Colonial Society 1600s-mid1700s Flashcards
Southern early Society/Jamestown
Families
Only men who came over. Population in the south was growing because of immigration from indentured servants. Many of the women who survived could own peroperty because their husband could have died. Women had more legal rights to land compared to the Northern colonies. Population isn’t growing through natural population grwoth
Southern Early Government
Tobacco
Chesapeake (Maryland and Virginia). Tobacco would use up the soil constantly, so always looking for more land to develop tobacco, more conflict with natives. Labor intensive, so we need more indentured servants. Headright system. Land owners develop plantations, so they have very few towns, cities, and schools. Profit goes right back into the soil
Southern Early Government
East and West Conflicts
Freedom dues, you get a chunk of land after being indentured for a certain about of time, so the indentured servants are pushed further out west, and don’t have land of their own. Bacon’s Rebellion 1676, march on the Capital of Virginia. These landless people are running into natives and Governor Berkley doesn’t do anything about it. Wealthy easterners are scared of attack, looking for permanent source of labor–> slavery.
Southern Society in the 18th century
Slavery Expands after 1680
Conflict with Bacon’s rebellion encourages wealthy people to have slaves that don’t get freedom and their own land. Barbados slave code is brought to the US, dehumanizing slaves, allows for a small group to dominate a larger group. Royal African Company in 1698, a monopoly on the slave trade, goes bankrupt, opening the doors for more companies to sell slaves.
Southern Society in the 18th century
Growth Widens Gap
Widens of wealth gap, the aristocrats and farmers owning land. Divides society into social classes. Creates societal, racial heirarchy.
Slavery
Triangular Trade
Door opened up with columbian exchange, and the ability to get more slaves, creates slave culture
Slavery
Middle Passage
Loose pack vs tight pack, the trip from Africa to the colonies, west indies, in the carribean. Tight pack are slaves super jampacked into a ship, while loose packs have more room. Looked at as an economic comodity. More death and spread of disease.
Slavery
Auction
Forced separation of families and tribe members, don’t want communication for members to rebel of run away. Physical inspection as a piece of meat.
Slavery
Life
Slaves in all 13 colonies, many different ways of life. Southern colonies had tough conditions, tobacco, rice/indigo. Temperature and climate gets harder the further south. Plantations had more slaves, and tended to live in large communal cabins. Creates unique, African American culture. Small farms had fewer, and treated better because the owner was working along side them. Creates new songs with Christianity. Marriage wasn’t legally recognized, “death or distance do us part”. 20-25% are slaves by 1775. Blending of tribes
Slavery
Stono Rebellion
1739, around 50 slaves escaped from SC and they gather arms and plan to escape to Florida, killing several whites along the way. They are captured. Prime example of fighting against Slavery.
New England Society
Towns in the 17th Century
Communal experience. Came over from the great migration of puritans, to settle communities as towns. Transplanting their life. Successful because they’re all communal and planned out. Created schools when they got to 50 families so they could read the bible.
New England Society
Towns in the 17th Century- Families
lived longer than they were in the south because of weather and communal support. Women giving birth 10 times
New England Society
Towns in the 17th Century- Women
Women in the south got rights to the land after their husband died, but in NE, women had no rights, male dominated. Role in society was to be a mom and raise children
New England Experiences Change
Communal Downturn
Economic success comes with merchant class. Triangular trade, starts increasing the the division of wealth. Now that they are doing well, they don’t think they needed much more support from God. Don’t want to go through process of becoming a visible saint. “City upon a hill” goes away. Population growth= pushing further away from the town center, away from the church. Lack of communal feel.
New England Society
Towns in the 17th Century
Reaction to Religious waning
Jeremaids of the 1650’s- preaching very impassioned surmons, if you didn’t repent, you’d go to hell. Trying to fear monger with the use of god to encourage religious zeal
Halfway Covenatn 1662- if your parents are visible saints, you can still be a halfway saint, gets people into the piews
Salem Withc Trials 1692- poorer women accusing richer women of being a witch out of jealousy. Not abiding by what a woman of god should be doing by being economically successful.
