chapter 3 outline - Creating Anglo-America Flashcards
How does the system of mercantilism work?
- The colonies became an important source of wealth for the mother country
- Mercantilism: The government regulates economic activity to promote national power through encouraging commerce and manufacturing
- Trade should be controlled so exports exceed imports
How did mercantilism play role in the relationship between England and America? How did it benefit Britain?
- In mercantilism, colonies were meant to serve the interests of the mother country by producing raw materials and importing manufactured goods from home
- Navigation laws were passed to benefit the English empire, dictating that most valuable colonial products had to be transported in English ships and sold initially in English ports, before entering foreign markets (There were many colonists that disobeyed the Navigation Acts).
- European goods imported to the colonies had to be exported from England, where customs duties were paid
This profited Englishmen and American colonies, since their ships were considered English
How did the English take over the Dutch colony and what did they turn it into?
New Netherland and Dutch posts in Africa were taken under English control after an English-Dutch conflict
New Netherland became New York under the control of the duke of York
English rule changed the Dutch’s minor military base into a seaport for trade with the Caribbean and Europe and a military base for operations against the French
What traditions did the English continue after taking over New Netherland, and what freedoms did they restrict?
England respected the Dutch’s policy of religious toleration when they took over, but ended the traditions of married women being able to conduct business and inherit property
As Dutch colonists adapted to English rule, they started growing more concerned with advancing the wealth of the men than providing for the women
England also restricted job opportunities for free black people, in contrast to the freedom they had previously to work in various trades
The English continued the Dutch practice of awarding land grants to favored people, giving Robert Livingston and Frederick Philipse several thousand acres of land
Eventually, an elite of five landed families that regularly intermarried developed and exerted significant political influence
What was the colony of New York’s relationship with the local tribes?
At first, English rule solidified the position of the Iroquois Confederacy of upstate New York
Through a series of negotiations in the mid 1670s, the English and Indians formed an alliance in which their imperial interests would reinforce each other
The Iroquois helped the English fight against other tribes and European rivals
By the end of the 17th century, they developed a stance of cautious neutrality and hoped to play the European empires off one another while continuing to profit from the fur trade
What was the Charter of Liberties, and how did it affect the Dutch?
Colonists began to protest that they were being denied the “liberties of Englishmen”, like the right to consent to taxation
The duke agreed to form an elected assembly, and their first task was to draft a Charter of Liberties and Privileges
The Charter required elections every three years, with the voting pool restricted to male property owners and freemen of New York
It also affirmed the traditional English rights like trial by jury, and guaranteed religious toleration for all Protestants
The charter was a way for the newer Englishmen to demonstrate their dominance over the Dutch by establishing “liberties” previously enjoyed by Englishmen at home
Why was North Carolina established and how did the settlers treat local Natives? How did they attract new settlers?
Charles II awarded eight proprietors the right to establish a colony north of Florida to barricade Spanish expansion, and the colony of North Carolina was settled in 1670
At first, Carolina was an offshoot of the island of Barbados, a rich Caribbean plantation economy lacking available land
Carolina settlers initially armed amicable Indians and used them for raids on Spanish Florida, while enslaving others
When the Yamasee and Creek rebelled, they were also enslaved or driven out of the colony into Spanish territory
However, since they needed to attract new settlers quickly, they also instituted religious toleration, an elected assembly and headright privileges to arriving families
What was the original vision for the colony, and what actually happened? How did the economy evolve?
The proprietors issued the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, which envisioned a feudal society with hereditary nobility, serfs and slaves
The feudalistic society did not come to fruition, instead slavery made the colony of Carolina hierachial
The proprietors issued a strict legal code promising slaveowners complete authority and power over their human property and included slaves in the headright system
In the beginning, the colony revolved around cattle raising and trade with local Indians, but would evolve into a plantation economy relying on slave labor once planters discovered the staple commodity of rice
Why was Pennsylvania established? What did Penn envision for the colony? What was his role in the establishment of New Jersey?
Pennsylvania was the last English colony established in the 17th century and was envisioned by William Penn, the proprietor, to be a refuge for those facing religious persecution and a place where Indians and colonists lived harmoniously
Penn was a Quaker and already helped a group of his coreligionists purchase half of the land that later became the colony of New Jersey
He was largely responsible for the West Jersey Concessions, which outlined one of the most liberal governments of its time with an elected assembly with broad suffrage and institutionalized religious liberty
How was the Pennsylvania colony run and what principles were it founded on? How did they treat the local Natives? What were the policies on religion?
Penn hoped that Pennsylvania would be governed according to Quaker principles, one of which was the equality of all people, including women and racial minorities
Quakers believed liberty was a universal right, a position that would lead to them being the first group of white abolitionists
Penn also treated Indians uniquely, purchasing land before reselling to settlers and offering refuge to tribes driven out by other colonies
Penn’s Chain of Friendship offered the pacifist Quakers peace and the local Indians protection from rival tribes
Penn was a staunch advocate for religious freedom
Penn’s Charter of Liberty offered Christian liberty to those who believed in God and didn’t abuse their freedom in immoral manners
There was no established church or required attendance, although Jewish people were barred from office
Quakers still upheld a strict moral code, and public moral behavior was enforced by the government
Actions like swearing, drunkenness, adultery were prohibited
How did Penn organize the government of Pennsylvania? How was land distributed?
Penn appointed a council to write legislation and an elected assembly
A majority of the male population was able to vote, since suffrage was extended to male taxpayers and freemen (propertied men)
Penn owned all the colony’s land and sold it to settlers at low prices instead of using land grants
Like most proprietors, he never turned a profit but expected to
How did the colony of Pennsylvania develop? What was the effect of its success?
Pennsylvania itself prospered immensely, as the colony’s religious toleration, healthy climate, inexpensive land, and Penn’s efforts to publicize these benefits attracted immigrants from all over western Europe
Ironically, the freedoms Pennsylvania offered its European immigrants would lead to the restriction and detriment of minority groups
Indentured servants were less likely to migrate to Maryland and Virginia, so those areas came to rely more heavily on slave labor
The increasing number of settlers would pose a conflict for Penn’s generosity to local Indian tribes
How did the English view foreign people, and what was the development of racism at this time? Why were African people, and not poor white men or Native Americans, enslaved?
The English viewed foreign people as inferior, including the Irish, Native Americans and Africans, and often described them as savages or compared them to animals
The modern idea of “race” based on skin color hadn’t been developed yet, and neither had the idea of “racism” with some races being superior to others
Instead, humanity was divided between Christianity v.s. heathenism, or civilization v.s. barbarism
However, anti-black stereotypes developed in 17th-century England
Africans were viewed as alien enough from Englishmen to be seen as potential slaves in the way poor Englishmen were not
The English also deemed Indians to be uncivilized, but the Native population was significantly declining and Indians were able to escape slavery because they were familiar with the terrain
How was the system of slavery in America different than slavery in Africa and throughout history?
Slavery has always existed within human society, but the institution of slavery that developed in the Americas was distinctly crueler and more inhumane than previous forms
The system of slavery in the Americas was based on plantations, so a large number of slaves were under the control of a single owner and made it necessary to police the system strictly
The labor was more tiring on the plantation than in the household slavery common in Africa, and the death rate amongst American slaves was higher
Slavery became associated with race, drawing a permenant distinciton between white and black people
Why did slavery first develop in the West Indies before North America? Where was the major cash crop of the West Indies shipped to?
While Africans were deemed foreign enough to be “enslavable” by the English, this prejudice alone didn’t bring about the development of North American institutional slavery
During the 17th century, slaves shipped from Africa to the New World became a successful international trade, but only a small number of the slaves were brought to England’s mainland colonies
Instead, slavery was instilled in the West Indies because there were large sugar plantations in need of cultivation
White indentured servants refused to do the manual labor while the Indian population had been decimated by disease, so African slave importation began, and soon enough the slave population outnumbered European settlers on a majority of islands
Sugar was an integral crop to the British, French and Portuguese empires, and the first to be marketed to the general public in Europe
What factors prevented the establishment of chattel slavery in North America?
Slavery in North America was developed at a slower pace
Slaves were more expensive than indentured servants and the high death rate made it economically unwise to purchase a lifetime of labor
Servants from England made up the labor backbone for decades, while the number of Africans remained low
In the 17th century, the most prominent social distinction was class instead of race, with the prominent white plantation owner against everyone else
What were the initial policy towards slaves in English colonies and the Spanish’s American empire in the 17th century?
Spain enacted Las Siete Partidas, a series of laws granting slaves rights regarding marriage, holding property and access to freedom, centuries prior to Columbus’ voyage
These laws were transferred to the New Spanish Empire and gave slaves limited opportunities to claim rights under Spanish law
The Catholic Church also encouraged masters to grant individual slaves freedom
English norms surrounding slavery would be significantily stricter, but in the 17th century the restrictions were looser and some black slaves were able to gain their freedom
Racial discriminations was instituted into the law from the beginning though
Black people were barred from serving in the Virginia militia
Punished for having sexual relations outside of marriage with Europeans
Black people still had a certain degree of freedom though
They were able to sue and testify in court
Some managed to acquire land and buy white servants or African slaves
Why were the colonial elite in the Chesapeake inclined to shift away from white indentured servant labor to African slave labor? How did race-based slavery serve as an equalizer for the white population?
Through the mid-late 17th-century, slavery in the Chesapeake was further institutionalized and racialized
- As the tobacco trade expanded and the demand for labor increased, authorities attempted to improve the conditions of white servants
- After Bacon’ rebellion, leaders realized they need to appease the poor white population and adopt more aggressive policy against Natives, and focused more on black slavery to prevent the population of disenfranchised and impoverished white men from growing
- The rebellion frightened Virginia’s elite and they immediately took steps to consolidating their power and improving their image
- Race-based slavery keeps poor whites complacent in the system, since they still viewed themselves as superior to black slaves
How was access to freedom for black people was further restricted in the Chesapeake during the mid / late-17th century?
A Virginia law of 1662 stated that if a child had one free parent and one enslaved parent, the child’s legal status would follow the mother’s, enabling white landowners to profit off of sexually abusing their female slaves
The Virginia House of Burgesses established that conversion would not grant a slave freedom, so Christians could own other Christians
Authorities also seeked to prevent the growth of the free black population by decreeing children of interracial relationships as illegitimate
White women were punished for having sexual relations with black men
Slaves were not allowed to be freed unless transported out of the colony
There was no separate mixed race class in the English colonies, instead anyone of African descent was labeled black
What events and social tensions contributed to Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676?
The shift of labor from white indentured servants to African slaves in Virginia was propelled by Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676
Governor William Berkely had been in a corrupt alliance with the colony’s wealthiest tobacco planters, rewarding them with land grants and lucrative offices
Virginia’s tobacco boom had been helpful to both planters and smaller farmers, some of whom were former indentured servants that managed to acquire land
However, the favored planters soon engrossed all of the good land and freed servants were left hanging to work as tenants or move to the frontier
At the same time, decreasing prices due to overpopulation and expensive taxes on tobacco were limiting the economic prospects of small farmers
By the late 17th-century, the white poverty line in America had reached levels resembling England
Additionally, the right to vote was restricted to propertied men in 1670
Governor Berkely also maintained diplomatic relationships with the local Indians and his refusal to give up their land for white settlement angered the impoverished white settlers
In 1676, a small confrontation between Indians and colonists on Virginia’s frontier sparked the long-standing social tensions and widespread resentment of Berkeley’s governance to culminate into Bacon’s rebellion
Settlers demanded the removal of Indians to free up their land for white settlement, but Berkely refused because he feared direct armed conflict and was still profiting from trade with the Indians
A series of Indian massacres subsequently started the uprising and grew into an official rebellion against Berkely’s regime
