Friday, March 7, 2008

Chapter 4 The Colonies Develop (1700-1753)

Chapter 4: The Colonies Develop, 1700-1753
Section 1: New England: Commerce and Religion
Main Idea: Fishing and trade contributed to the growth and prosperity of the New England Colonies. By the 1700s, there were four different colonial regions in America: the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, the Southern Colonies, and the Backcountry, which ran along the Appalachian Mountains. New England officials usually sold large plots of land to groups such as Puritan congregations. Then the groups divided the land among their members. Colonists usually built their farmhouses and a meetinghouse near a “green”. A “green” is a central square. Poor soil made farming difficult. Most New England farmers produced just enough food for themselves. This is called subsistence farming. The New England coast did offer some excellent fishing grounds, and forests provided wood for building ships. Fish and wood were among New England’s most valuable articles of trade. New England settlers participated in “triangular trade”—the name given to a trading route with three stops. In 1651, England began to pass the Navigation Acts. These acts were supposed to make money from the colonies’ profitable trade. Many colonists ignored the Acts. Smuggling became common. Most New England farms were small. New Englanders in the larger towns did own slaves and often hired them out. Sometimes slaves were allowed to keep part of their wages, which they often saved to buy their freedom. New England became home to more free blacks than any other region. The Puritan religion declined in the 1700s. One reason was that the drive for economic gain competed with Puritan ideas. Another reason was that other religious groups competed with Puritans for new members. Also, England had given Massachusetts a new royal charter in 1691. It gave religious freedom to groups besides the Puritans. It also granted the right to vote based on property ownership instead of church membership. Non-church members now had power.
Section 2: The Middle Colonies: Farms and Cities
Main Idea: The people who settled in the Middle Colonies made a society of great diversity. The soil of the Middle Colonies was better for farming than in New England and the growing season was longer. These conditions attracted European immigrants. Dutch and German farmers brought advanced farming methods. The Middle Colonies began to produce cash crops. Cash crops—unlike those from subsistence farming—are raised to be sold. After harvesting their corn, wheat, rye, or other grains, farmers took them to a gristmill. There they were ground into flour. Colonists built gristmills along the region’s many rivers. They used the force of the flowing water to power the mills.
The excellent harbors along the coasts of the Middle Colonies were perfect sites for cities. Philadelphia, on the Delaware River, grew the fastest. It prospered from trade in cash crops. The busy port of New York, on the Hudson River, owed its growth to trade in flour, bread, furs, and whale oil. The populations of the port cities soon showed great diversity—ethnic variety. After the English, the Germans were the largest group. Germans arrived between 1710 and 1740. Most came as indentured servants. Among them were many skillful farmers and artisans. The Middle Colonies also became home to the Dutch, African, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Swedish, French, and Scots-Irish people. The Dutch in New York and the Quakers in Pennsylvania practiced religious tolerance. Quakers also insisted on the equality of men and women. They were the first to raise their voices against slavery. Quaker ideals eventually influenced the whole nation. In 1750, about seven percent of the Middle Colonies’ population was enslaved. New York City had more people of African descent than any other Northern colonial city. In 1712, a group of about 24 rebellious slaves killed nine settlers and wounded several others. Armed colonists caught the suspects and punished them horribly. Even so, slave rebellions continued to occur.
Section 3: The Southern Colonies: Plantations and Slavery
Main Idea: The economy of the Southern Colonies relied heavily on slave labor. The soil and almost year-round growing season in the southern colonies were ideal for plantation crops such as rice and tobacco. These crops required much labor. In the 1660s, planters began using more enslaved Africans on their plantations. One reason was that indentured servants were leaving plantations to start their own farms. Another was that planters were not successful in forcing Native Americans to work on the plantations. By 1750, enslaved Africans made up about 40 percent of the South’s population. Plantations expanded in South Carolina and Georgia. Plantation owners, or the planter class, held most of the political and economic power in the South. Planters in the lowlands bought slaves from West Africa to grow rice. Eliza Lucas introduced indigo as a successful plantation crop on her father’s South Carolina plantation. The indigo plant yields a deep blue dye. On large Southern plantations, slaves worked in groups of about 20 to 25. Planters hired overseers to work the slaves. Slaves were often whipped. They usually lived in small, poorly furnished cabins and were given inadequate food. Nevertheless, African customs and beliefs survived and became the basis of African-American culture. Africans fought against their enslavement and at times openly rebelled. In September of 1739, about 20 slaves killed several planter families near Charles Town. Many of the slaves then were captured and killed by a militia. Rebellions such as the Stono Rebellion led planters to make slave laws even stricter.
Section 4: The Backcountry
Main Idea: Settlers moved to the Backcountry because land was cheap and plentiful. The Backcountry was located in or near the Appalachian Mountains. Its resources included springs, streams, and forests. In the South, the Backcountry began at the fall line—where waterfalls prevent large boats from moving upriver. Beyond the fall line lay the piedmont—an area at the foot of a mountain or mountain range. The first European settlers in the Backcountry made a living trading with Native Americans. They paid for goods with deerskins. A unit of value was one buckskin, or a “buck.” Then farmers came and built log cabins. Settlers began to clash with the Native Americans. In the 1700s, a new group of immigrants—the Scots-Irish—arrived. They came from the border between Scotland and England, where they had endured many hardships. The Scots-Irish brought their clan system with them. Clans are large groups of families that claim a common ancestor. In the Backcountry, rough roads and rivers made it hard to move goods. Backcountry farmers had to learn to depend on themselves. They built cabins and made rough furniture from logs. They ate hogs, cattle, fish, game, and corn. Backcountry women worked in the fields, as well as in the home. They learned to use guns and axes. The desire for land led many Backcountry settlers to move westward. These settlers encountered the French and Spanish, as well as Native Americans. Conflicts were common, as Native Americans tried to protect their land. Conflicts over land also arose between English settlers and French fur traders. Spanish settlers, who lived in what is now Florida, Texas, and California, were farmers, ranchers, and priests. The priests established missions to convert Native Americans. Forts were built near the missions to protect them.