Chapter 4 Life in the American Colonies ( )

US HISTORYChapter 4Life in the American Colonies

(1607-1770)

Lesson 1 – Colonial Economy

• New England Colonies– Most people lived in

towns– Farming was main

economic activity– Long winters and thin,

rocky soil made large scale farming difficult

– Most were subsistence farmers grew only enough food to meet their own family’s needs


• New England Colonies– Shipbuilding & fishing

were very important as well

– Grand Banks – area off coast of Newfoundland (one of the best fishing areas in the world)


• The Middle Colonies– Mild climate & fertile soil

made farming more profitable

– Cash crops – foods that are grown to be sold

– Philadelphia & New York City become major ports

– Area was much more diverse…contained British, German, Dutch, Swedish, & other immigrants


• The Southern Colonies– Warm climate & rich soil

made Southern colonies best place for large-scale farming

– Most settlers in the South made their money from agriculture & little industry developed

– Tobacco & rice are two major cash crops…both use slave labor


AppalachianMountains

Atlantic Ocean

Backcountry

Smaller Farms

• More people• Struggled economically

Tidewater

Plantations

• Fewer people• Wealthy &

politically powerful

• The Southern Colonies• Tidewater & Backcountry


• Growth of Slavery– Triangular Trade Route trade

routes between Colonies, Caribbean, Africa, and Great Britain

– The Middle Passage• Name given to the trans-Atlantic

voyage on slave ships (middle step to America)

• 1st – capture from village• 2nd – travel on ship from Africa to

Caribbean• 3rd – travel from Caribbean to America


• Growth of Slavery– Life of the Slave

• Most lived on plantations• Overseer – supervisor of

slaves• Slave Codes – laws put into

place to restrict activities of slaves

– Slaves couldn’t leave plantation without permission

– Couldn’t teach slaves to read or write

Lesson 2 – Colonial Government• English Principles of Government

– System of government had two principles

1) Protected Rights - colonists believed the govt.

must respect civil rights - idea first appeared in the

Magna Carta (1215) King John signed this…gave the people protection against unjust treatment or punishment, also

said monarchy was bound by law

Lesson 2 – Colonial Government• English Principles of Government

– System of government had two principles2) Representative Government - English had a tradition of representative govt. - Parliament made up of two chambers (houses)

- House of Lords – made up of upper class…seats were passed down through families

- House of Commons – made up of commoners - American legislatures loosely based on this model - Glorious Revolution (1688) Parliament removed

King James II from power…replaced with William & Mary from this point forward, Parliament had more power than the monarchy

Lesson 2 – Colonial Government

• English Bill of Rights– Established by Parliament in 1689

and said:• Monarch could not suspend

Parliament’s laws• Monarch could not impose taxes or

raise an army w/o Parliament’s approval• Parliament members would be freely

elected• Citizens of England had the right to a

fair trial by jury and protection against cruel & unusual punishment


• Charter Colonies– Connecticut & Rhode

Island– Settlers were given a

charter a grant of rights & privileges

– Colonists elected their own governors & legislature

Lesson 2 – Colonial Government• Proprietary Colonies

– Delaware, Maryland, & Pennsylvania

– Proprietor – individual or group who were granted land by British Govt.

– Proprietors appointed governor and members of the Upper House of the legislature…colonists elected members of the Lower House of their legislature


• Royal Colonies– GA, MA, NH, NJ, NY,

NC, SC, & VA– Ruled directly by Great

Britain– King appointed

Governor and Upper House of legislature…colonists elected members of the Lower House

– Caused many conflicts between the two houses


• English Economic Policies– Many European countries

believed in mercantilism theory that a country’s wealth and power was based on its supplies of gold & silver

– Countries looked to export more than they imported

– To control the trade from the colonies, Parliament passed the Navigation Acts

Lesson 2 – Colonial Government• Navigation Acts

– Passed b/w 1651 & 1673 by Parliament

– Placed restrictions on trade by the colonies

– Colonies could only use British ships and could basically only trade with Great Britain

– Eventually led to an increase in smuggling

Lesson 3 – Culture and Society• Life in the Colonies

– 1700-1770s population grew from 250,000 to 2.5 million…slaves grew from 28,000 to 500,000

– Increased immigration & large family sizes accounted for this growth

Lesson 3 – Culture and Society• Family Roles

– Men were the head of the household

– Sons worked for family, became indentured servants, or apprentices

– Women ran the house & cared for children, also assisted on family farms

– Colonists valued education…1750in New England, 85% of men and 50% of women were literate

Lesson 3 – Culture and Society• Great Awakening

– 1730s & 1740s – a revival of faith and religion

– Preachers such as Jonathan Edwards & George Whitfield gave sermons calling for stronger faith

– Inspired greater religious freedom in the colonies

Lesson 3 – Culture and Society• The Enlightenment

– Mid 1700s – started in Europe, spread to America

– Spread the idea that knowledge, reason, & science could improve society

– Increased interest in science in the Colonies

– Also promoted freedom of thought and expression, a belief in equality, and the idea of popular govt. (govt. by the people)

Lesson 3 – Culture and Society• Ideas of Freedom

– Colonial newspapers often faced government censorship

– 1733 – John Peter Zenger, publisher of the New-York Weekly Journal, arrested and put on trial

– Jury found him not guilty…seen as a key moment in the development of freedom of press

Lesson 4 – Rivalry in North America

• France & Great Britain were two of the most powerful countries in the world

• Competed for wealth in different parts of the world

• Spilled into North America when the British began to have interest in Ohio River Valley


• Colonists Take Action– Virginia wants to settle

Ohio River Valley– 1753 – VA Gov. sends a

21-year old surveyor named George Washington into the Ohio country

– Washington’s mission was to tell French they were to leave the land that was claimed by Virginia…they refused


• Ft. Necessity– Next year (1754),

Washington becomes a lieutenant colonel and is selected to lead 150 men back to Ohio to build a fort

– They are to build where the Allegheny & Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio River (present-day Pittsburgh)


• Ft. Necessity– When they arrive,

the French had already built Ft. Duquesne on the site

– Washington & his men quickly build Ft. Necessity nearby

– Washington leads attack on the French

– Washington loses but gains popularity for striking the first blow against the French


• Albany Plan of Union– June 1754 – reps from

several colonies meet in Albany, NY to discuss threat of war

– Tried to ally with Iroquois Confederacy…Iroquois refused but agreed to remain neutral

– Ben Franklin proposes “Albany Plan of Union”

– None of the colonies agreed to it but it was the first attempt to unite the colonies


• Seven Years’ War– Fighting in America

starts a new war in Europe b/w Britain & France

– French captured several British forts in North America

– Natives began raids on frontier farms…killed settlers & burned farms/homes


• William Pitt– 1757 - took over as

Prime Minister of Great Britain

– Said that Britain would pay for all costs associated with the war (not the colonies)

– Sent troops into America to recapture old forts

– Troops captured Ft. Duquesne and renamed it Ft. Pitt (Pittsburgh)


• Battle of Quebec– Quebec – capital of

New France– Sits on a cliff…

thought to be impossible to attack

– British soldiers find a path on the cliff, overwhelm French troops, and defeat the French army


• Treaty of Paris (1763)– Ends the war…Britain

wins– Great Britain gets land

to the Mississippi River, Canada, & Florida (from Spain France’s ally)

– Marks the end of French presence in North America


• Pontiac’s War– Ottawa chief…

united several tribes to fight against British

– Captured British fort at Detroit and killed settlers on the frontier

– Ends in 1765…Pontiac signs peace treaty with British


• Proclamation of 1763– Issued by Britain to

stop fighting b/w Natives & colonists

– Told the colonists they were to not settle any lands west of the Appalachian Mtns.

– Many land speculators were irate over this

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Chapter 4 Life in the American Colonies ( )