CHAPTER 3 SOCIETY AND CULTURE IN PROVINCIALAMERICA Chapter Summary After the turmoil of the late seventeenth century had subsided, it became evident that the EnglishAmerican colonies and the colonists who populated them were beginning to develop characteristics that were distinctly "American." Although still essentially transplanted English subjects and still greatly influenced by European ideas and institutions, the colonists were also diverse, aggressive, and as concerned with their own success as with that of the empire of which they were part. New sources of wealth and new patterns of trade shaped the growth of the colonies, and new immigrants, not always from England, added a dimension unknown in the mother country. Although differences in geography, economy, and population gave each colony its own character and problems, there remained many, common concerns-not the least of which was how to deal with or avoid dealing with British mercantile restrictions. In short, between 1700and 1750,Britain's American colonies began to show signs of being both English and American; they were indeed "different," and it is this difference that Chapter 3 explores.

Obiectives A thoroughstudyof Chapter3 shouldenablethe studentto understand

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The disagreement among historians concerning the origins of slavery.

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The sources of colonial labor, including indentured servants, women, and imported Africans.

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Immigration patterns and their effect on colonial development.

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The ways in which factors of soil and climate determined the commercial and agricultural development ofthe colonies, despite the crown's attempts to influence production.

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The emergence of the plantation system and its impact on Southern society.

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The New England witchcraft episode as a reflection of the Puritan society.

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The reasons for the appearance of a variety of religious sects in the colonies, and the effect of the Great Awakening on the colonists.

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The beginnings of colonial industry and commerce and the early attempts at regulation by Parliament.

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The ways in which colonial literature, education, science, law, and justice were diverging from their English antecedents.

Main Themes 31.

How the colonial population grew and diversified.

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How the colonial economy expanded to meet the needs of this rapidly growing population.

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The emergence of a particularly American "mind and spirit."

~ Points for Discussiorn'

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How and why did the institution of slavery begin and develop in colonial America? Analyze the various historical interpretations offered in response to that question ("Where Historians

Disagree:The Originsof Slavery").Use this exerciseto explainthe differencebetween"fact", and "interpretation." 2.

What reasons did the colonists give for keeping slaves? On what grounds did some colonists oppose slave holding? (

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Compare and contrast the economy of the Northern colonies with that of the Southern colonies. What made the two regions develop as they did? How did these economic systems reflect social systems emerging at the same time?

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How did the New England witchcraft episode reflect tensions in Puritan society? What were local officials trying to accomplish in bringing "witches" to trial? St

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What were the reasons for the revival movement known as the Great Awakening? What doctrines were preached by the ministers involved? How did col()~ists respond? What was the revival's impact on colonial life? ( )

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Who were the Americans? Describe the diverse population that settled the British American colonies in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and assess its growth during this period. What factors contributed to a steadily increasing colonial population in America? Discuss the regional differences in longevity, women's roles, family structures, labor requirements, and sources of immigration. What role did religion play in the advance of education in America? In what way did religion also hinder education?

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After assessing the relationships in question number 8, show the extent to which the fruits of education (reading, writing, science, and law) flourished in America. At the same time, discuss how these helped form a character that was "American."

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By violating the Navigation Acts and developing their own trading patterns, were the American colonies also creating their own mercantile system? What implications did this have for future relations with England?

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Why was it said of almanacs that "no book we read (except the Bible) is so much valued and so serviceable to the community"? What needs did early American almanacs fill?

MaR Exercises

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Identify the major rivers and lakes in the area that, in the future, would be the United States.

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Identify the areas of non-Indian settlement in 1700. What forts, outposts, and towns had been established by that time?

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Identify the British North American colonies, c. 1760, and place them in their colonial groups: Southern, Middle, and New England.

cD 5.

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Locate the major settlements and rivers in each of the British colonies. Locate the dominant immigrant groups in these colonies. Identify the trade routes that defined the "triangular trade." What were the products traded, and with whom were they exchanged? 1{'P~

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Locate the concentrations of total population in the Southern and Middle colonies, c. 1775. What percentage of the total population was made up of African Americans?

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Identify the land distribution pattern in the seventeenth-century town of Sudbury, Massachusetts. How did the location of homes, churches, and other institutions relate to the distribution of land?

Interpretative Questions Based on Maps and Text 1.

Note the English colonies where settlement was most concentrated and the location of the leading towns in those areas. In the light of this settlement, and the economic basis of these societies, which English colonies would be most affected by the Navigation Acts? Why?

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What was the economic basis of settlements in the "backcountry"? Apart from Native Americans, what does the map showing "America in 1700" suggest would be a major barrier to British backcountry expansion? Compare the maps in the text which deal with settlement patterns in colonial America. Where have the most dramatic changes in settlement patterns occurred? What immigrant groups were most involved?

4.

What was the major non-English immigrant group in the Southern colonies? What circumstances led to their immigration to the New World? Why were they concentrated in the South rather than other regions?

5.

Who were the Scotch-Irish? Why did they leave their homeland, and why did they settle where they did? How would the conditions that led to their immigration and settlement have affected their attitude toward England and English colonial governments?

6.

Note the location of German immigrant groups. Why did they leave their homeland, and why did they settle where they did? How would the conditions that led to their immigration and settlement have affected their attitude toward England and English colonial governments?

7.

Why were the Dutch located where they were? Was this a post-1700 immigration group? Why did they leave their homeland and settle where they did? By 1760, what changes in society in this region might you expect to have occurred?

8.

Note where the English were concentrated. Which are the most "English" colonies and regions? Why would the Southern colonies continue to have a strong English orientation despite the presence of a large immigrant group?

9.

Note the goods that the various colonial groups exported. If economic ties correspond to political ties, what do these markets indicate about the various regions' obedience to the Navigation Acts and their loyalty to England?

10.

Trace the route of the so-called triangular trade. Which region of Britain's North American colonies benefited most from this? How did this lead to the creation of a colonial mercantile system outside the British Empire?

11.

In general, the colonies sent raw materials to England and in return bought manufactured goods. What effect did this have on the colonial economy? How did British policies contribute to this?

12.

Compare the concentration of African American population to total population in the Southern colonies. In which areas did African Americans outnumber Caucasians? What type of economic system existed there? What was the nature of African American-Caucasian interaction in these areas?

13.

In which areas ofthe Southern colonies did Caucasians outnumber African Americans? What type of economic system existed there? What was the nature of African AmericanCaucasian interaction in these areas?

14.

In which areas would African Americans have had more day-to-day contact with other African Americans than with Caucasians? How would this have influenced African American life and culture?

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Which white immigrant groups would have had the most interaction with African Americans? Which would have had the least?

16.

Notice the absence of African Americans in the Middle colonies and in backcountry Virginia and North Carolina. What factors contributed to this? What type of socioeconomic system was common to this region? How did it differ from the socioeconomic system found in areas' with heavy African American concentrations?

17.

Study the chart on African American population growth in the text. Where did most of the African American population growth between 1760 and 1780 take place? What factors contributed to this rapid growth?

18.

Study the map of Sudbury, Massachusetts. Note the arrangement of residences there. How does this arrangement reflect the spirit of the community's religious and social covenant? What does the common land suggest about this covenant?

19.

Assuming that other members of the Sudbury community owned land as John Goodnow did, what does this indicate about the family structure and its relationship to the community?

20.

Notice the geographic features in and around the village (roads, streams, etc.). How might they have influenced the growth of the community? What impact might this have on the future of Sudbury and of the covenant?

21.

Note the residences located away from the row of houses adjacent to the Cow Common. What does this suggest about the evolution of the town?

Essav Questions These essays are based on the map exercises. They are designed to test students' knowledge of the geography of the area discussed in this chapter and to test their knowledge of its historical development.

Carefulreadingof the text will helpthemanswerthese questions.

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How did the New England economy reflect the culture of the dominant immigrant group in that region? Examine the sort of commerce this region carried on and with whom, and assess the impact this commercial activity had on the culture responsible for it.

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What commodities were exported from the Southern colonies and where were they sent? How did the geography of that region contribute to its economic development, and what impact did this have on its cultural evolution?

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Why didn't the New England town system develop in the South? In the Middle colonies? What geographic factors contributed to the success of the town in New England and worked against its success in other regions? How was the plantation system a response to geographic conditions in the Southern colonies? What impact did this have on the cultural development of the region?

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Why did slavery flourish in some parts of the Southern backcountry and not in others? What geographic conditions contributed to this?

NORTH AMERICA

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