Notes from September 2

English in America

England before colonization:

--Civil war. Kings and Parliament fought for years
--Protestant Reformation
--Radical Protestantism grows in Europe, especially Calvinism

Anglican Church

--Henry VIII could not produce a male child and wanted to divorce (annul) his wife, daughter of the King of Spain
--The Pope would not grant the annulment, so Henry started his own church
--Calvinist “Puritans” flee from forced involvement in Henry's Anglican church

England vs. Spain

England was anti-Catholic, therefore anti-Spain
Spain was anti-Protestant, therefore anti-England
The new English navy robbed and fought the older, more powerful Spanish navy, and won

England's first colonies sucked and failed.
Why did the English become interested in moving?
-Political instability
-Religious freedom
-Poverty
-Massachusetts
Pilgrims left England for Holland to save their religion, then left Holland for America to save their culture
Created the Mayflower Compact because they landed in the wrong place and had no legal government. 1st Constitution in America
“City on a hill” tried to create a community without temptations or spiritual distractions
Unlike earlier settlements, whole families came
Unlike earlier, better climate and resources

Puritan culture

Unlike England, people were not forced to go to church
Church members had to prove they were saved by God (Calvinism)
Male church members could vote
Town meeting halls and churches were often the same building
If citizens were distractions to the Puritans, they were kicked out of town

Rhode Island

Roger Williams questioned the legality of the colony, its connections to England, and its unfairness towards natives
Antinomianism – freedom from law (church law)
Anne Hutchinson said that God spoke directly to her, not through the church or Bible
Directly questioned legal authority
A talking woman! With ideas? That can't be good.
She and her followers also went to Rhode Island

Religious and political leaders in Massachusetts settled farther down shore to (now) Connecticut
New Hampshire had more distant ties to Massachusetts and became its own colony.
Maine was claimed by Massachusetts, though sparsely populated. It became its own state in 1820.

Characteristics of New England states:

Homogeneous demographics
Settled for religious reasons
Church and state were closely related
Stable communities with families and laws
Population centers with meeting places
Easy access to water for trade and travel
Independent spirit & distinct cultural identity

Southern Colonies: Virginia

Named after Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen
Joint-stock company:
Investors got a piece of land in VA, share of profits
English interest in moving:
Overcrowding in England, lack of jobs
Many move to London but cannot find work
Jamestown was a good place for a fort, not a colony

Why Chesapeake colonies failed:

Attacks by natives
Disease (mosquitoes, etc.)
Swamps
Bad water
Unrealistic expectations
Selfish, not selfless, settlers
Lack of food
Lack of supplies
Little agricultural knowledge
How does the colony make a profit?

Tobacco

A weed – grows easily
Sudden, high demand in Europe
Headright:
Land was given to those who paid their own way to Virginia, but even more land when paying others' way
Indentured servitude, then slavery
Few rich landowners, many indebted workers
Greed, individualism led Virginia to bankruptcy
King took over, but the colony's assembly kept meeting

Maryland: Catholic Refuge

Named after Queen Mary
Lord Baltimore sold land to make money. He created a hierarchy of rich landowners and less privileged, smaller landowners
Settlers refused to take part in an unequal system
Puritan settlers pressured the colony to tolerate their religious views
“Act concerning Religion”
All religion tolerated as long as it was Christian

Carolina

Named after King Charles I (Mary's dead husband)
Settled by supporters of the royal family
Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina
Rich landowners had one house of government
Smaller landowners had another house
Bicameral government: 2-house legislature
Land sold for profit. Landowners eventually grew rice for money
Many landowners came from plantations in Barbados, bring system of slavery with them

Georgia

Named after King George II
Bordering Spanish Florida, James Oglethorpe thought he could keep Spain from spreading north
English owners controlled all aspects of government, banning slavery and liquor
England tried populating the colony with debtors to keep them out of prison
Economically uncompetitive
Few settlers
Owners eventually gave up

Mid-Atlantic Colonies
New York

New Amsterdam became the trading center of New Netherland
Settlers were employees of the Dutch West India Co.
Settlers felt mistreated by their Company, often ignoring orders
Small, but multicultural. Weak government. Ethnic groups remained largely independent
England seized New Amsterdam, renaming it New York. Dutch get permission to stay and keep land

New Jersey

Duke of York gave part of New York to several supporters at the same time
Colony split into East and West factions
The arguing courtiers eventually gave up, selling the land to Quakers
One of the interested parties, William Penn, gave up and moved farther West
The King rejoined the bankrupt Jerseys so they'd survive

Pennsylvania

“Penn's Woods”
Originally colonized by Dutch until English kicked them out
Penn was a follower of the Quakers, and make his colony a Quaker haven
Pacifists
Believed everyone was equal
Everyone had an “inner light” from the God
Simplistic life and appearance
Pennsylvanians were supposed to have:
Liberty of conscience
Freedom from persecution
No taxation without representation
Due process of law
Delaware formed from southeast part of colony

Excuses for Slavery

$$$
Africans had to be controlled
Barbaric
Promiscuous
Heathens
Slave system would convert Africans to Christianity and civilize them
Later called “white man's burden”
Africans were resistant to disease (something about Native Americans dying)

In what became the US . . .

Early African slaves lasted less than 7 years
Many slaves first went to the West Indies (most died quickly)
By 1700, slavery was race-based and permanent
Slaves often never freed
Children of slaves automatically became slaves
Unlike Spanish America, English colonies did not allow race mixing
-Mulatto: European/African
-Mestizo: American/African
-Creole: American-born European
“African-American” culture grew out of an erased African culture and a developing American one

Merchantilism

A newer word for an older system
Colonies exist for the benefit of the mother country
For England:
Paid for stronger British navy
Fended off Spanish Empire
Profit!
Empire wanted to prevent other empires from making more money than them

Cracking Down

Navigation Act of 1660
Only English ships and crews could trade in the American colonies
Staple Act 1663
Extension of Navigation Act
Tobacco could only be shipped to England
Colonists protested that they lost an international customer base
England annuls Massachusetts Bay Colony charter, tried to combine colonies under a single government

Uprisings

Bacon's Rebellion

Nathaniel Bacon was a recent immigrant
Did not like the system of government patronage
Rebelled against Gov. William Berkeley
Killed a bunch of natives when Berkeley said he couldn't

Glorious Revolution

Protestants (Anglicans) took back England from James II (Catholic)
Replaced James II with his relatives
In New York, Jacob Leisler used this excuse to take control from the English Governor
American Enlightenment
Especially in the British colonies
Based on changes in thinking in Europe
Science and reason explain the universe, not just religion
Society follows scientific laws as well?
There were “self-evident” laws in nature.
Sacred and undeniable?
Institutions should adhere to those laws
Experimentation, invention, and curiosity would help philosophes discover these laws

Ben Franklin

Printer: Poor Richard's Almanac, New England Courant, stamps
Postmaster
Scientist: electricity, gulf stream
Inventor: stove, bifocals, lightening rod
Politics: ambassador to France, Constitutional Convention, Declaration of
Independence

Population Explosion

British colonies doubled every 25 years
More production of tobacco, crops
Colonists became taller, healthier than British counterparts
Explosion in British exports to America
Fine manufactured goods bought
De-emphasized local work and cultural identity
Credit promoted American investment
Better transportation meant more colonial interaction
Newspapers, books, mail

Government

British government found it hard to enforce trade laws. Black market becomes important economy
Navigation Acts
Sugar Act
Hat and Felt Act
Iron Act
English “Constitution”
King: Monarchy
Nobles: House of Lords
Commoners: House of Commons
Based on centuries of laws and legal tradition
Colonial Government
Colonial assemblies appeared to be similar to the British House of Commons
In reality, colonial assemblies had little or no power. The king created all laws
The king appointed governors who often had more powers in the colonies than the king at home
In America, more colonists had the right to vote: 90% to 20%
Colonists considered the British system ideal, but only knew it from a distance

Colonial Assemblies

Grew farther and farther from royal governors
The public criticized any limits on assembly powers
Meanwhile, American presses discussed politics more openly and critically
Colonists noticed similar problems between assemblies. A national identity helped link the colonies together
Albany Plan (1754): A serious plan for uniting the colonies.
Ben Franklin wanted a Grand Council to discuss colonial affairs, much like the Five Nations

World Wars

Britain and France fought sporadically for years over trading and land claims in North America
Wars would involved native nations and colonists
Balancing European power, not the interests of Americans, was the goal of these wars
King William's War (1689-1697)
Attacks in Massachusetts and New York
Queen Anne's War (1702-1713)
Fighting throughout frontier areas
King George's War (1743-1748)
British colonists took parts of Canada, while a treaty gave it back
French and Indian War/7 Years War (1756-1763)
British/Colonists/Iroquois vs. French/Colonists/Huron/Algonquin

French and Indian War: Effects

European wars were fought in America instead
France kicked out of North America
Hurons move north of Lake Ontario
Great Britain claims Canada and Louisiana
Britain goes into heavy debt
Britain must raise taxes to pay for war, including colonial taxes
**Taxation without representation**
Colonies grow closer together after fighting in the war together
Colonies and Britain both thought they weren't getting enough respect
Quebecois desire separation from British Empire

“Americans seldom fully understood why the wars were being fought, why certain tactics had been adopted, and why the British accepted treaty terms that so blatantly ignored colonial interests.” (p103)

Others

50,000 British convicts brought to America in 1700s
150,000 Scots-Irish flee religious and political persecution
100,000 Germans (Amish, Mennonites) leave Europe to practice religion, farm land
Remaining Native Americans move west to escape war and disease, merging with other nations
“Middle ground”/“frontier”
Spanish Empire grew slowly in the southwest
Much more tolerant of racial intermingling
Converting or exploiting Indians not always successful