APUSH CHAPTER 4

Chesapeake Colonies in the Seventeenth Century

By 1700 Virginia was the most populous Diseases ravaged the people in the Chesapeake High death rate = Low life expectancy in Chesapeake The Chesapeake grew slowly in the 1600s and mostly from new immigrants from Europe, not natural birth Most immigrants were single men The population of the Chesapeake colonies was notable for the ____________? BY THE EARLY 1700S MANY MORE FAMILIES HAD TAKEN HOLD AND ILLNESS BECAME LESS FREQUENT

The Chesapeake good for tobacco but it ruined the soil Settlers moved inland for more new land, thus pushing the Indians further west and causing increased conflicts. As production of tobacco increased, the price dropped, causing farmers to grow more to remain profitable. This increased the need for more labor, and with the price of slaves very high, the need for indentured servants grew.

________ reaped the greatest benefits Indentured servants were white English farmers displaced by the enclosure movement They voluntarily mortgaged their labor for several years to get a transatlantic passage and “freedom dues” after their time was up (a few barrels of corn, clothing, and possibly a small piece of land) The headright system encouraged indentured servants to come: for every indentured servant who was brought over the master, or payer, would receive 50 acres of land. This led to a rapid expansion of indentured servitude and the need to push settlers further West for more land. ________ reaped the greatest benefits

Bacon’s Rebellion In 1676 1,000 Virginians, most former indentured servants who had moved west to the Piedmont area for available land, rebelled. Led by Nathaniel Bacon Resented Governor Berkeley’s relations with the Indians and how he monopolized the fur trade with the Indians in the Chesapeake He also refused to retaliate for Indian attacks on frontier settlements

Nathaniel Bacon

Bacon’s Rebellion Rebels attacked the Indians Supported mainly be young men frustrated by inability to acquire land Governor Berkeley was driven from Jamestown and rebels burned the city Bacon suddenly died of disease After they lost their leader, Gov. Berkeley crushed the rebellion and 20 rebels were then hung as punishment for their actions.

Rebellion exposed resentment between the frontiersman and the rich gentry on their Tidewater coastal plantations The rich planters searched for workers less likely to rebel and this led to large-scale use of African slaves Majority of African slaves had been transported to the British West Indies and the Caribbean

The Atlantic Slave Trade before Bacon

In 1619 slaves first introduced in Jamestown By 1670 slavery was still only a small % Reason few slaves were imported is because struggling white colonists could not afford $ for slaves who might die soon after arrival White indentured servants were far less costly than Africans

During the 1680s, changes in Europe and America led to African enslavement Rising wages in England so less people were willing to sell themselves as indentured servants Large planters were fearful of large numbers of former servants (as demonstrated by Bacon’s Rebellion) Established planters now had income to spend on slaves

As slaves increased, white colonists acted to put down any possible racial threat “Slave codes” were adopted, setting strict conditions of slavery blacks (and their children) became property (“chattels”) for the life of their white masters Some colonies made it a crime to teach a slave to read or write Even conversion to Christianity did not qualify a slave for freedom Slavery might have begun for economic reasons but racial discrimination also molded the American slave system

Slave revolts did occur, but overall there were few of them In 1712 a rebellion in New York occurred in which 12 whites were killed and 21 blacks were executed as revenge. In 1739, the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina occurred Blacks rebelled and tried to march to Spanish Florida and freedom but were stopped by the white militia

Southern Society At top were rich plantation owners with large tracts of land Second were small landowners who owned one or two slaves (these were the majority of colonists) Third were the poor, non-landowning, non-slave owning whites who worked for other whites Fourth were indentured servants Black slaves were at the lowest level

Southern Society vs. New England Society Southern society revolved around the plantation so few cities developed an urban professional class (like lawyers, bankers) was slow to emerge Poor roads meant that most transportation was done over waterways

New England enjoyed a much healthier climate than the South Clean water and cool temperatures stopped the growth of disease Better transportation system because of better roads and navigable water ways.

New Englanders generally migrated as families Population grew from natural reproduction Early marriage and women had children every 2 years until menopause The typical woman would have 10 children (with 8 surviving past infancy) Many women died during childbirth and women came to fear pregnancy New England's population led to the invention of “grandparents”

New England women gave up property rights upon marriage Southern women’s rights were more advanced because men frequently died young and there were fewer of them Women in the South were allowed to keep separate rights to property (from their husbands) and to inherit their husband’s estate New England women gave up property rights upon marriage Puritan lawmakers worried about dividing men and women in marriage based on property Widows did have secure rights to property (in contrast with England)

The Scarlet Letter

Life in the New England Towns Towns with over 50 families were required to provide an elementary education 1/2 adults were literate in New England In 1636, Harvard College was established to train local boys for the ministry The first college (William and Mary) was not established in Virginia until 1693

The Half-Way Covenant and the Salem Witch Trials In the mid 1600s, religious enthusiasm began to die down: To combat this, Puritan preachers began using the “jeremiad”, or strong calls to repentance and stronger faith values In 1662 the Half-Way Covenant introduced Weakened the purity of the original settlements Admitted to baptisim but not full membership the unconverted children of existing members Eventually, Puritan church was opened to all, purity was sacrificed for wider participation

The Salem Witch trials began in 1692 in Massachusetts : result of unsettled social and religious conditions in Massachusetts Young girls claimed to be possessed by older women who they claimed were witches In the ensuing “witch hunt”, 20 people were killed, 19 by hanging; 1 by pressing; 2 dogs were also hanged

Causes of Salem reflected the widening of economic classes in New England and fear that Puritanism was being corrupted by commercialism Most of the accused witches came from families associated with Salem’s growing market economy in town The accusers came mostly from subsistence farming poor families Key is it is based on economic jealousy *was opposed by more resposible members of the clergy

The Geography of Witchcraft: Salem Village, 1692

By 1693, the witchcraft hysteria had ended in Salem The Massachusetts governor acted (because of accusation against his wife) and prohibited further trials and pardoned convicted witches 20 years later, state legislature annulled the convictions of accused witches and paid reparations to their heirs

New England differences with South Difficult farming because of rocky soil Back-breaking work shaped strong character Less ethnically diverse (immigrants were not attracted to farms or harsh religious life) Climate led to diversified agriculture and economy, instead of relying on a few staple crops Mostly small farms due to geography Because slavery was not profitable on small farms the colonists relied less on slave labor. Used harbors for fishing, shipping and commerce, leading to shipbuilding and the use of forests

Most immigrant colonists were middle class The impact of New England was extremely important to the rest of the nation Most immigrant colonists were middle class Upper classes had no reason to leave Europe (“Dukes don’t emigrate”) Poor lacked money to emigrate Colonists tried to prevent class distinctions Society much more egalitarian than Europe, especially northern and middle colonies Rebellions of lower classes against upper classes occurred, such as Bacon’s Rebellion, Maryland Protestant rebellion (1676), Leisler’s Rebellion (1689 – 1691) NYC

KEYS TO THE CHAPTER Head right System Bacon’s Rebellion Middle Passage Salem Witch Trials Half-Way Covenant Differences between Northern and Southern colonies