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Puritans believed that God ordained the family for human benefit
The family was to be patriarchal
20,000 + came to NE before the English Civil War (1642)
Life expectancy in NE was greater than that in England proper
Grandparents were invented
Social and economic stability was enhanced
Young men and women initiated their own courtships
Parents discouraged union with immoral partners
Children usually accepted this guidance
Men offered land to the marriage
Women's dowries=1/2 the value of the land
Land and home represented survival and hard work
Small farms produced food and surplus
Surplus was used for barter
Farms were not self-sufficient
Towns were collections of families
Single newcomers were not readily accepted
Church government was built on familial connections and election
Half-Way Covenant adopted in 1662
Allowed sacraments based upon the spiritual traditions and
reputations of grandparents
Parents did not need to show evidence of election
Massachusetts General Court mandated the teaching of reading (1642)
For religious and moral purposes
Allowed publications like The Day of Doom to sell
First seminary, Harvard, founded in 1638
Yale in 1702
No property rights
Divorce was difficult and uncommon
Lack of wealth and title made social status a tricky thing to judge
Natural leaders became provincial gentry
Winthrops, Dudleys, Pynchons
Sumptuary laws were passed
Economic status was more fluid than was planned
Economic independence was highly likely in this region
70-85% of white immigrants to this region in the 1600s were not free
Most were young men, aged 18-22
Ratio of men to women was 6 to 1 before 1640, 2½ to 1 by 1700
Average marriage lasted 7 years
Few children were raised by birth parents
Women had great value
Infant mortality was 25%, another 25% died before age 20
Indentured servants and slaves were imported for plantation labor
Tobacco was the staple of the Chesapeake region
Planters dominated society
Freemen were the largest class these survived their period of indenture
Indentured servants were below planters and freemen
Slaves were at the bottom
A longer-lived creole class developed after 1680
American born
Built Williamsburg, College and William and Mary
Ask Maslow what this might mean
Key to the success of this class was slavery
This class did not want education for other classes
Creoles sent sons to university in England or Scotland
Slavery grew quickly in the 1700s
Males outnumbered females 2 to1
English masters saw slavery as a great way to civilize Africans
Slavery was assumed to be a lifelong legal status after 1680
11,000+ slaves were sold to Virginians between 1695-1709
Slaves were legally considered to be property
Race mixing was not acceptable to English colonists
Mulattos were considered black for legal purposes
Lineage was traced through slave mothers
60% of SC lowland population was black
40% of VA population was black
Gullah and other pidgin languages developed
Slaves mixed African culture with Christianity, music and art
Mainland slaves had a longer life expectancy than island slaves
Slave rebellions were often rumored and planned
The Stono Rebellion was most successful (Sept 1739)
150 SC blacks rose up and killed several planters
They hoped to reach freedom in FL
Local militia killed a majority
18% of mariners were African American
Salutary neglect reigned until Charles II. The beginnings of enforced mercantilism
developed.
Response to Economic Competition
British regulation of colonial trade improved along with the navy
Navigation Act of 1660
Required trade to be conducted with crew that were 75%+ English
Limited trade of colonial good to English or colonial ports
Required colonists to pay import duties
Staple Act of 1663 prohibited almost all non-Brit imports to the colonies
Dutch trade was excluded and colonial expenses rose dramatically
New Englanders simply ignored regulations
Navigation Acts of 1673 were passed to rectify this situation
Enhanced collection of import duties at colonial ports
GB did not have enough agents to enforce the law
Those who did collect taxes were unpopular
William III established the Board of Trade to more closely regulate the
colonies
Different factions fought with each other over political viability
Governor Berkeley denied a-fur trading license to Nathaniel Bacon
Berkeley then refused to send an army to retaliate against natives
Bacon volunteered to raised troops for free
In exchange for the right to fight other Indians
Berkeley said NO
Bacon burned Jamestown
Bacon died of dysentery and the rebellion subsided
A sign of rebellion against greedy royal appointees
Metacomet (King Philip) declared war on New Englanders
The Narrangansetts joined him
Thousands died, debt remained
The colonial charter was rescinded, the Dominion of NE created
By James II, no lover of Parliament
Sir Edmund Andros was selected as governor
Andros was overthrown after the Glorious Revolution
He was peacefully arrested
Increase Mather convinced William to abandon the Dominion
The franchise was granted to male property owners
Colonial government became more secular
Increase Mather and others did urge restraint here
You know how it turned out (summer 1692)
19 dead
Jacob Leisler leads the fun in NYC (1689)
Seizes the local fort in the name of Wm and Mary
Royal governor Sloughter tells him to surrender (1691)
He refuses
Is quickly arrested, tried and executed
He was pardoned a few years after his death
John Coode leads a more healthy protest in Maryland
Protestant association forces the resignation of the governor
Maryland becomes a royal colony, excluding Catholics from public
service
Political experiences converged despite regional cultural differences
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