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THE COLONIES DEVELOP 1700-1753
Chapter 4
Four Colonial Regions
*New England Colonies*Middle Colonies*Southern Colonies*Backcountry
New England Colonies
*Most New England farmers practiced subsistence farming: farmers produced just enough food for themselves/family and maybe a bit extra for trade.
*Poor, rocky soil! Longer winters! Shorter growing season!
*Fish and wood were among N.E. most valuable articles of trade.
*Coastal cities grew rich as a result of shipbuilding, fishing, and trade.
Atlantic Trade
*New England settlers participated in Triangular Trade: Transatlantic system of trade where goods, including slaves, were exchanged between Africa, England, Europe, the West Indies, and the colonies in N. America.
Interactive Triangular Trade
Atlantic Trade
Atlantic Trade
*New England made huge profits from trade.
*England wanted a share of those profits. WHY??? Because the colonies belonged to England!
*Passed the Navigation Acts in 1651: Made sure England made money from the colonies’ trade.
African Americans in New England
*Slavery not economical in N.E. WHY????-small farms didn’t need large # of workers-farmers could not afford to house/feed slaves during long winters
*Some N. Englanders did own slaves in larger towns
-hired out slaves for shop or dock work
-some slaves allowed to keep a portion of their wages
-some slaves saved enough $ to buy their freedom!
Changes in Puritan Society
*Puritan religion slowly declined (1700’s)*Many reasons:1. Drive for economic gain ($) competed
with Puritan ideas.2. Other religious groups established
congregations in the region.3. New charter took away Puritans’
political privileges, and granted voting based on land ownership instead of church membership.
The Middle Colonies
*More fertile soil *Milder climate*Longer growing season (crops)-These conditions attracted
immigrants from all over Europe.-M.C. began to produce cash crops:
crops raised to be sold for money. -After harvesting corn, wheat, rye, or
other grains, they were sent to the gristmill to be ground into flour.
The Cities Prosper
*Harbors were perfect sites for citiesExamples: New York City on the
Hudson R. & Philadelphia on the Delaware R.
*Merchants exported cash crops and imported manufactured goods
*Valuable trade of port cities helped them to grow
*The wealth gained brought many improvements to NYC and Philly.
A Diverse Region
*Great diversity in Middle Colonies-English -Swedish -French-German -Dutch -Scots-Irish
-African -Scottish -Welsh
African Americans in the Middle Colonies
*1750, 7% of the pop. was enslaved.
*Enslaved persons worked as manual laborers, servants, drivers, & assistants to artisans.
*Tensions existed between the races and rebellions occurred.
*Whites would resort to force and violence to control slaves.
The Southern Colonies
*Fertile soil and almost year-round growing season
*Ideal for crops like tobacco, rice, & cotton
*Required much labor to produce as a cash crop
*Region’s waterways made it easy to transport crops
*Most plantations were self-sufficient (everything needed produced on plantation)
*As plantation economy grew, planters turned to enslaved Africans for labor.
The Turn To Slavery
*Pop. of enslaved Africans grew rapidly*By 1750 – about 40% of the South’s
population was enslaved Africans*1660’s planters began using more
enslaved Africans b/c….1. Indentured servants were leaving
to start their own farms.2. Unsuccessful with forcing Natives
Planter Class
*Increased use of slaves allowed plantations to expand
*Slave labor allowed planters to become even wealthier
*More slaves meant growing more tobacco, rice, or indigo (blue dye)
*Small compared to rest of pop. but had control of political and economic power
Life Under Slavery
*Exhausting work under an overseer: men hired by planters to watch over and direct the work of slaves.
*15 hr. days*Whipped if they weren’t doing their full share of
work*lived in small one-room cabins w/only sleeping
cots*small food portions like corn and pork*kept many customs and beliefs through music,
dances, stories, and African religions.
Resistance
*Fought their enslavement!-worked slowly on purpose (slow production)
-damaged goods-pretended to not understand orders
-rose up in rebellion! Those caught would be killed and slave laws became even stricter
Backcountry
*Dense forests and streams*Located in/near the Appalachian Mts.
*water and wood provided for drinking/shelter
*Small farms common*First settlers made living trading with Natives
*Next, farmers moved into the region
*As # of settlers grew, conflict with Natives
Where are the Appalachian Mts.?
Life
*Backcountry settlers had to depend on themselves!
*Built cabins/furniture with wood*Fed family with cattle/hogs they raised and fish/game they killed
*Yes! They snacked on popcorn *Women worked in cabins, the fields, and knew how to use guns and axes!
