Chapter 4 American Life in the Seventeenth Century
The Unhealthy Chesapeake
- Suffered from devastating malaria, dysentery and typhoid
o Half of people born in early Virginia and Maryland did not live to 20s.
o AR settlements of Chesapeake grew slowly, mostly only through immigration from England.
§ Most of immigrants were single men in early 20s
§ Surviving males competed for women
· Whom they outnumbered 6:1 in 1650 and later 3:2 at 1700.
§ HV most marriages still destroyed by death of partner within seven years.
- HV native-born immigrants eventually acquired immunity to diseases
o TF more families formed and by end of 1600s population of Chesapeake growing on its birthrate.
o AR soon become most populous colony by 1700s start
The Tobacco Economy
- A very immense tobacco economy increases movement west
o Intense tobacco growers often grew tobacco before they grew corn to eat
§ Quickly exhausted soil, TF continued to seek more demand for fresh land.
o Exporting 40 million pounds a year by end of the century
§ AR decreased prices, but Chesapeake growers responded by planting more acres to tobacco.
- Required a reliable source of labor: Indentured Servants
o Used indentured servants.
§ Families were growing too slowly . African slaves too costly. Native Americans died too quickly on contact w/ whites
§ And b/c England had many farmers desperate for employment.
o Indentured servants would pay off money used to pay for their passage. When the term was over, they would receive “freedom dues” including few barrels of corn, a suit of clothes, and small piece of land.
- Headright System
o Virginia and Maryland wanted to increase importation of servant workers.
§ Whoever paid the passage of the laborer received right to acquire fifty acres of land.
§ AR masters benefited from this and soon indentured servants were more than ¾ of all European immigrants to Virginia and Maryland.
o HV as “fresh land” becomes scarcer and scarcer, masters become reluctant to include land in “freedom dues”
§ AR indentured servants never get to keep their dues and get freed penniless
§ TF would often have to rehire themselves to former masters.
§ That is not to include “punishing” misbehaving servants with longer service
Frustrated Freemen and Bacon’s Rebellion
- There began to be an accumulation of frustrated freemen
o Started growing in numbers in the Chesapeake region by late 1600s
§ Frustrated by broken hopes of acquiring land and failure to find women to marry.
§ AR started causing trouble for established planters.
§ 1670 Virginia assembly disfranchised (expelled) most of these freemen for “causing tumults”
o Current governor was William Berkeley had friendly policies toward the native Americans because Berkeley monopolized fur trade with them
§ TF freemen, forced to look in the backcountry for free land and were met by Native American’s attacks.
· Berkeley refused to retaliate to Native American’s attacks due to friendly policies.
- AR there was the Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676
o About 1000 Virginians broke out of control led by Nathaniel Bacon
§ Attacked Native Americans regardless of peaceful/violent status and chased Berkely from Jamestown.
§ HV Bacon soon dies due to disease
§ AR Berkeley crushes uprising and hanged more than 20 rebels.
- Aftermath of the Bacon’s Rebellion: Wealthy plantation owners looked for more reliable servants: Slaves from Africa.
Colonial Slavery
- Previously African slaves were mainly transported to Caribbean and South America
- Slaves were not commonly used by colonies
o Though first slaves arrived in Jamestown as early as 1619, but were very costly and whites used much of expenses trying to stay alive and clear land
- HV situations soon arise that make colonists turn to slavery
o Rising wages in England reduced number of those “desperate” to be indentured servants in addition to lack of trust in white servants after Bacon’s Rebellion
o AR after mid-1680s, black slaves outnumbered white servants among plantation colonies.
- Supply of slaves increase dramatically after decline of Royal African Company
o Chartered in 1672 but lost crown-granted monopoly on slave export to colonies.
§ TF enterprising Americans (esp. Rhode Islanders) rushed to cash in in slave trade.
- The journey was dreadful
o Came from West coast of Africa, from PD Senegal to Angola.
o Process of slave trade was cruel
§ Coastal tribes would capture then trade the slaves to European and American flesh merchants.
§ They were then herded then branded to go through the “middle passage” (where death rates went as high as 20%) and eventually goes to auction blocks in New World ports.
- Distinctions between a slave and a servant became clear through laws
o 1662 first statues appeared that formally decreed iron conditions of slaves. Made slaves and their children servants to the white for life.
§ Conversion to Christianity could not qualify slave for freedom.
o AR racial discrimination soon powerfully molded into slave system.
Africans in America
- Treacherous slave life required fresh imports to sustain slave population in southern colonies.
o Under the southern Carolina heat and having to toil across distant rice and indigo plantations.
- In Chesapeake colonies reproduction allowed slave societies to sustain population.
o Tobacco fields closer together, climate was easier.
- Africans’ contributions to American culture.
o African language and its evolution used by slaves over in America blended with English and is present in current English.
§ Dances and instruments contributed to society.
o Provided the labor
§ Few became skilled artisans while most provided the tough labor, contributing to growth of agriculture, cities.
- Revolts were not as strong as Bacon’s Rebellion.
Southern Society
- A social hierarchy forms
o Wealthy and plantation owners were at the top
§ Owned a lot of slaves and monopolized political power.
· Together they dominated the House of Burgesses
§ HV were hard-working over problems of plantation management.
o The small farmers, the largest social group
§ Would own one or two slaves and owned a small amount of land
o Landless whites or luckless former indentured servants.
o Indentured servants, whose numbers gradually declined after growth of slavery.
o The slaves.
The New England Family
- Instead of Chesapeake colonies who reduced 10 years from average life expectancy, New Englanders added 10 years.
o Clean water and cool temperatures.
o New Englanders tended to migrate not as individuals but as families
§ TF families became center of New England life.
§ AR very soon population grew from natural reproduction.
- Early marriage makes large families
o Were usually married by early 20s and gave birth to large families
o AR New England woman might have had dependent children, TF child-raising became center of New England woman’s life.
- Longevity of life contributes to family stability
o Grew up in nurturing environments where they were expected to learn habits of obedience
§ Can learn from their grandparents.
o Was low premarital pregnancy rates (in contrast with Chesapeake) in addition to strong and peaceful colonial New England.
- HV southern colonies’ dangers strengthen property rights of women.
o B/c southern men frequently died young, women generally allowed to have a separate title to property.
o New England lawmakers thought giving women these rights in north would increase conflict between families over property rights and inheritance.
§ AR gave up property rights when married.
- Women’s rights did not extend beyond inheriting property in some colonies
o Could not vote and subject to public attitude.
o HV authorities did intervene to restrain abusive spouses.
- New England authorities defend integrity of marriages.
o AR divorces very rare due to only few legitimate reasons to divorce
§ Convicted adulterers had to wear “A” outside
Life in New England Towns
- New England towns evolved around united but small villages and farms
o AR new towns were legally chartered by colonial authorities. Land given to trusted proprietors.
§ Villages usually consisted of meetinghouse (worshipping and town hall), a village green for militia training and each family usually received some land.
- Puritans promote Education
o Towns of more than 50 families required to provide primary education.
o Soon developed Harvard in 1636. AR most adults were literate
§ Followed in Chesapeake 86 years later
- Chesapeake expansion was based on few plantation growers expanding their land.
- Puritans promoted democracy
o Ran their own churches and democracy in a Congregational Church government.
o Town meetings, where all adult males voted to elect officials and discuss related matters.
The Half-Way Covenant and the Salem Witch Trials
- Decreased church membership in Congregational Church
o Growing population moves Puritans more far apart and away from church
o New generation of New Englanders did not burn with as much religious zeal
o Immigrants were not too much of Puritans due to
- TF Half-Way Covenant created to boost church membership.
o Changed the “covenant”, the agreement b/w church and adherents to admit to baptism, but only for the elect.
§ AR doors now open for all, converted or not.
§ TF weakened distinction b/w elect and others and weakened integrity of Puritanism
o Woman became the majority in Puritan congregations.
- The Salem Witch Trials
o Group of adolescent girls in Salem Massachusetts began acting “peculiar” and one claimed that they have been bewitched.
§ Puritan paranoia resulted in authorities willing to “cure” them if they point to who “bewitched them”
§ AR there was a lot of finger-pointing, especially from farmer’s families to families associated with Salem’s growing market economy.
· Reflected widening social division among hierarchy and fear of many religious traditionalists that the Puritan heritage was being threatened by commercialism
o Eventually ended when fingers pointed to the governor’s wife
§ Governor and clergy then prohibited any more trials and pardoned others.
o AR of “witch-hunting”, twenty were hanged legally.
The New England Way of Life
- Soil of New England had a lot of rocks and shaped New England culture
o TF those Puritans who managed to obtain a living from the earth was a success story
§ New Englanders became known for frugality, not wasting money.
o AR New Englanders also less ethnically mixed than southern neighbors as immigrants not attracted to stony soil.
- Climate also affects the culture, kept away slavery and diversified industry
o Extremes of summer and winter did not make staple products like tobacco flourish
o Black slavery (though attempted), could not exist profitably
§ Stony soil and lack of a too successful crop like tobacco.
§ Were no large plantation owners either.
o Mountains close to shore and rapid rivers disabled large plantations
- New England believes they “own” the land and expands it, to the frustration of natives.
o Native Americans previously “used” and only used the land by using trails and burning woodlands to sustain deer population.
o TF due to introduction of livestock lands needed to be cleared for grazing and pastureland.
§ Tracks and voracious appetite of animals sped up erosion and floods.
- New Englanders turned to harbor for trade
o Used timber from forests to expand shipbuilding and commerce.
o Codfish gave great boost to economy.
- TF a combination of Calvinism (which included Puritanism, Separatism and is a form of Protestantism ), soil and climate made trademarks of New England culture.
o New Englanders went inland and eventually to Hawaii, spreading the Yankee way of life.
§ Included the way New England communities were modeled with the townhouse in the center, a schoolhouse, etc.
§ AR inspired late reformers and idealism of national character.
The Early Settlers’ Days and Ways
- Most of population were farmers
o Worked as the sun rises and went to bed at dusk unless nightfall duties were “worth the candle”.
o Plant in spring, tend crops in summer, harvest in autumn and prepare in winter
- Women and men’s chores
o Women cooked, cleaned and cared for children as housewives.
o Men cleared land, planted and cropped it, cut firewood, etc.
§ Children helped with all while schooling.
- Life was comfortable
o Land was cheaper
· With exception of South from large plantation owners.
§ North and middle colonies could afford an acre of fresh soil from commoner’s one-day wage. Would be 3 X in Old England
§ AR those who enjoyed life in Old England and those who could not afford themselves a fresh start remained in Old England.
- Attempts to imitate Old England government turned to democracy
o Colonial authorities did not allow evidence display of class distinctions
§ Colonies had certain simple sameness quality to all, especially in egalitarian (characterized by belief in equality of all) New England and middle colonies.
o Attempts to re-create social structure in Old World met with rebellions
§ Incl. Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 in Virginia, uprising of Maryland’s Protestants near 1600s end. Liesler’s Rebellion in New York from 1689-1691.
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