Life in the British Colonies

Bellwork If you had to live in the English colonies during the 1600-1700s, would you choose to live in the Southern Colonies, the Middle Colonies, or the New England Colonies? Explain why using specific details from your notes and your Quad #2 assignment.

Reminders Test and Binder Check Tomorrow! Binder: Name on cover or title page Syllabus HIPPO Unit 1 Divider Unit 1 Quad Sheet Unit 1a Vocabulary Physical Features Map Native Americans and Early Exploration European Settlements: Archaeological Dig Jamestown and Virginia New England Middle Colonies Life in the Colonies

Life in the British Colonies

Essential Question: What were the political, economic, & social characteristics of the British colonies in North America?

Bellwork Compare/Contrast the groups of people that settled and their motivations for settling in the middle, southern, and New England Colonies.

Government in the Colonies All British colonies were governed with a policy called Salutary Neglect British Parliament & the king controlled the colonies, but did not enforce its policies as long as Britain profited from the colonies Almost all the colonies had a royal governor, but their salaries were paid by the colonists so governors rarely overturned local laws

Government in the Colonies This loose control allowed the colonists to create their own colonial assemblies Colonial assemblies were democratic self-governments made up of colonists who passed their own laws & taxes Typically, colonial assemblies were controlled by the wealthy landowners

Two Examples of Colonial Government The Virginia House of Burgesses Massachusetts Town Meetings

Economics in the Colonies The American colonies were an important part of the trans-Atlantic trade network Economics in the Colonies The colonies produced profitable raw materials, such as tobacco, wheat, fish, indigo, & whale oil Britain sold manufactured goods back to the colonists, like clothing, tea, guns, & tableware

What were the top 3 colonial exports? South South Middle South New England New England

Economics in the Colonies Increased demand for colonial raw materials, increased the demand for African slaves Economics in the Colonies This network created a series of triangular trades among America, Europe, & Africa

Mercantilism By the 1650s, Britain began to embrace the economic policy of mercantilism based on the idea that the colonies exist to generate wealth for the mother country Mercantilism is based on the idea of a balance of trade in which a nation exports more than it imports

The Navigation Acts required the colonists to trade only with Britain Mercantilism meant that Britain began to control & regulate colonial trade In 1660, Britain began the first of a series of Navigation Acts designed to restrict colonial trade & increase British wealth The Navigation Acts required the colonists to trade only with Britain

All 13 of the British colonies participated in the trans-Atlantic trade… “Northern” Colonies “Southern” Colonies …But regional differences led to a long-term division between the “Southern” & “Northern” colonies

By the 1700s, church attendance in the colonies had declined In the 1730s & 1740s, the Great Awakening began as preachers used revivals to encourage religious conversions Outside of NE, 1 in 15 people was a member of a church; NE suffered a decline in church attendance (1:5 were members)

Preachers like Jonathan Edwards & George Whitefield were popular evangelists Preachers used “fire & passion” & camp revivals” to encourage people to examine their faith The Great Awakening led to a rise of new religious denominations like Methodists & Baptists The Great Awakening took place in all colonies & became the first national American event