Unit 2: 1607-1754, Colonial Society, trade, and slavery

• Chesapeake


  Fertile land, which led to the establishment of successful tobacco plantations. Where the first North American colony was established, Jamestown
• Jamestown


  The first North American colony
• Joint-stock company


  A business entity where ownership is divided into shares, allowing multiple investors to contribute capital and share profits and losses
• The Jamestown colony almost failed due to disease, famine, conflicts with Native Americans, and lack of farming skills among the settlers
• Jamestown was saved by the cultivation of tobacco in 1612
• Indentured servants


  Laborers who worked under a contract for a set period in exchange for passage to the New World or other benefits
• Bacon's Rebellion


  • Date: 1676
  • Location: Virginia Colony
  • Leaders: Nathaniel Bacon, Governor William Berkeley
  • Causes: High taxes, Native American attacks, lack of representation
  • Consequences: Increased tensions, shift towards slavery, increased royal control
• New England


  Settled by Pilgrims in 1620 and paved the way for influx of Puritan settlers
• Protestants left England for the New World because they were unhappy with the theology and strictures of the Church of England, however they didn't primarily come to the Americas for religious freedom. Instead, many of them were farmers who couldn't make a living in an urban area
• South Atlantic


  Defined by long growing seasons where tobacco was the primary cash crop. Eventually, however, it was phased out with sugar cane which is very labor intensive
• Sugar cane


  Very labor intensive crop that led to a spike in demand for slave labor
• Slave codes


  Strictly regulated slave's behavior and formally described enslaved people as property
• Middle Colonies


  NY/NJ has many rivers and was near the ocean so they developed an exporting economy focused on selling cereal crops. Also had a diverse population that became increasingly unequal because elite class growing larger
• Pennsylvania


  Founded by William Penn, Quaker and pacifist who believed in religious freedom for all and expanded land holdings with natives
• Virginia House of Burgesses


  Representative assembly that could levy taxes on the population and pass laws
• Mayflower Pact


  Signed by Pilgrims, organized government on the model of a self-governing church congregation and concentrated power into participatory town meetings
• Middle/South governing strategies


  Had representative bodies and dominated by the elite of these colonies. i.e. middle = elite merchants and south = elite farmers
• Triangular Trade


  Trade between North America, Africa, and South America. New England → Africa would trade rum for enslaved laborers. The enslaved laborers would sail the middle passage. Then, the slaves were traded for sugar cane, and then sugar cane for rum
• Navigation Act of 1651


  Declared only English ships would be allowed to bring goods into England, and that North American colonies could only export its commodities, such as tobacco and sugar, to England
• King Philip's War

  • Native American's last-ditch effort to avoid recognizing English authority and stop English settlement on their native lands
• French view of natives

  Much less invasive, saw natives as trade partners and military allies. Maintained decent relations. French established trading posts to facilitate lucrative fur trade in the regions they settled. Even allied with native groups
• Ways enslaved people resisted slavery

  • Covert resistance (secretly practiced cultural customs, maintained belief systems, broke tools/damaged crops, concealed)
  • Overt resistance (Stono Rebellion - small group of enslaved men stole weapons from a store and killed white owners of the store, then marched along the Stono River, more enslaved men joined, burning plantations and killing white men, they were defeated)
• Enlightenment


  Movement in Europe that emphasized rational thinking over tradition and religion
• The Enlightenment reached the colonies through the transatlantic print culture, enlightenment ideals were firmly rooted in the colonies
• John Locke


  Two Treatises on Government awakened the colonists to the idea of natural rights
• Natural rights


  Human beings, just by existing, had rights to life, liberty, and property which were given to them by a creator
• Other Enlightenment thinkers inspired colonists to form a government in which three branches could check/balance each other
• Social contract


  Power to govern is in the hands of the people who willingly gave some power to the government to protect natural rights. If the government didn't what they were asked, the people could overthrow them
• The influence of the Enlightenment and contrast between scientific thinking and religion led to dwindling confidence in religion, which led to the Great Awakening
• New Light clergy


  Groups of preachers lamenting the loss of faith
• The First Great Awakening swept through all the colonies and generated an intensive Christian devotion and enthusiasm
• Jonathan Edwards


  New England minister and scholar who was well studied in philosophy and natural sciences. Preached sermons that combined Enlightenment ideas with intense religious fervor = revival breakout
• Impressment


  The practice of seizing men, usually against their will, and forcing them to serve in the royal navy. British was impressing colonists
• King George's War

  • 1747, British fighting in the war. George ordered impressment of men from America. Americans rioted for 3 days in protest, as they were becoming more aware of violations to their natural rights