Life in 17th Century English Colonies The Economic, Social, & Political Culture of the English Colonies

What did the English colonies look like in 1650?

What did the English colonies look like at the end of the 17th century?

Colonial Society in the 17th Century: New England

Families in New England New England society was much more stable than other colonies: New England Puritans migrated to America as families Marriage was easy as most people shared common values Colonists lived longer due to more a dispersed population, purer water, & a cooler climate 3

Education in New England New England towns regarded education as fundamental family responsibility; towns began to create elementary schools funded with local taxes: NE had, by far, the highest literacy rate in America In 1638, Harvard became America’s first college 4

Family Life in New England Patriarchal Society – the father was boss of the family, and society in general The female was to a subservient and obedient wife and a loving mother Children endured a strict upbringing through corporal punishment, plentiful chores, and apprenticeships Laws established systems of public education that ensured the basic education of children

Women in New England Was the colonial era the “golden age” for women? Women contributed to society as wives & mothers, devout church members, & ran small-scale farms But were not equals with men: Women could not legally own or sell property; divorce difficult Women did what God ordained 5

Religion in New England Since most New England colonies were founded on a belief that the colony existed through a ‘covenant’ with God, religion and state were often one and the same Local town governments ensured the good order of Puritan society Suffrage rights and political opportunities commonly depended on one’s membership in the local church

Strong Puritan Ideals, or the Lack Thereof… The founders of the New England colonies were devout Puritans with strict beliefs in predestination and ‘visible sainthood’ Growing education and secularization of society eroded these strict Puritan beliefs and subsequent generations began losing touch with the church…

Strong Puritan Ideals, or the Lack Thereof… In order to save their dwindling church congregations, New England ministers developed the Halfway Covenant Individuals could become ‘halfway saints’ Members of the Puritan church who did not visibly attest to their salvation The children of halfway saints would be allowed the opportunity to become full saints in the Puritan church This Halfway Covenant would play an important role in the later Great Awakening…

Triangular Trade Though there were no plantation elite in New England, there did arise a powerful merchant class The New England merchants profited from shipping manufactured rum, and other goods received from Southern colonies and the Indies, to Africa to be exchanged for slaves

Social Hierarchy in New England NE churches focused on its members; outsiders were not welcomed & often moved away Local gentry of religiously devout families guided town meetings Large population of yeomen farmers loyal to the local community Servants were common in NE but not like indentured servitude in Chesapeake. Servants were typically children of families forced to work for neighbors by their parents to begin an “apprenticeship” for life. Thus, this servitude was not exploited like Chesapeake indentured servants were. Small population of landless laborers, servants, & poor

The Diverse Middle Colonies The Middle Colonies were a mixture of Southern and New England societies There were both large landowners who grew cash crops and also wealthy merchants who controlled growing cities There was broad religious diversity Quakers, Catholics, Anglicans, Puritans, etc… There were diverse ethnic backgrounds English, Scots-Irish, Dutch, German, Swiss, etc…

Opportunities in the Middle Colonies As most immigrants came to America in search of economic opportunity, in the Middle Colonies they were most likely to find it… Opportunities were not limited to ethnic background in the diverse Middle Colonies Most became farmers, but many also found opportunities to become artisans in rapidly expanding cities such as Philadelphia and New York

Colonial Society in the 17th Century: The Chesapeake

Families in the Chesapeake “Normal, English” family life was impossible in Virginia: 70-85% of immigrants were young male indentured servants High death rate (average age was 10-20 years lower than NE) One married spouse often died within a decade Children often never knew their parents (let alone grandparents) 8

Women in Chesapeake Society Scarcity gave some women bargaining power in the marriage market; allowed some women to improve their social status But women were vulnerable: sexual exploitation Childbearing was dangerous Chesapeake women died 20 years earlier than women in New England 9

Life in the Early South Due to their few numbers women were able to gain broad social and legal rights, as well as wealth Due to the short life spans women were commonly able to marry many times due to the death of husbands  these many marriages would allow them to gain large estates With their material power came social and political influence

The plantation gentry dominated society & the House of Burgesses Social Hierarchy in the Chesapeake The plantation gentry dominated society & the House of Burgesses Free farmers were largest class; Came as indentured servants; most lived on edge of poverty Tobacco was the basis of wealth & cause of social inequalities Indentured servants were often mistreated & cheated out of land African slaves

Chesapeake Culture By 1680, social mobility in the Chesapeake was limited: An American-born elite class had emerged (this social aristocracy was absent earlier) The plantation economy & ownership of slaves allowed the gentry to produce more tobacco High death rates halted the development of schools & towns

Life in the Early South Due to the fact that there were very few large towns public education never came to be an important issue Rural and sporadic small-town society Illiteracy was very common The education that did take place was primarily given by either private tutors or educated parents For higher levels of schooling children were sent overseas to European institutions

Split Southern Society The head right system quickly created a society split between poor freed farmers (former indentured servants) and wealthy plantation owners Over half of settlers in the southern colonies were indentured servants… Small farmers were kept poor by… Falling tobacco prices due to overproduction Poor land High taxes

Family Life in the South Life was very isolated due to the scattering of families on farms and plantations Children were much less disciplined than in the New England region, and of course less educated Women did not have to perform manual labor, but in some rare cases they did run the plantation The Anglican Church was the established religion of the region

Non-English in the South The Scotch-Irish developed a strong presence in… North Carolina due to its open policy of granting lands and its open-minded, democratic society Georgia in the 1750’s after the cheap lands of the tidewater regions were exhausted in Virginia and South Carolina

Colonial Society in the 17th Century: African Slaves

Roots of Slavery The importation of African slaves was based on a “need” for labor: Indians decimated by disease Indentured servant-pool waned after 1660 An estimated 11 million slaves (mostly males) were brought to the English American colonies 13

Roots of Slavery Slaves were originally treated as indentured servants but the growing black population in VA by 1672 prompted stricter slave laws: Africans were defined as slaves for life; slave status was passed on to children By 1700, slavery was based exclusively on skin color Some slaves upon their “indentured” release went on to become successful plantation owners—although this was extremely rare; Slavery justified because bringing Africans Christianity 13

Origins & Destinations of African Slaves, 1619-1760

The Slave Population In the Chesapeake & Southern colonies with large black populations, slaves found it was easier to maintain African culture By 1720, the African population became self-sustaining: Fertility rates exceeded immigration rates for 1st time Did not occur in the Caribbean or in South America 14

The Slave Population Widespread resentment of their slave status led to resistance in the 18th Century: Armed resistance such as the Stono Rebellion of 1739 (SC) In 1741, 106 slaves were hanged or deported due to a rumor that slaves planned to burn NYC Runaways were common 16