american life in the 17th century - west shore...
TRANSCRIPT
INTRODUCTION 17th Century New
World Crude settlements of
colonists gave way to permanent settlements Distinctive ways of
life developed Cultures adapted
European African Native-American
The Unhealthy Chesapeake
Few people lived to 40 or 50 years. In the early days of colonies, women
were so scarce that men fought over all of them.
The Chesapeake region had fewer women and a 6:1 male to female ratio is a good guide.
Few people knew any grandparents. A third of all brides in one Maryland
county were already pregnant before the wedding (scandalous).
Virginia, with 59,000 people, became the most populous colony.
The Tobacco Economy 1630s
John Rolfe Tobacco yield almost 40
million pounds a year More tobacco meant
more labor African slave trade Indentured servitude
100,000 by 1700 “freedom dues” ever-
changing for the worst
“head-right” system Virginia and Maryland Paid passage;
benefactor gained 50 acres of rich land
Frustrated Freemen and Bacon’s Rebellion
Virginia (1676) 6/7 people were
either poor, indebted, discontented and armed
Governor William Berkeley
Frustrated Freemen and Bacon’s Rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon 29 years old Planter Resented Berkeley’s
polices friendly policies toward Indians, especially with the fur trade and attacks on frontier settlements
Frustrated Freemen and Bacon’s Rebellion
Bacon’s Rebellion Civil War Frustrated freemen and
resentful indentured servants (African-Americans included)
Bacon dies of disease causing rebellion to go away
Berkeley hangs 20 rebels Virginia begins to favor
slavery in lieu of indentured servitude
Colonial Slavery African slaves
10M left Africa after 1492 West Indies Brazil Spanish territories
400,00 came to North America Royal African Company
(1672-1700) Majority after 1700 Rhode Islanders entered
lucrative slave trade
Colonial Slavery
Slave trade Senegal to Angola Captured by African
tribes Economy not based
on Mercantilism, but number of slaves
Middle Passage 20% death Auctioned
Colonial Slavery Black Codes
Began in 1662, Virginia
“Chattel” Slavery begun for
economic reasons but it was clear that racial discrimination also molded the American slave system
Africans in America Deep South
South Carolina and Georgia
Gullah Goober (peanut) Gumbo (okra) Voodoo (witchcraft) Dance Development of jazz Banjo and bongo
drum
African to African-American
Africans’ arrival into the New World brought new languages, music, and cuisines to America. Africans worked in the rice
fields of South Carolina due to (a) their knowledge of the crop and (b) their resistance to disease (as compared to Indians).
African to African-American
Most slaves became Christians, though many adopted elements from their native religions. Many African dances led to modern dances (i.e. the
Charleston). Christian songs could also be code for the
announcement of the arrival of a guide to freedom. Jazz is the most famous example of slave music
entering mainstream culture.
Southern Society First families of Virginia or “FFVs”
Washingtons Lees Fitzhughs
Dominated the House of Burgesses 70% of the Virginia legislature came from
the FFVs Antebellum South
Evolved around plantations Few cities
Ex, Charleston Waterways primary transportation
system Longevity short William and Mary
• Most inhabitants of the South were merchant planters
• Urban development was slow
New England Family Intergenerational
continuity Nurturing environment Invented concept of
“grandparent” Puritan
Integrity of marriage Gender roles Raising children Work ethic Obedience
New England Family New Englanders typically
lived 10 years longer Families were a very stable
institution Grandparents emerged Unlike Southern women
whose men died younger and therefore women gained more property rights; New England women were thought to undercut the family if given property rights
Life in the New England Towns Closely knit
communities Anchored by
geography; hemmed in by Indians, the French and the Dutch
Unity of purpose Puritanism Education
Harvard
The Half-Way Covenant and the Salem Witch Trials
New process (1662), New England, for church membership Half-Way Covenant
Allowed baptism, but not full communion weakening the distinction between the “elect” and others, further diluting the spiritual purity of the original settlers’ godly community
BOTTOM LINE: The Half-Way Covenant
was created by New England Puritans who felt that the people of their colonies were drifting away from their original religious purpose The children and
grandchildren of original settlers often expressed less religious piety, and more desire for material wealth.
Jeremiads
As Puritans began to worry about their children and whether or not they would be as loyal and faithful, and new type of sermon came about called “jeremiads.” In jeremiads, earnest
preachers scolded parishioners for their waning piety in hope to improve faith.
The Half-Way Covenant and the Salem Witch Trials
The Salem witch trials of Colonial America resulted in a number of convictions and executions for witchcraft in 1692 in Massachusetts, the result of a period of factional infighting and Puritan paranoia which led to the deaths of at least 25 people and the imprisonment of scores more Resulted from the unsettled social
and religious conditions in rapidly evolving Massachusetts
Ended 1693 Court of Oyer and Terminer Led to Superior Courts
The New England Way of Life
New England Harsh climate Rocky soil Indian relations
Ownership of land
Introduction of livestock to the geography
Calvinism