Ch. 2.3 Colonial Society

Economy Economy –New England  Religious & hard working –Puritan ethic  Small farms –Rocky soil was not easy to farm  Small business –Milling grain –Sewing clothes –Blacksmith –Shoemakers  Shipbuilding –Forests provided lumber –Fishing and whaling

–Middle Colonies  Soil was suitable for farming –Wheat, tobacco and cash crops  Foreign trade opened busy ports  Busy ports –Created demand for:  Sawmills  Mines for minerals  ironworks

–Southern Colonies  Warm climate & long growing season –tidewaters –Rivers made for easy transportation of crops –Grains, rice, corn, tobacco –Indigo –Plantations  Very little manufacturing  Traded ag products for manufactured goods  Relied on slave labor

American Identity American Identity –Religion  Desired religious freedom –Some colonies religion & politics mixed –Other colonies religion & politics was separate –Great Awakening  1720’s powerful religious revival –Baptists Methodists grew stronger –Slaves christianized

–Education  Religion fueled schools –Minister were trained in America’s first colleges  Harvard, Princeton, William & Mary –Schools taught people to read the bible  Some colonies levied taxes to pay for schools

–Family Life  Men –Formal head of family –Managed all community & church affairs  Women –Looked after children –Outside home  Maids, cooks, teachers, shopkeepers, seamstress  Few rights  No vote  Could own property & run business (if widowed)  Children –Worked as apprentices  To learn a skill

Ideas About Gov’t Ideas About Gov’t –Egalitarianism  Emerged from the Enlightenment & Great Awakening  Believed they possessed English rights –Gov’t run by royal appointees  No say in this  Taxes & policies favored British interests

–Gov’t in Colonies  All had a constitution  Rep gov  Saw self-gov as a right –Discontent  Feelings of not having rights  Locke’s ideas were popular –Gov gets power from the people –British gov’t was distant & uncaring –Independence!!