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Parliament passed the Transportation Act of 1718
Allowed GB courts to sentence convicted felons to be sent to America
50,000 + came from 1718-1775
75% were young men
80% were sold as indentures in the Chesapeake
Brits said this was like taking out the trash
Franklin suggested shipping rattlesnakes to GB in return
New waves of voluntary migration began during the 18th century
Lowland Scots were transported to Northern Ireland
In hopes of diluting the strength of the Catholic majority
These Presbyterians were discriminated against and unfairly taxed
Many chose to emigrate to America
150,000+ came before the Revolution
Many became farmers in W Pennsylvania
Established settlers welcomed them as a buffer
Many squatted on land that they did not have title to
Thinking it more Christian to use it than let it sit idle
100,000+ emigrated form the German Palatine (upper Rhine Valley)
Mennonites followed Francis Daniel Pastorus and founded Germantown
Beliefs were similar to those of Quakers
A prosperous community developed
Lutherans emigrated for more temporal reasons
Hoped to improve their material lives
Leadership of Melchior Muhlenberg was crucial
Led to an end to German control of American churches
Arranged for local ordinations of ministers
Often referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch
1/3rd of PA population had German ancestry by 1766
Diversity led to conflict and distrust
Germans and Scots-Irish did not get along
English were suspicious of both
Franklin considered German immigrants to be stupid
Held tightly to language and customs
Were considered the best farmers in PA
Some traveled to the Shenandoah Valley to escape prejudice
Germans stayed when they found fertile land
Scots-Irish continued to move about
VA and PA backcountry residents preferred isolation
Some Presbyterians will later follow itinerant evangelicals
Tribes and remnants often moved W to avoid hostile contact with
Colonists
Natives tried to use the concept of middle ground for co-existence
A more neutral stance to enable trade
A middle ground for solving disputes and complaints
Native dependence on European goods eroded their cultures
French defeat led to the end of the concept of middle ground
Contagious disease spread (sometimes intentionally) through more hostile
interactions with the British
Spanish cultural, religious and political influence continue throughout the SW and
Latin America during the 18th century
The Pueblo revolt led by El Popé drove the Spanish from NM (1680-92)
Lack of gold served to lessened Spain's interested in the region
Spain colonized St. Augustine to prevent French encroachments (1565)
A strong fort was created w/1500+ soldiers
Colonists were not attracted to the area
CA received little attention until Russia threatened to seize it
Fra. Junípero Serra and Don Gaspar de Portolá colonized
They established permanent missions and forts at San Francisco,
San Diego & Santa Barbara
Population growth was slow
Danger of Indian attack was great
Spanish were most likely to intermarry
Many Spanish exploited Spanish as a captive labor force
Pueblos harshly resisted Catholic intrusions
Small military outposts discouraged other colonial powers
The rate of population growth in the colonies was not replicated in cities
Urban populations were limited cities served as commercial ports
Cities did have a profound influence on colonial culture
Receptacles for the latest English ideas and trends
New fashions
Dances, concerts and plays
Georgian architecture
Philadelphia was known for its copies of Chippendale
furniture
A reflection of the European Enlightenment
An Age of Reason new ideas about government, God and nature
Included the works of Newton, Locke, Voltaire and Hume
Newton science
Locke, Hume government
Voltaire philosophy
Modified in the US to defend traditional Christianity
Original sin was out; human nature was basically good
Concept of the watchmaker God
Knowing God=comprehending His creation
Man and human nature were perfectible
Human suffering was the result of unreasoned behavior
Problems could be solved through practical experimentation
Experimentation served to make knowledge useful
Regarded in Europe as a philosophy person of reason and science
Had little formal education but exemplified curiosity
Founded The New England Courant with his brother
Wrote political satire as Silence Dogood
Questioned religious hypocrisy in Boston
Later moved to the more tolerant city of Philadelphia
Devoted himself to the pursuit of useful knowledge
Invented the Franklin stove, the lightning rod
Formed juntos club for mutual improvement
Also helped form a Library Company
Economic increase kept pace with population increase
Per capita income was on the rise
Poor city dwellers fared the worst
More crops for export were produced each year
Abundant land and natural trade routes were keys to success
Half of all American goods were exported to England
Enumerated items were by law
Tobacco and fur (added in 1722)
White Pines Acts required a license to cut white pine trees
Molasses or Sugar Act (1733) taxed imported sugars
Hat and Felt Act (1732) and Iron Act (1750) taxed
Non-British imported manufactured goods
Most of these acts were ignored or loosely enforced
27% of American trade was with the West Indies
The balance of trade turned
American purchase of English goods rose 360% (1740-1770)
British factories produced cheaper, higher quality goods
Americans could afford luxuries like silver and china
British merchants offered liberal credit policies
Aggregate American debt grew rapidly
Paper money was issues to stave off a financial crisis
Inter-coastal, inter-colonial trade increased dramatically
Overland trade went by way of the Conestoga wagon along the Great
Wagon Road
Commerce helped to lessen colonial difference and Anglicize the culture
Historians say this democratized religion and reacted to the Enlightenment
A combination of regional revivals occurred from the 1730s to 1760s
Preachers reacted to materialism and a lack of piety
Congregational ministers were often dull and scholastic
The Great Awakening began in W. MA with Jonathan Edwards
A local Congregational minister
Confidently reminded listeners that their fate was in God's hands
Used the power of his words rather than the volume of his voice
Edwards was the key theologian of the era
George Whitefield was the dynamic voice of the revival
An itinerant preacher from England
A young and exceptional public speaker
Emphasized the unity of belief (Christianity vs. denominations)
Old Lights traditional Congregationalists rejected the emotional nature
of the revival
Other New Light preachers
Gilbert Tennent
A Presbyterian form the Middle Colonies
Challenged the unconverted established ministers
James Davenport
A crude anti-intellectual
Had unorthodox methods of preaching
New Light Presbyterians established The College of New Jersey (Princeton)
The Great Awakening urged believers to be more active, more questioning
Richard Allen (AME founder) was converted
Especially impressed by the teachings against slavery
Thousand of black colonists were also converted
Created a sense of unity and brotherhood beyond colonial borders
Colonists tried to replicate England in culture and government. This led to a
greater realization of the differences between England's political theories and
realities.
Not a formal written document
A growing body of law, court decisions and statutes
Confrontations between Parliament and the Crown in recent times had
changed the Constitution
Three parts of constitutional government in England
Monarch advised by the court
House of Lords 180 aristocrats + 26 Anglican Bishops
House of Commons 538 elected members
King, nobility and common people were represented
These constituencies and branches were to check each other's power
In short, rich guys controlled the government and the King influenced the
rich guys
Those from the House of Commons and the House of Lords were of the
same social class
The King created parliamentary associations to lobby the House of Commons
Only men who owned property could vote
John Wesley and others complained of rotten boroughs
Commonwealthmen complained of this political corruption
Thomas Gordon and John Trenchard pushed for reform in Cato
Letters
Warned that imbalance and corruption would destroy liberty and
Property
Americans were more likely to heed these warnings than Englishmen
By mid-century, most colonies were ruled by appointed royal governors
Most were former army or navy officers
Many took the port to get away from England
Expanded franchise in the Americas also expanded political voice
Usually filled with local landed gentry
Main purpose to preserve colonial rights and liberties
Colonial legislatures demanded separation of executive and legislative
authority
Colonial legislatures and legal practices became more standardized
European imperial conflicts spread to the America. British military superiority did
not rest unchallenged during this era.
William III of England declared war on Louis XIV of France (1689)
Called King William's Was or War of the League of Augsburg
Canadians raided NY and NE frontiers
No territory lost
Much suffering and disruption
Ended w/Treaty of Ryswick in 1697
Queen Anne's War/War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713)
Bloody combat along the American frontier
Ended with the Treaty of Utrecht (1713)
George I hoped for peace
War was destructive and expensive
These wars had produced little gain
But the French feared British territorial encroachments in the Americas
Iroquois sided with the British; Algonquians with the French
Also known as The War of Austrian Succession
American colonists captured Louisbourg from the French
A strategic post that guarded the St. Lawrence and Quebec
In the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, GB returned Louisbourg
Colonists were puzzled
Colonial interests seemed unimportant to GB
VA tried to defeat the French alone at Fort Necessity
Washington and the Virginians were soundly defeated
A sign that a single colony could not defeat the French
Franklin presented the Albany plan at this British-called defense conference
Included formation of a Grand Council of colonial delegates
To oversee common defense
Also western expansion and Indian affairs
Required the support of the colonies and Parliament
The English feared an erosion of authority
Colonists couldnt overcome regional jealousies
Frontier fighting continued in the Ohio Valley
Braddock and his men were badly defeated by a small force
70% were killed or wounded
Those who survived were angry and embarrassed (GW)
The European style of warfare was not effective
William Pitt determined that the French must be expelled from America
Pitt (a cabinet minister) took control of the army and navy
Amherst and Wolfe took Louisbourg and cut French supply lines
French forts in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes fell
Brits scaled cliffs and defeated the FR on the Plains of Abraham
Wolfe and Marquis de Montcalm died
Led to final FR surrender in Montreal
Treaty of Paris (1763) surrender the FR empire in North America
80,000 residents of Quebec became British citizens
American colonists were thrilled at participating in the victory
Colonial cooperation was key to the victory
George Washington and other was that the British were not invincible
The British were upset by colonial ingratitude and refusal to pay war costs
Colonists saw themselves as equal partners in the struggle
Wolfe and others mocked colonial soldiers and contributions
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