Chapter 4: American Life in the 17 th Century 1607-1692

1. Chapter 4: American Life in the 17th Century 1607-1692 Erin Thompson B2 A.P.U.S.H. Pd. 2

2. The Unhealthy Chesapeake • Malaria, dysentery, and typhoid cut ten years off the life expectancy of English newcomers. • Majority of immigrants were young males who died shortly after arrival; The survivors competed for the scarce # of females • Most marriages destroyed by the death of partner; Weak families reflected in pregnancies of young unmarried girls

3. The Unhealthy Chesapeake (cont.) • Eventually native-born inhabitants acquired immunity to diseases; by the end of the 17th century birthrate increased • Maryland had the 3rd largest population at the opening of the 18th century

4. The Tobacco Economy • By the 1630s ships annually hauled about 1.5 million pounds of tobacco out of the Chesapeake; by the end of the century it was almost 40 million pounds • To balance the increase of product, indentured servants were shipped to the Chesapeake for labor

5. The Tobacco Economy (cont.) • “Headright” system established, which gave masters 50 acres of land for paying the passage of servants • Some 100,000 servants were brought to the Chesapeake by 1700 • When the servants received their freedom they had to hire themselves to their former masters because of lack of land

6. Frustrated Freeman & Bacon’s Rebellion • By the late 17th century, swelling numbers of young men began to rattle the established planters on the Chesapeake • In 1670, the Virginia assembly disfranchised most of the landless men; VA’s governor William Berkeley lamented his lot as ruler • In 1676, about a thousand Virginians broke out of control led by Nathaniel Bacon

7. Bacon’s Rebellion (cont.) • Virginians resented Berkeley’s friendly policies toward the Indians • Before the rebellion was crushed, Indians were murdered, Berkeley was chased out of Jamestown and the capital was burned

8. Colonial Slavery • About 10 million Africans were brought in chains to the Americas; Only 400,000 ended up in North America • By the mid-1680s black slaves outnumbered white servants • In 1698 the Royal African Co. lost monopoly on carrying slaves; Americans rush to cash in on slave trade; supply of slaves steeply rose

9. Colonial Slavery (cont.) • By 1750, Blacks accounted for nearly half the Virginia population; South Carolina whites outnumbered 2 to 1 • Most slaves came from west coast of Africa: Senegal to Angola • Whites threatened by large number of Africans • Slave codes developed to decree the conditions of slavery

10. Africans in America • Slave life was hostile to health and labor was life-draining • Tobacco was a less physically demanding crop than rice • Size and proximity of tobacco plantations permitted more frequent contact with friends and relatives • Black population grew through its own fertility and imports

11. Africans in America (cont.) • Native-born African Americans contributed to growth of a slave culture: mixture of African and American elements of speech, religion, and folkways • Many African words passed into American speech: goober, gumbo, voodoo • Banjo and bongo drum and jazz contributed to American culture

12. Southern Society

13. The New England Family • Family remained at the center of New England life; population grew from natural reproductive increase • Women wed by their early twenties and had children every two years until menopause • Longevity contributed to family stability: up to 3 generations • New England women usually gave up their property rights

14. Life in the New England Towns • New England evolved into a tightly knit society based around villages and farms • New towns legally chartered by colonial authorities; land distributed by proprietors • Towns with more than 50 families required to provide elementary education; majority of adults illiterate • Massachusetts established Harvard(1636); Virginia established William and Mary(1693)

15. The Half-Way Covenant & the Salem Witch Trials • A growing New England population dampened religious zeal • Mid-17th century, a new form of sermon began: the “jeremiad” • In 1662, the “Half-Way Covenant,” offered partial memberships to people not converted

16. The Half-Way Covenant & the Salem Witch Trials (cont.) • Distinction between the “elect” and others erased; strict religion sacrificed for large participation • A “witch-hunt” ensued leading to the lynching of 20 persons(1692); grew from superstitions and unsettled social and religious conditions

17. The New England Way of Life • Characterized by its extreme climate and rocky soil, New England had a major impact on the rest of the nation • Repelled by the rocks New Englanders look to shipbuilding and commerce • New Englanders scattered from Ohio to Oregon and Hawaii

18. The Early Settlers’ Days & Ways • Early American colonists lived simple, but comfortable lives • Women, men, and children performed daily tasks necessary for comfort • Most settlers came to America with modest means to enjoy wealth • An attempt to imitate English class distinctions failed with resentment against upper-class for example, Leisler’s Rebellion in NYC (1689-1691)

19. 1619 – First Africans arrive in Virginia 1636 – Harvard College founded 1662 Half-Way Covenant for Congregational church membership established 1670 – Virginia assembly disfranchises landless freeman 1676 – Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia 1680s – Mass expansion of slavery in the colonies Chronology

20. 1689-1691 – Leisler’s Rebellion in New York 1692 – Salem witch trials in Massachusetts 1693 – College of William and Mary founded 1698 – Royal African Company slave trade monopoly ended 1712 – New York City slave revolt 1739 – South Carolina slave revolt Chronology (cont.)