WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES?

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WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES?
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Political Institutions

• England allowed the colonies to have a fair
  amount of self-rule
• Salutary Neglect

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The Virginia House of Burgesses - 1619

• 1st representative assembly in America
• Guaranteed colonists the same rights that they
  had in England
• Laws were made to ensure the survival of the
  colony (no dancing, no gambling, no playing
  cards, must plant certain types of crops)

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The Mayflower Compact - 1620

• The Pilgrims agreed to make decisions by the will
  of the majority
• Basic expression of government by the consent of
  the governed

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New England Town Meetings

• Example of direct democracy all citizens could
  participate in the decision-making process
• Citizens could elect the colonial governor, his
  assistants, and a representative assembly
• (citizen must be male, member of the Puritan
  Church, property owner)

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Fundamental Orders of Connecticut - 1639

• 1st written constitution in America
• Government consisted of representative
  legislature elected by popular vote and a
  governor chosen by the legislature

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Common Characteristics of Colonial
Government

• Parliament and the King ultimately ruled the
  colonies had veto power over colonial laws
• Colonial Charters outlined basic relationship
  that existed between colony the crown
• Royal Colonies
• Under direct authority rule of the kings
  govt.
• Proprietary Colonies
• Under authority of individuals granted ownership
  by king
• Corporate or Charter Colonies
• Operated by joint-stock companies

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Colonial Governors provided executive leadership
in the colony

• Royal Colony governor chosen by King
• Proprietary Colony chosen by Proprietor
• Corporate Colony chosen by the people

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Colonial Legislatures made laws for the day to
day operation of the colony

• 2 houses (except in Pennsylvania)
• Upper House appointed by governor
• Lower House elected by the people had power
  of the purse

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Economic Policies

• Mercantilismgoal of Bullionism
• Trade, colonies, accumulation of wealth were
  considered basis of countrys military and
  political strength
• Government should regulate trade and production
  in order to become self-sufficient
• Colonies existed to benefit the mother country
• Provided raw materials to mother country
• Served as market for manufactured goods from
  mother country

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Under Mercantilism

• Colonial manufacturing prohibited
• Mother Country must control currency
• Limit hard currency colonies would use soft
  currency
• Establish a favorable balance of trade for the
  Mother Country (value of exports gt value of
  imports)

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• New England
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• Rhode Island
• Connecticut
• Middle Colonies
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey
• Delaware
• Maryland
• Southern Colonies
• Virginia
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Georgia

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• REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY
• Influenced development of regional economies
• New England limited farming subsistence
  level, logging, shipbuilding, fishing, trading
• Middle agricultural breadbasket- corn
  wheat use of indentured servants trading
  centers NY Philadelphia
• Southern large plantations cash crops
  (tobacco, rice, indigo) slaves used due to labor
  shortage some small subsistence level farms in
  the back country

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Navigation Acts (1650 1673)

• Established rules for colonial trade
• Trade to from colonies carried only by English
  or colonial built ships, operated only by English
  or colonial crews
• All goods imported into the colonies must pass
  through ports in England
• Enumerated goods from colonies must be exported
  to England only (ex. tobacco)

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Triangular Trade A 3 part trade route
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RELIGION IN THE COLONIES

• Predominantly Protestant sects (Anglican and
  Congregationalists)
• Some Catholics in Maryland most tolerant
  Maryland Act of Toleration 1649 All
  Christians welcomed in colony
• Some Jewish settlers in NY and Boston
• Several colonies had established or official
  religions

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The Great Awakening (1730s 1740s)

• Religious revival that spread throughout the
  colonies
• First shared common experience as Americans

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Leaders in the Great Awakening

• Jonathan Edwards Sinners in the Hands of an
  Angry God
• Preached that God was angry with human sinfulness
• Must repent and be saved or else eternal
  damnation

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• George Whitefield
• Itinerant preacher who held revivals in barns,
  tents, fields
• Topics included hell damnation
• No need to depend on ministers to lead people
• Ordinary people of faith could understand the
  Bible for themselves

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Effects of Great Awakening

• Ministers lost some authority
• Schism between New Lights and Old Lights
• ? numbers of Baptists and Methodists
• ? religious diversity ? ? religious toleration
• Belief that if people could make their own
  religious decisions, maybe they could make their
  own political decisions

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• Creation of new colleges
• Princeton Presbyterian
• Columbia Anglican
• Brown Baptist
• Rutgers Dutch Reformed
• Dartmouth Congregationalist

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SummaryCOMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 13
ENGLISH COLONIES

• English culture language traditions
• Self-government with representative assemblies
• Religious toleration ? varying degrees of
  religious freedom (Massachusetts least
  tolerant Rhode Island and Pennsylvania most
  liberal)
• No hereditary aristocracy
• Social mobility opportunity to improve their
  standard of living and social status by hard work
  (Puritan work ethic)