of adult women could
sign their names
• In other colonies, it was no more than 50%
• In England, only about 33% of adult men could both read
and write
• Community Life centered around “meeting house”
• Meeting house tended to be the social and cultural center of
gravity, much like a town hall
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5. Community Life (cont’d)
• Homes tended to be built close to one another in New England
colonies
• Plots of land for farming were on the outskirts of town
• This led to higher population density than other areas
• Many families were within one mile of each other
• Created a strong sense of moral and religious responsibility to one
another; encouraged “City Upon a Hill” philosophy
• This also facilitated close working, family relationships among the
townspeople
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7. New England Family Life
• Family was considered the “backbone of the community”
• Family Organization
• Father: head of the family
• Mother: social and moral enforcer
• Children: provided labor force
• Life Expectancy Rate
• 80% of children reached adulthood
• Increasingly long life expectancy (Men 65, Women 62)
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9. A Way of Life
Tobacco Plantation, 1701
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10. Chesapeake Bay Society
• Tobacco cultivation dominated socio-economic life of
Chesapeake region
• Grown mostly in Virginia and Maryland
• First “American settlement” in area was Jamestown in
1607; sometimes referred to by historians as “Boomtown”
• Large profits could be had, but prices fluctuated and market
unforgiving
• Indentured servants and slaves became commonplace on
plantations
• Plantations tended to be spread out and along James River; this
differed from tightknit communities of New England area
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11. Community Life
• Homes were spread out and generally pretty far away from
each other
• This resulted in a low population density; only about 6
people peer square mile in some areas
• As a result, large plantations tended to be at the “center” of
community life
• Family life differed greatly from that of New Englanders
• Far less stability and concentration on family values
• High infant mortality rates
• Life expectancy in the 1600s was 48 for Men, 44 for Women
• This resulted in complex households dependent upon indentured
servants, slave labor
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12. Indentured Servants
• “Headright: System
• 50 acres was paid to those who paid a servant’s travel costs
• Many servants were willing to bear the burden for a chance at a
better life, more economic opportunity
• Between 1630 and 1700, more than 110,000 migrated
from England to Chesapeake Bay
• Up to 90% were indentured servants
• Most were Male, which proved troublesome for family life in
the region
• Up to 40% died within 6 years
• Generally worked for a term of 4-7 years
• Some were able to forge on way afterwards, others weren’t
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13. Native American Relations (1670s)
• Settlers (often former indentured servants) in outlying areas
encroached on Native American land, breeding conflict
• William Berkeley. Virginia’s Governor, did not react with
force; settlers tended to take matters into their own hands
• Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)
• Member of the nobility, not lower class
• Led a militia of about 300 men to solve “Indian problem”
• Clashed with Governor Berkeley and turned on fellow Virginians,
eventually burning Jamestown
• At one point controlled have of Virginia; Bacon suddenly died of
dysentery, and the movement he inspired dispersed
• Many elites were shocked by these events, sought to ensure they
never occurred again
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14. Resulting Trend
• Due in part to Bacon’s Rebellion, Virginia planters moved
away from hiring indentured servants and more towards
acquiring African slaves
• Forced labor started to flesh out along racial lines more and more
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15. Economics
• Trade bound the American colonies and England closely to one
another
• England purchased more American goods and provided more
imports than any other nation
• Based upon the economic philosophy of Mercantilism
• A nation’s wealth was determined by its accumulation of gold and
silver
• Nations must export more goods than it imports
• This was one of the motivating factors behind colonial expansion
• Resource-rich colonies provided raw materials to be turned into
finished goods and exported
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16. Mercantilism and Navigation Acts
• Colonies provided reliable source of raw goods
• Tobacco, rice, fur, lumber, sugar
• Colonists purchased finished goods from England
• England was “workshop” for its colonies
• Colonies were “provider and consumer” of English manufactures
• Navigation Acts (1651-1673)
• All goods sent to colonies transported on English ships
• “Enumerated”, or highly valuable, goods had to go directly
to England
• All foreign goods had to travel to England first before
heading to the colonies (tax and control market)
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17. Economics and Politics
• The Crown and Parliament did create their own regulations for
the Colonies; however, each colony did have its own local
form of government
• Colonial Government Structure:
• Governor: appointed by King or Proprietor
• Council: chosen by Governor and served as advisers
• Assembly: elected by voters (some colonies had property
qualifications, some didn’t); had the power to pass laws, levy
taxes and manage budgets
• Wealthy elites tended to dominate assemblies
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18. History of Ideas
• Enlightenment
• An intellectual movement associated with Europe in the 17th and
18th century
• Individuals applied rational thought/scientific thinking to
everyday life instead of viewing through religious lens
• Isaac Newton (Laws of Gravity)
• Benjamin Franklin (Scientific Discovery, Philosophy)
• John Locke (Social Contract)
• All people have “inherent, natural rights: life, liberty, and property”
• To protect rights, people establish government with well-defined, limited
powers (inspired by English Bill of Rights)
• The people have not only the right, but the duty to overthrow government if
it oversteps its bounds
• Radical thinking
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19. Great Awakening
• A religious fervor spread across North American in the 1730s as somewhat
of a counterbalance to Enlightenment, declining church attendance
• George Whitefield was its leading “itinerant preacher”
• Arrived in 1739 from England
• Increased church membership greatly
• Presbyterianism and Baptism
• Encouraged Christianity among slaves
• Electrifying public speaker
• “Existential Christianity”
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20. Chapter Review
• Life in Chesapeake Bay versus New England
• Indentured servants and slavery
• Mercantilism, Empire and Colonies
• Enlightenment and Great Awakening
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