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Chapter 3 Growth of the American Colonies. English Coming to America. . . Interests of the English peaked by the findings of previous explorers. England wants/needs: Wealth- “get rich quick” scheme Pirates (sea dogs) would rob Spanish Increase trade- English merchants Religious Freedom
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English Coming to America. . . • Interests of the English peaked by the findings of previous explorers. • England wants/needs: • Wealth- “get rich quick” scheme • Pirates (sea dogs) would rob Spanish • Increase trade- English merchants • Religious Freedom • Spread Protestantism
Theory of Mercantilism • A country should try to get and keep as much bullion, or gold and silver, as possible. • balance of trade or the difference between imports and exports, should show more exports than imports.
SALUTARY NEGLECT • Britain allowed its colonies more freedom to govern themselves than other European nations did. • Three causes: • England had a long tradition of strong local government and weak central power. • British government lacked the resources to enforce its wishes. • Britain gave the colonies freedom because the existing economy and politics served the Britain’s best interests.
EFFECTS OF TRADE LAWS • European countries fought over territory and trade routes. • British rulers tightened controls over the American colonies. King James II tried to take direct control over New York and New England by creating the Dominion of New England. • Many colonists were loyal to Britain.
Effects on War and Politics • Navigation Act: tightened British control over colonial trade • It required the colonies to sell certain goods only to England • If colonists wanted to sell goods to other parts of the world, they had to pay a duty, or tax, on it.
Southern Colonies • The economy was based on staple crops—crops that are in constant demand. • Staple crops included tobacco and rice, both grown on large plantations worked by slaves. • In Virginia and Maryland • Slaves in Virginia and Maryland made up a minority of the population. • Few of those slaves came directly from Africa. • Slaves had other tasks in addition to growing crops. • There was more integration of European American and African American cultures than in South Carolina and Georgia. • To save money, slave-owners encouraged slaves to have families.
Middle Colonies • Economy of the Middle Colonies was a mixture of farming and commerce. • Rich, fertile soil produced wheat, barley, and rye. • New York and Philadelphia supported the business of merchants, traders, and craftspeople.
New England Colonies • New England economy relied on “carrying trade.” Merchants carried crops and goods from one place to another. • There were far fewer slaves in New England and the Middle Colonies than in the South. • Slaves had more freedom to choose their occupations. • Slaves in this region typically worked as cooks, housekeepers, and personal servants. They also worked as skilled artisans, dockworkers, merchant sailors, fishermen, whalers, privateers, lumberjacks, and in manufacturing.
Section 2: Life in Colonial America • Different types of jobs in the Colonies Artisans: • Young boys became apprentices, individuals placed under a legal contract to work for another person in exchange for learning a trade. • Artisans made silver products, cabinets, tin-ware, pottery, and glassware.
Different types of jobs in the Colonies Printers: • Colonial printers were considered vital because they gathered and circulated local news and information. • Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s most famous printers, published Poor Richard’s Almanac. • An almanac is a book containing information such as calendars, weather predictions, and advice.
Different types of jobs in the Colonies Farmers: • Farms in the colonies varied in size from large cash-crop plantations in the South • Small and self-supporting farms in the Middle and New England Colonies
Different types of jobs in the Colonies Fishermen: • Fish was dried, salted, and shipped out from harbor cities. • Fishing became a strong industry and promoted the growth of shipbuilding. Indentured Servants: • Many immigrants came to the colonies as indentured servants • Immigrants had their way to America’s paid for in return they worked as a servant in the family’s home that paid their way. (usually 6-10 years)
Triangle Trade • The Middle Passage was one leg of the triangular trade also known as the forced transport of slaves from Africa to the Americas. • Roughly 10 to 40 percent of Africans on slave trips died in the crossing. Slaves were beaten and had to endure chains; heat; and cramped, unsanitary conditions. • Occasionally enslaved Africans staged a mutiny, or revolt, on the slave ships. Many of these were successful.
Slaves in the Colonies South Carolina and Georgia • High temperatures and disease made slave conditions especially harsh in this region. • Slaves made up the majority of the population in South Carolina and more than one third of Georgia’s population. • Southern slaves kept their culture alive through their speech, crafts, and music.
Slave Laws • Slaves that earned money as artisans or laborers had the possibility of saving enough to purchase their freedom • Free African Americans did the same kind of work as enslaved African Americans, but were often worse off economically and socially • Free blacks had poor living conditions • Free blacks could not vote, testify in court, or marry whites.
Revolts • Stono Rebellion, several dozen slaves in South Carolina killed more than 20 whites. • The rebels were captured and killed. • New York City had slave rebellions in 1708, 1712, and 1741. • After the 1741 revolt, 13 African Americans were burned alive as punishment. • African Americans undertook almost 50 documented revolts between 1740 and 1800.
