WHO IS THE AMERICAN OF THE COLONIAL PERIOD?

AN OVERVIEW

CHARACTERISTICS OF COLONISTS

• INDIVIDUALISTIC

• SELF SUFFICIENT

• OPTIMISTIC

• RUGGED

• MATERIALISTIC

• RELIGIOUS

• BELIEVED IN EQUALITY

PEOPLE VIEWED THEMSELVES AS EUROPEAN COLONISTS

• IDEA OF “AMERICAN” STILL BEING FORMED

• HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT THEY BELIEVED?

• USE OF PRIMARY SOURCES

HECTOR ST JOHN DE CREVOUCEUR

• LIVED ON PA.-NY BORDER

• WROTE “LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN FARMER”

• DESCRIBED OUTLOOK OF COLONISTS PRIOR TO AMERICAN REVOLUTION

FRONTIER THESIS

• FREDERICK JACKSON TURNER

• AMERICANS WERE DEFINED BY THE FRONTIER

• CONTROVERSIAL TODAY

• WHAT ARE THE HOLES IN THE THEORY?

GERM THEORY

• AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS SPREAD FROM BRITAIN

• BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE

• AMERICAN LAW

• VOTING QUALIFICATIONS

WHAT DID THE COLONISTS FIND IN THE NEW WORLD?

• INDIANS

• THE FRONTIER

AMERICAN INDIANS

• ARRIVED 12,000-14,000 YEARS AGO

• NAMED BY CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

• ARE THEY REALLY “NATIVE” AMERICANS?

COLONIAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN

• DEVIL THEORY – INDIAN IS EVIL

• NOBLE SAVAGE THEORY – INDIAN IS INNOCENT. THEY ARE BEGINNING CIVILIZATION ANEW.

AMERICAN INDIAN DEMOGRAPHICS

• HISTORIANS DISAGREE ON POPULATION

• 3 TO 10 MILLION IN NORTH AMERICA

• 500,000 ON EAST COAST

• 40 TO 60 MILLION IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA COMBINED

AMERICAN INDIAN DEMOGRAPHICS

• OVER 25O TRIBES

• 5 PRIMARY LINGUISTIC GROUPS

• ALGONQUIN

• IROQUOIS

• MUSKOHEGAN

• SIOUX

• PUEBLO

ALGONQUIAN S

• MAINE TO CAROLINAS

• POLITICALLY DECENTRALIZED

• HOSPITABLE TO EUROPEANS

• SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISEASE

IROQUOIS

• UPSTATE PA AND NY

• POLITICALLY ORGANIZED

• MATRILINEAL

• LEAGUE OF THE IROQUOIS

CHARACTERISTICS OF AMERICAN INDIANS

• VARIED BASED ON REGION AND CLIMATE

• HUNTER/GATHERER

• NOMADIC

• COMMUNAL APPROACH TO LAND

• SOME AGRICULTURE

• SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISEASE

EUROPEAN RESPONSES TO INDIANS

• FRENCH – TRADE WITH INDIANS

• SPANISH – ENSLAVE AND CONVERT

• ENGLISH – GET RID OF THEM

THE FRONTIER

• WHERE CIVILIZATION MEETS THE WILDERNESS

• ENGLISH COLONIES

• FRENCH COLONIES

• SPANISH COLONIES

WHY DID ENGLAND SUCCEED?

• AGRICULTURAL FOUNDATION

• HANDLING OF INDIANS

• CAME FOR MORE THAN MONEY

• RESOURCES (NAVY)

• POLITICAL ACCIDENT

• SALUTARY NEGLECT

POLITICAL ACCIDENT

• 1603-1763

• KING AND PARLIAMENT POWER STRUGGLE

• COLONIES DEVELOPED POLITICALLY

• BRITAIN OPPOSES THIS BUT IS UNABLE TO CONTROL IT

SALUTARY NEGLECT

• MERCANTILISM – BRITISH ECONOMIC THEORY BASED ON FAVORABLE BALANCE OF TRADE

• COLONIES PROVIDE RAW MATERIALS AND PURCHASE FINISHED PRODUCTS

• BRITISH LAWS NOT ENFORCED

SALUTARY NEGLECT

• OLIVER CROMWELL – DEMANDED ENFORCEMENT

• NAVIGATION ACTS – RESTRICT COLONIAL TRADE

• ENFORCEMENT OF NAVIGATION ACTS DECLINES

• COLONIES DEVELOP ECONOMICALLY

SOCIAL ORIGINS OF COLONISTS

• WHO CAME?

• MIDDLE CLASS

• ARTISANS

• THOSE WITH LIMITED ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

• SPECULATORS

SOCIAL ORIGINS OF COLONISTS

• WHY MOVE?

• ENCLOSURE MOVEMENT

• RISING PRICES

• POPULATION GROWTH

• RELIGIOUS UNREST

INDENTURED SERVANTS

• WRITTEN CONTRACT

• UP TO SEVEN YEARS OF SERVITUDE

• NO STIGMA ATTACHED

• DEBTORS AND CRIMINALS

HANLIN’S THEORY

• SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

• BLACKS IN THE COLONIES

• INDENTURED SERVANTS?

• RACISM?

• HOW DO WE KNOW?

ROANOKE ISLAND

• FIRST ATTEMPT AT A COLONY

• 1585 BY SIR WALTER RALEIGH

• IT FAILED

JAMESTOWN

• 1607• FIRST SUCCESSFUL ENGLISH SETTLEMENT• CHARTER GRANTED TO VIRGINIA

COMPANY, A JOINT STOCK COMPANY• PURPOSE WAS TO FIND GOLD• 900 INITIAL SETTLERS. 6O SURVIVORS

JAMESTOWN

• INDIAN POLICY – “TAKE GREAT PAINS NOT TO OFFEND THEM”

• VOYAGE – 4 MONTHS

• WHO WERE THE LEADERS?

• 1/3 WERE GENTLEMEN

• NO WOMEN

JAMESTOWN

• JOHN SMITH

• DEALT HARSHLY WITH SUSQUEHANNA INDIANS

• FORCED GENTLEMEN TO WORK

• STARVING TIME

• SMITH’S DEPARTURE

YES, THERE WAS A POCHAHANTAS

• DAUGHTER OF CHIEF POWHATAN

• MET JOHN SMITH

• KIDNAPPED IN 1613

• CONVERTS TO CHRISTIANITY IN 1614

• MARRIES JOHN ROLFE IN 1615

• VISITS ENGLAND IN 1616

• DIES SOON AFTER

MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY

• 1629

• MASSACHUSETTS BAY COMPANY

• JOHN WINTHROP – LEADER

• COMPANY AND COLONY ARE THE SAME

MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY

• ADVENTURERS – THOSE WHO INVEST

• PLANTERS – THOSE WHO GO

• CAMBRIDGE AGREEMENT – MAKES THEM ONE AND THE SAME

• MASSACHUSETTS BAY IS UNIQUE

MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY

• CITY ON A HILL

• GREAT MIGRATION

• POLITICAL ACCIDENT AGAIN!

• COLONY EXISTS UNTIL 1684

PURITANS

• BELIEVED IN PURITY OF CHURCH

• GOOD SOCIAL CONDUCT IS A RESULT OF SALVATION, NOT A CAUSE

• COVENANT THEOLOGY

• COVENANT OF WORKS

• COVENANT OF GRACE

PURITANS

• ALL RELATIONSHIPS ARE DEFINED BY GOD

• BELIEF IN MODERATE CONDUCT

• SOCIAL ORDER – ALL HAVE THEIR PLACE

PURITANS

• CHILDREN

• WORSHIP

• WORK

• LOVE

• VIOLATORS

PURITANS

• VISIBLE SAINTS

• CONVERSION EXPERIENCE

• ROLE OF LINEAGE AND ECONOMICS

• CIVIL MEN

• A THEOCRACY?

• HALFWAY COVENANT

QUAKERS

• WILLIAM PENN

• GEORGE FOX – QUAKER FOUNDER

• DIVINE REVELATION

• SPARK OF GOD

• NO MINISTRY

• PLAIN DRESS AND HOUSING

QUAKERS

• CHARLES II GAVE PENN COLONY TO COVER DEBTS

• THREE OBJECTIVES

• ENLARGE THE EMPIRE

• MAKE MERCANTILISM WORK

• CIVILIZE THE INDIANS

QUAKERS

• PROPRIETARY COLONY

• LIMITS IN CHARTER

• LIBERAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE

• CONCEPT OF EQUALITY