1. CHAPTER 4 Experience of Empire Eighteenth-Century America

2. Growth and Diversity 1700-1750—colonial population rose from 250,000 to over two million Much growth through natural increase Large influx of non-English Europeans – Scots-Irish Flee English Oppression – Germans Search for a Better Life – Convict Settlers

3. Distribution of European and African Immigrants in the Thirteen Colonies

4. Native Americans Stake Out a Middle Ground  Disease and European settled agricultural practices made it difficult for Europeans and Natives to coexist  Many eastern Indians moved into trans- Appalachian region (Middle Ground)  Native Americans continued to trade with Europeans for metal goods and weapons  Play English and French against each other

5. The Spanish Borderlands, ca. 1770

6. Economic Transformation Long-term period of economic and population growth Economies were geared to commerce, not manufacturing – Trade was mainly with England and West Indies (West Indies provided merchants with profits that offset their British debts) English mass-production of consumer goods stimulated rise in colonial imports – Inhabitants emulated English culture Trade between colonies increased

7. The Great Wagon Road

8. American Enlightenment Intellectual movement that swept Europe with new, radical ideas – Age of Reason – Searching for useful, practical knowledge The Enlightenment’s basic assumptions – Optimistic view of human nature – God set up the universe and human society to operate by natural laws Mixed reception in America

9. Religious Revivals The Great Awakening – Spontaneous, evangelical revivals that weakened the authority of the old colonial religions – People began to re-think basic assumptions about church and state, institutions and society Jonathan Edwards emphasized the Calvinistic teachings of the Puritans (the importance of personal religious experience) – The Awakening promoted a democratic, religious union of national scope – Fostered sense of American unity/identity

10. Clash of Political Cultures Colonists attempted to emulate British political institutions Effort led to discovery of how different they were from English people Example: Royal governors – More powers than king in England – Veto legislation – Dismiss judges – Command provincial military – Could NOT tax

11. Colonial Assemblies/Legislatures “Middle-class democracies” Primary function was to prevent the encroachments on the people’s rights Assemblies controlled colony’s finances No incentive for assembly to cooperate with governors (sometimes even hostile toward them) Exercised extreme vigilance against the spread of privileged power

12. Century of Imperial War  Britain’s conflicts with continental rivals like France spilled over to colonies  Security threats from these conflicts forced colonists into more military and political cooperation  British colonies overwhelmingly militarily superior to New France but ineffective

13. North America, 1750

14. A Century of Conflict: Major Wars, 1689–1763

15. Seven Years’ War/French and Indian War Wars fought for control of the Mississippi River and Ohio River Valley Prime Minister William Pitt shifted strategy to focus on North America (reason for victory) Peace of Paris 1763: France lost – British got all North America east of Mississippi – French retained two Caribbean Islands This particular war had the greatest impact on the colonies politically and economically

16. Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763

17. Albany Congress Albany Congress, 1754 Benjamin Franklin’s idea of central colonial government – Elected representatives decide on matters of defense, western expansion, and relations with Native Americans – Could levy taxes to support its operations Albany Plan failed, disliked by English and Americans

18. Perceptions of War Made colonists aware of their land Created trained officer corps that knew British vulnerabilities Colonists saw themselves as “junior partners” to British British felt colonists ungrateful and not willing to bear their fair share of burden

19. North America after 1763