A P U S History

1. A P U S History Chapter 3

2. Rise of Colonial Commerce Lack of specie Experimented with currency Paper (tobacco certificates) Animal skins No certainty in the market Lack of communication b/w ports

3. Triangular Trade • Network of commerce that linked the Americas, Europe, and the west coast of Africa • English merchants ship rum to Africa • Traded for slaves • Slaves taken to the Caribbean, traded for sugar • Sugar taken to New England • Turned into rum • Rum shipped back to England • Process starts anew

4. Emergence of Merchant Class • Arise from practice of Triangle Trade • Concentrated in northern port cities • New York, Boston, Philadelphia • Protected and aided by British law • Turned around and ignored British trades laws when it suited their needs • Established trade relationships with other nations • Britain allowed this because the increased profits caused further importing of UK goods

5. Rise of Consumerism • Sign that America was developing its own identity • When times were hard for everyone, luxury goods were in low demand • Demand for commercial goods highlighted division in classes • Previously, gap between upper and lower classes not that significant • Again, England thrilled with colonial tastes

6. Consumerism con’t • Americans exhibit disturbingly modern attitudes • Go into debt, buy unnecessary items on credit • Merchants all too willing to extend credit • Ad agents appear • Goods purchased to show status • Status symbols quickly become “necessities” • People invent ways to show off their extravagances • Parks, public squares planned for “society”

7. Patterns of Society • Social mobility • English class system fails to take root in America • Easy access to land counteracts class system • American aristocracy based on labor • British tended to die in the class that they were born in • Americans freer to take chances • Leads to upward and downward mobility

8. The Plantation • Rises alongside tobacco as key crop of South • Some plantations absurdly large • Charles Carroll’s: 40K acres, 285 slaves • Generally much smaller • Typically <30 people • Vagaries of the market prevented expansion • Plantations almost self-sufficient communities

9. Plantation con’t • Plantation system stratifies Southern society • Planters comprise small minority of South’s pop. • However, control livelihood of the rest of pop. • Planters, even small-time, live in relative luxury • Independent farmers live in crude cabins • Have no time to niceties of plantation life

10. Plantation Slavery • Smaller plantations have few slaves • Hence, less distinction b/w them and white servants • By mid-1700s, ¾ of blacks live on plantations of 10 or more slaves • Large groupings leads to distinct slave culture • Influenced by white society, but independent

11. Slave Culture • Strong family structure arises • Despite attempts by white society to discourage • Made possible by increased life expectancy • Surrogate families appear • Hybrid languages also created • Christianity takes hold, but with African influence • Varying conditions of slavery inhibit growth • House slaves, females, treatment by slaveowners

12. Stono Rebellion • South Carolina, 1739 • One of two instances of armed rebellion in colonial America by slaves • ~100 slaves rise up, seize weapons from owners • Attempted to flee south to Florida • Rebellion quashed in short order • Most participants executed • Run away?

13. Puritan Community • Puritans develop towns • Unique to America at the time • In contrast to single farms of south • Towns develop “covenants” • Bound residents together for common good and order • Easy for some: they had emigrated wholesale • Town structure based on farms of England

14. Puritan “Democracy” • Town meetings held to pick “selectmen” • Selectmen run town for the year • However, standing in town still based on religion • Conversion experience needed to prove grace • Everyone still required to attend church • They just get no tangible worldly benefit • Primogeniture • System of passing property to eldest son • Fails to take hold in America

15. Puritans con’t • Physical proximity to church important • As town grows, distance from church is normal • Moving out from under watchful eye of church • Leads to building of new churches • Lack of primogeniture causes problems • Land can only be divided so many times, after all • Gender equality arises from economic necessity

16. Witchcraft and the Colonies • Hysteria spread through colonies, late 17th C. • Most famous incident: Salem, MA • Several girls accuse West Indian servants of voodoo • Accusations snowball, prominent citizens under fire • 19 residents put to death for “practicing” witchcraft • Girls who started phenomenon eventually come clean

17. Witchcraft con’t • Salem was the most famous, but no means the only, incident • “Outbreaks” of witchcraft spread during 1690s • Typical “witch” • Female • Middle-aged or older • Frequently widowed • Childless or with few children • Typically on one extreme end of income scale

18. Religion in the Colonies • Immigration breeds diversity • Settlers come from different nations • Bring their own respective faiths along with them • Generally, Protestants are tolerant of each • However, this is not extended to Catholics • Catholics seen as agents of the Pope abroad • Europe’s oldest tradition, Anti-Semitism, persists • Not allowed to vote, hold office; religion restricted • Americans grow troubled about lack of piety

19. The Great Awakening • Religious faith, relatively, was actually quite high • However, popular opinion was for revival • Wave of new interest in religion sweeps colonies • John and Charles Wesley • Found Methodism • George Whitefield • Associate of Wesleys, holds open-air services

20. Great Awakening con’t • Most important figure of time: John Edwards • Railed against new ideas of “easy” salvation • Stuck to traditional Puritan ideals • Scared the Hell out of people • Edwards illustrates division of Great Awakening • Conflict between “New Light” and “Old Light” • Converts to new ideas are generally young women or younger sons of large families • Attracted by ideas about breaking away from tradition

21. The Enlightenment • Age of new discoveries in Europe • Enlightenment thinkers begin to unravel some of Nature’s mysteries • However: • Enlightenment unintentionally undermines Awakening • By championing reason, traditional authority suffers • Intellectuals were not challenging church authority • Church saw them as a challenge nonetheless • Argued that all the answers one needed came from God

22. Smallpox Inoculations • Cotton Mather • Puritan Led to other theologians who promoted the practice.