Murrin-CH04 - Arbortown Properties

Chapter 4 Provincial America and the Struggle for a Continent

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Expansion versus Anglicization • 18th Century British colonies sought to emulate homeland: housing, fashion, import British goods • Colonies’ population grew rapidly and demand for skilled and unskilled laborers, clergy, professionals outgrew supply – Northern colonies train their population for these roles – Southern colonies rely on immigrants

• Constant expansion of British meant constant retreat for Indians

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Threats to Householder Autonomy Political • Some families acquired more prestige than others • Elected office dominated by Colonial “gentleman” • Population grows much faster than elected offices

Economic • Increase in entail inspires new settlement • Tenancy and other forms of debt emerge

Anglicizing the Role of Women • Women worked harder to maintain family status • Some trends of inheritance (widows) reversed • European double standards of sexual behavior prevailed

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Expansion, Immigration, and Regional Differentiation • Post-1715: era of peace for settlements • During expansion, settlers fit into their distinct regions • New Englanders had sense of regional identity before independence

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Emergence of the Old South • 90% of slaves imported go to South • Plantation owners dominate politics • Slave life – – – – –

Slave gangs, but diverse tasks in tobacco country Malaria and sickle cell anemia Task system in rice country Gullah Violence against slaves

• Indigo and Eliza Lucas Pinckney (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

The Mid-Atlantic Colonies: The “Best Poor Man’s Country” • Pennsylvania most attractive for immigrants – Scots-Irish (Ulsterites) – Germans (‘redemptioniers) – Philadelphia largest city in British North America by 1770s

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The Backcountry • Scots-Irish and Germans pushed west into interior of Virginia and Carolinas • Area develops its own distinct culture, not as Anglicized • Settlers of the backcountry considered clannish and violent

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New England: A Faltering Economy and Paper Money • 18th century growth rate lower – More emigration than immigration – Disease and war lower life expectancy – “wheat blast” and food importation

• New England 18th century economy – – – –

Shipbuilding Rum industry and Molasses Act (1733) “Fiat” paper money and depreciation Anglicized currency: Thomas Hutchinson and repudiation of paper money

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Anglicizing Provincial America • Diversity of exports, commonality of imports • Georgia: Enlightenment by-product • Great Awakening • Mixed and balanced colonial constitutions

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The World of Print • English Enlightenment works spread through printing • 17th century printing limited to Boston • John Peter Zenger and freedom of the press – New York Weekly Journal

• Benjamin Franklin – Pennsylvania Gazette – Junto (American Philosophical Society) – Public citizen work: fire company, library, hospital, and College of Philadelphia – Inventor and scientist (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

The Enlightenment in America • Man can improve his condition, God not vengeful • Low Church vs. High Church • Sir Isaac Newton, laws of motion • John Locke, philosopher • Enlightenment spirit dominates Harvard • Yale College (1701) founded as reaction against Enlightenment (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

Lawyers and Doctors • Rise in legal and medical professions helped spread Enlightenment • Benjamin Rush • William Shippen

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Georgia: the Failure of a Enlightenment Utopia Background • 1730s: convergence of ideas of humanitarianism and social improvement led to founding of Georgia • Georgia’s purposes – Make productive use of “worthy” poor – Buffer of armed free men between S. Carolina and Spanish Florida – Produce silk and wine

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Operation Slaves and Liquor banned Silk and wine production fail No elective assembly Outcome – Royal govt. imposed 1752 – Economic structure mimics South Carolina

The Great Awakening • mid-1730s to early 1740s: immense religious revival: Great Awakening • Swept across Protestant lands throughout Europe and the colonies • Methodists and Baptists surged ahead

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Origins of the Revivals • Theodorus Frelinghuysen • Gilbert Tennent – The Dangers of an Unconverted Ministry (1740)

• Jonathan Edwards – A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God (1737)

• John Wesley – Methodists (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

The Synod of Philadelphia, 1738 (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

Whitefield Launches the Transatlantic Revival • George Whitefield • Traveled and preached throughout Atlantic colonies • Anglicans – reserved towards him • Presbyterian, Congregationalists, Baptists – embraced him • Concept that all English Protestants were members of the same church (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

Disruptions • Hugh Bryan: “American Moses” • Gilbert Tennent • James Davenport – “Shepherd’s Tent”

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Long-Term Consequences of the Revivals • Evangelical churches “feminized” • Freemasons • Congregational Church and evangelical secession • “Letter days” and the breaking down of localism • Jonathan Edwards and A Treatise concerning Religious Affections (1746) (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

New Colleges • • • • • •

College of New Jersey (Princeton) College of Rhode Island (Brown) Queen’s College (Rutgers) Dartmouth College College of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) King’s College (Columbia)

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Denominational Realignment Pre-realignment dominant groups • New England Congregationalist • Delaware valley Quakers • South Anglican

Groups that gain • Methodists • Baptists • Presbyterians

Political Culture in the Colonies • Colonists felt they were free because they were British • Mixed constitutions that united monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy in perfect balance • 1720s: every colony (except Connecticut and Rhode Island) had an appointive governor, council and elective assembly – Governor = monarch – Council = aristocracy – Elected assembly = commons (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

The Rise of the Assembly and the Governor • In all 13 colonies, settlers elected their assembly • Three-fourths of free adult white men in colonies could vote (vs. one-third in England) • Assemblies gain power at expense of councils • Royally appointed governors: success dependent on winning over assembly • “Factions” (political parties) universally condemned in colonies (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

“Country” Constitutions: The Southern Colonies • The “politics of harmony” • VA governors Alexander Spotswood and William Gooch • “Faction” free politics and policy – Virginia Tobacco Inspection Act

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“Court” Constitutions: The Northern Colonies • Greater economic diversity, greater factionalism • William Shirley and Benning Wentworth: governance through reward and patronage • Common politics: liberty, property, and no popery • Robert Hunter • Quaker Party

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The Renewal of Imperial Conflict

• 1739-1763: new era of imperial war • English colonies, New France, New Spain and Indians all involved • North America split between Spain and Britain

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Challenges to French Power • Louisbourg fortress, Cape Breton Island • Company of the Indies and Louisiana • French hold on American interior weakened in both North and South • Indian “republics” and trade with the British • Natchez Indians • France lost influence and prestige in North America (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

The Danger of Slave Revolts and War with Spain

• Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose (Mose) – Francisco Menéndez – Yamasees

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Stono Rebellion (1739) War of Jenkins’s Ear New York conspiracy trials Britain defeats Spain – Oglethorpe’s defense of Georgia – Anson and the capture of the Manila galleon

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France versus Britain: King George’s War • • • •

France joins Spain against Britain 1744 Fort Louisbourg falls to British 1745 Boston Impressment riots 1746 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)

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The Impending Storm • War drove British frontiers back, but colonies had promised land grants to volunteers • Areas of frenzied expansion: Maine, New Hampshire and middle colonies – Colony vs. colony – Settlers vs. Native Americans – British vs. French

• Ohio Company of Virginia – George Washington

• Marquis Duquesne • French movement to block British settlement west of Alleghenies

The War for North America • 1755: British professional army conflicted with the householder society and voluntaristic colonists • Colonists and Britain learn to cooperate in order to achieve victory against France

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The Albany Congress and the Onset of War • War: New France vs. Virginia • Albany Congress – Keep Six Nations (Iroquois) neutral – Benjamin Franklin and the Albany Plan • President General and Grand Council • Raise soldiers, levy taxes, deal with Indians • Rejection

– Centralized relations with Indians

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Britain’s Years of Defeat • Edward Braddock • Fort Duquesne • Acadians – Cajuns

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A World War • Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil – Frontier war to scatter Britain’s superior resources

• Louis-Joseph, marquis de Montcalm – Traditional European siege warfare

• Fort William Massacre • Britain declares war on France, 1756 • Seven Years’ War (1756-1763): France, Austria, and Russia vs. Prussia (subsidized by Britain) • Spain neutral until 1762 (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

Imperial Tensions: From Loudoun to Pitt • Earl of Loudoun, British military commander in N. America 1755 – Coercion to force colonial cooperation

• William Pitt, Prime Minister 1757 – Consent to gain colonial cooperation – Replaces Loudoun with James Abercrombie

• By 1758, Britain finally had a military force capable of overwhelming New France • Cooperation between redcoats and provincials became routine and effective in warfare against French & Indians (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

The Years of British Victory • British navy prevents France from reinforcing Canada • Marquis de Montcalm (French N. America commander) decides on defensive strategy • Peace between Indians and British 1758 • Quebec 1759 – James Wolfe – Marquis de Montcalm – Plains of Abraham

• Montreal and the fall of Canada (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

The Cherokee War and Spanish Intervention • Cherokee attack 1760 – Drive South Carolina settlement back 100 miles – Peace treaty 1761, but backcountry settlers restless

• Spain entered war 1762 • British forces took Havana and Manila in the Philippines • France and Spain sued for peace (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

The Peace of Paris • Peace of Paris ended the war 1763 • Britain returned Martinique and Guadeloupe to France • France surrendered some West Indian islands and mainland North America east of Mississippi • Havana returned to Spain, Florida ceded to Britain • France gives New Orleans and lands W of Mississippi river to Spain • Indians angrily rejected peace settlement and France’s surrender of their lands to Great Britain (c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

Conclusion • 1713-1754: expansion and renewed immigration pushed settlements of North America into the interior • Colonies anglicized in many ways due to impacts of a growing population – Impacts on families, women – Enlightenment and Great Awakening

• Imperial rivalries: French and Indian war • Provincials and redcoats: different perceptions

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