The Commercial North Chapter 3 section 3

Objective: Students will be able to identify characteristics that were unique to the Northern Colonies. Students will be able to identify characteristics that were unique to the Northern Colonies.

Commerce Grows in the North The theory of Mercantilism held that colonies existed to help the mother country amass wealth. But the American colonies did pretty well for themselves. Their economy grew twice as fast as Britain's.

A diversified economy Farms in the North produced several types of crops. They sold crops to the West Indies, because the sugar plantation owners were making so much money off of the sugar cane fields, that they didn’t want to waste any of the land on crops to be used for food.

A diversified economy The colonists were manufacturing huge numbers of ships and large quantities of iron. They made 1/3 of all British ships and produced more iron than England. Merchants became very rich.

In the North, port cities grew rapidly because of trade. In the South, Charles town was the only major port. The North had Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia. Philadelphia became the second largest city in the British Empire. It was the first city since Roman times to be laid out in a grid like street plan.

Philadelphia had parks, police patrols, paved streets, whale oil lamps to light side walks, but clean water was hard to find, and there was too much garbage.

Influx of Immigrants Germans and Scottish Irish were the largest groups. Many German Mennonites came to Pennsylvania because of William Penn’s religious freedom policy, and they shared the Quakers pacifism. Many Dutch came to New York. Scandanavians in Deleware. Jews in Newport and Philadelphia.

Slavery in the North Northern farm crops did not need the amount of labor as those in the South did. Therefore they did not need slavery as bad. They still had slavery in the North though.

Slavery in the North Most enslaved peoples in the North had better legal standing than they did in the South. They could sue and be sued. They had right of appeal in the highest courts.

However no laws protected them from cruelty. They were not allowed to gather or carry weapons. Slaves sometimes rebelled because of these conditions.

In 1712, an uprising led to the execution of 21 people (slaves). NY Uprisings

In 1741, some suspicious fires and robberies led to the fear of another uprising, to make examples of the ringleaders, 13 persons were burned alive, and 18 people were hanged.

Women in Northern Cities Not many legal rights Could not vote Could not buy or sell property Could not keep their own wages outside the home. In New England, Puritan clergymen said that wives must submit to their husbands.

In 1692, an event today known as the Salem Witch trials occurred. Several Salem girls accused a West Indian Slave woman of witchcraft. The girls then began accusing others of witchcraft. In 1692, an event today known as the Salem Witch trials occurred. Several Salem girls accused a West Indian Slave woman of witchcraft. The girls then began accusing others of witchcraft.

Soon this spun out of control. Many accusers were poor, and brought charges against the wealthy. Many victims were women thought of as overly independent.

When the girls tried to charge the governors wife, the trials ended. The people realized they had been listening to false evidence, and they closed the court. 19 people had been hung; 1 person had been crushed to death; Five died in jail; and 150 were imprisoned.

The Enlightenment Philosophers in Europe began using reason and scientific method to obtain knowledge. They concluded that the world is governed not by chance or miracles but by mathematic laws.

Benjamin Franklin Enlightenment ideas traveled to the colonies through books. Literacy was high in New England because Puritans supported public education so that everyone could read the Bible. Benjamin Franklin, an inventor, writer, and political leader, was an Enlightenment figure. His kite in a thunderstorm helped demonstrate lightning was a form of electrical power.

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson used reason to conclude that individuals have natural rights, which the government must respect. Enlightenment principles lead many colonists to question the authority of the British monarchy.

The Great Awakening In the late 1700’s, the Puritans lost their grip on society. In 1691 the new Massachusetts charter forced them to allow freedom of religion. Many people began making money and did not put as much attention to the afterlife as they once had. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield helped drive the revival of religion in peoples lives

Puritan preachers began preaching to people about rededicating their lives to God and having a personal relationship with Christ. Revival meetings began taking place outdoors. The resulting religious revival known as the Great Awakening, lasted from the 1730’s to 1740’s.

Great Awakening Many colonists, native Americans, and African Americans began going to organized churches for the first time during the Great Awakening. Many colonists abandoned Puritan and Anglican churches and began attending Baptist and Methodist congregations.

Many Protestant denominations began opening up Universities like Princeton, Brown, Columbia, and Dartmouth to train ministers.

The Great Awakening taught people to question traditional authority. It emphasized reason, and deemphasized the role of Church authority.