Government, Religion and Culture Chapter 4, Section2

English Colonial Rule England viewed its American colonies as an economic resource. The colonies provided England with raw materials. Raw materials could be made into finished goods. Finished goods could them be sent back to America and sold to the colonists.

English Colonial Rule MERCANTILISM: This is a theory that states, “as a nation’s trade grows, the nation’s value increases and the nation becomes more powerful. To make money from trade, England had to export (sell goods to other nations) more than it imported (brought in goods from other nations).

Trade Colonists engaged in something called triangular trade. Just like a triangle has three points; Triangular Trade involved three continents: North America, Europe and Africa. Molasses and sugar would be purchased from the West Indies and sent to the New England colonies. In New England, the molasses would be turned into rum. The rum and other goods would be sent to Africa and exchanged for slaves. Slaves would be returned to America and sold.

Triangular Trade

The Middle Passage The inhumane part of triangular trade was the shipping of enslaved Africans to the West Indies. This journey from Africa to America was known as the “Middle Passage”.

English Colonial Rule NAVIGATION ACTS: directed the flow of goods between the colonies and England. These Navigation Acts prevented the colonies from sending certain products such as sugar, tobacco and cotton to places outside the English empire.

English Colonial Rule Some colonists ignored the Navigation Acts and began smuggling, or trading illegally with other nations. Controls on trade would later cause conflict between American colonies and England.

English Colonial Rule The English colonies were governed through the use of two documents Magna Carta: which allowed for a Parliament and king to work together to create laws for the colonies. Limited the power of a monarch. English Bill of Rights: provided a list of individual freedoms that the government promised to protect.

Colonial Government As the American colonies grew they also depended on their own governments (legislatures) to make local laws. By 1760, there were three types of colonies in America: charter colonies, proprietary colonies and royal colonies.

Colonial Government

Voting Rights Only certain people were allowed to vote in the colonies To vote, you had to be: A white male and own property. If you were a woman, landless (poor or did not own property/ land) or African American you could not vote.

The Great Awakening From 1720 through the late 1740’s a religious revival know as the Great Awakening. The Great Awakening was a return to the strong faith of the earlier days. Provided a sense of unity among the colonists which would prove to beneficial during the American Revolution.

The Great Awakening Two important ministers who took part in the Great Awakening were Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield.

The Great Awakening

Family Roles Family influences were religion, education and the arts. Men were the heads of the household. Women could attend meetings but could not speak, vote or serve in the clergy. Women could work in the home. They could also own property and would set up shops and inns. Children could serve as apprentices, or learning assistants where they could learn a trade.

Education Colonial school houses

Education Colonists valued education. Children learned to read and write either at home or in schools. By 1760 New England had a very high literacy rate. About 75 percent of the population could read.

Education Education in the American colonies also spread thanks to the printing press and various newspapers.

The Enlightenment The Enlightenment occurred in the mid 1700’s Many people wanted to gain more knowledge in the area of science, reason and wanted to find ways to improve society. People began conducting experiments and publishing their findings.

The Enlightenment One of the best known scientists in America was Benjamin Franklin.