The American Pageant Chapter 4 Topic Outline

American Life in the 17th Century: 1607-1692

1. Introduction (Setting the Stage)

a. As the 17th century progressed, the crude camps of early settlers grew into developed societies, and while natives adapted to sharing the land
with colonists, colonists adapted to the new, harsh way of life in the New World. Despite its economic ties with England, the American colonies
were developing their own economy in the Atlantic, and regional differences were beginning to surface.

2. The Unhealthy Chesapeake

a. During its early settlement, the Chesapeake region (Virginia and Maryland) was difficult to settle and survive in, as it hosted a great number of
diseases including typhoid and malaria, diseases which immigrants had not yet developed immunity to.

b. Most of the population consisted of immigrants from England, the majority of these people being young white males seeking to make a fortune
denied to them by primogeniture.

c. As men greatly outnumbered women, it was initially very hard to create many families or have children. When people did manage to wed and
create families, many of these did not last long, as disease and starvation pushed many colonists to death.

d. By the 18th century, hope had blossomed as the female population rose to close to that of the male one, and native born colonists developed
immunities to diseases. Eventually, Virginia became the most populous colony.

3. The Tobacco Economy

a. Despite living conditions, the Chesapeake became a prime producer of tobacco as a cash crop, sending millions of pounds to England each
year and reaping benefits.

i. As the hefty supply of tobacco began to outweigh its demand, thus lowering prices, Chesapeake farmers began to plant more and
more over larger plots of land.

b. As families could not reproduce quickly enough to naturally form a labor force and African slaves were too expensive, farmers in the
Chesapeake relied heavily on indentured servants.

i. Through the development of indentured servitude, the headright system was formed. In this practice, landowners who paid
indentured servants’ passage to the new world gained 50 acres of land for each man brought over. Thus, landowners were able to
exploit indentured servants to gain large plots of land.

ii. However, flaws in the headright system quickly emerged; indentured servants were only required to work for a set amount of time,
and were allowed to roam free after the completion of their service. Many men who were freed from servitude aimed to gain land of
their own, but due to the headright system’s granting of an abundance of land to masters, freed servants were unable to find land
and remained dependant on their masters even after their service was over.

iii. As indentured servants could easily leave their masters and seamlessly fit in with other members of society, indentured servitude
became an unreliable source of labor.

4. Frustrated Freemen and Bacon’s Rebellion

a. As time passed, more and more freemen were left without money or land, frustrated over their misfortune. Virginia governor William Berkeley
lamented over this multitude of poor, landless men, yet refused to offer help or compensation.

b. Tensions came to a breaking point in 1676 when Nathaniel Bacon organized a militia of freemen and attacked natives and tore apart
Jamestown, enraged over Berkeley’s refusal to act against brutal native attacks or even compensate the poor freemen.

c. Berkeley crushed this rebellion after Bacon’s death, but this event represented the first signs of the split between wealthy plantation owners
and landless former servants.

d. Following this event, landowners set their eyes on Africa, seeking a labor force which they could control more tightly.

5. Colonial Slavery

a. During early settlement, participating in the slave trade was very costly, and only wealthy plantation owners in the South and West Indies could
afford to import them. However, in 1698 the Royal African Colony, responsible for transporting slaves to America, lost its monopoly on the
slave trade, allowing colonists to obtain slaves at a far cheaper price.

i. This development combined with the unreliability and risk of owning indentured servants drove slave trade up to the point where
slaves comprised large portions of America’s population, unlike the small percentage of slaves within the population before.

ii. Slaves were transported to America via the middle passage, a treacherous route which saw the death of up to 20% of transported
slaves just on the journey to America.

b. After slaves were transported, “flesh merchants” auctioned them off in slave trade markets in the Middle and Southern colonies.

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 c. In order to prevent rebellion as it occurred with the indentured servants, colonists developed slave codes to control their slaves. These codes
stated that slaves and their children were the owner’s property, and they were not allowed to read or write. Such boundaries ensured that
slaves would not even be able to question their position.

6. Africans in America

a. As slave labor became more prevalent in the colonies, regional differences began to surface:

i. In the South, slaves were required to work exhausting hours in an unhealthy, swampy environment plagued by malaria-harboring
mosquitos. Slave codes were much more severe, and the rice and indigo harvested there were more difficult to tend to in the fields.

ii. Whereas, in the North, plantations were located closer to one another, allowing slaves to continue relationships with friends and
family. Tobacco was less physically demanding, and slave codes were not as severe as in the South.

b. Despite the overwhelming negatives of the American slave system, it allowed for the development of a new, unique identity:

i. American-born African slaves melded Western African culture with the settling American culture, leading to the development of the
Gullah language (a combination of English and various African languages), as well as new types of song and dance developed
while working in the fields. Many of these developments would contribute to our American identity today.

c. However, slaves were not fully restive under their masters. Rebellion occurred, and was often brutally put down and returned with the
tightening of slave codes:

i. The New York Slave Revolt resulted in the execution of many slaves, some being burned at the stake.

ii. The South Carolina Slave Revolt involved slaves attempting to travel to Florida after being told by their masters that the Spanish
would free them. However, the involved slaves were captured along the Stono River and simply sold back into slavery.

7. Southern Society

a. As slavery became more prevalent in the South, a clear social structure began to emerge:

i. Large landowners laid at the top, owning a great amount of slaves to tend their sprawling plantations. Despite their aristocratic
status, they did not indulge in too many luxuries and were great businessmen.

ii. Small-scale planters made up the largest portion of society, owning small plots of land of their own and for the most part relying on
the labor of indentured servants, as African slaves were costly.

iii. Landless whites were the lowest of free society, mostly freemen who were unable to find or afford land after being released from
servitude.

iv. Indentured servants were the lowest whites, but still had status greater than that of the African slaves, who were governed by slave
codes and were considered property.

b. Small cities spread, allowing for the rise of new careers, including those in law and finance.

c. However, because Southern colonies were mainly focused on agriculture, there were few roads (most of which were in disrepair), and most
transportation was done via waterway.

8. The New England Family

a. Due to colder weather in the North, diseases had more trouble spreading, leading to a better quality of life in the North than in the South or
even in the Old World.

b. Immigrants to New England primarily migrated in families, traveling to the area, for the most part, in pursuit of religious freedom.

i. Women wed early in this area, leading to the quick development of many families. One family could raise up to 10 children.

ii. The family stability in this era led to longevity and healthy living, as children were raised under a guiding hand by parents,
grandparents, and other family members.

c. Women’s rights also differed between the two areas: while Southern women had rights to their husbands’ lands due to the high mortality rates,
women in New England were not allowed separate ownership, as officials felt this would disturb the unity of holy marriage. However, widows
were able to inherit their late husbands’ estates.

i. Women were also not allowed to vote, and were viewed as weaker than men as communicated by the Bible. However, women could
gain status through midwifery (delivering babies), and were allowed to divorce their husbands if they were abandoned. New England
officials also worked to prevent abuse and prevent spouses from abusing one another.

9. Life in New England Towns

a. Unlike Southern towns, which were disorganized and centered around plantations, New England towns were well-planned and built on land
granted by royal charters. Puritan belief unified colonists and allowed for a common sense of purpose, leading to greater organization.

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 i. Puritan belief also led colonists to later protest slavery, with Massachusetts leading the fight.

b. Towns were centered around a meeting house, a place of worship, a town hall, and village greens designated for drilling. Each family was also
given a small plot of land which could be used for wood to fuel fires, crops to sustain the family, and livestock.

c. Towns which hosted more than 50 families were required to provide education, a requirement leading to the founding of Harvard in
Massachusetts.

d. Democracy was present within the Congregational Church and thus town meetings, where men could discuss political issues, work toward
representation, and elect town officials.

10. The Half-Way Covenant and the Salem Witch Trials

a. As New England’s population grew, Puritans were required to settle further and further from the coast, where religious belief was most
poignant. Thus, a dampening in the Puritan spirit occurred.

i. In reaction, the jeremiad (inspired by the biblical prophet Jeremiah) surfaced. This style of preaching was more passionate than
previously stoic Puritan sermons, and spoke of damnation if the Puritans continued to stray from their ways.

ii. Despite the preachings of the jeremiad, Puritan New England strayed further from its roots through the Halfway Covenant.

1. This agreement granted colonists a partial church membership if they had been baptised but not converted, and allowed
for the baptism of their children.

2. Devout Puritans were enraged with these changes, but as time passed, the church was opened to more and more
members. Such a change blurred the lines between the elect and other people, making predestination less relevant and
Christianity as a whole more accessible for all people.

iii. This time period saw the Salem Witch Trials, an event which involved young girls accusing various colonists of witchcraft and
causing the town of Salem to descend into hysteria. Colonists accused each other out of spite and envy, and this cycle was
perpetuated by devout Puritans attempting to preserve the Puritan faith by forcing confessions and dealing out numerous
executions.

1. These trials were also occurring at the time in Europe, and represented a widening of social stratification, with lower
classes generally accusing upper classes due to various hard feelings. They also represented Puritan paranoia of the
incursion of Yankee values, and the urge to keep Puritanism relevant in the colonies.

11. The New England Way of Life

a. New England’s history and development were largely influenced by its rocky terrain in a number of ways:

i. Agriculture of any kind was very difficult to conduct, leading colonists to look to other sources for commerce and teaching them
important lessons in frugality that would become characteristic to the New English identity.

1. The rough climate of New England also encouraged diversity within commerce and industry given that cash crops were
impossible to export, so lumbering, fishing, and shipbuilding became key economic activities.

ii. Harsh terrain and beliefs prevented people outside of England from settling in the New England colonies, consequently leading to a
low amount of ethnic and religious diversity in this area.

b. Inhabitants of New England also utilized the land, rather than simply letting it shape them:

i. Before European arrival, the natives beat trails down and burned forests in order to nourish the land and sustain the wild game
population. However, ownership was foreign to them; they thought to use the land rather than to own it.

ii. However, colonists resented the natives’ attitude towards the land, feeling that they were wasting it by not using all of its resources.
This same feeling led them to clear and improve land.

1. The motive to clear land was also fueled by livestock, who were constantly in need of more space.

iii. As inner land did not yield many rich resources, the New England colonists turned to the harbor for commercial success, making
fishing and shipbuilding prime components of the developing economy.

c. The combination of Puritan character and settlement in a harsh region developed the New English colonists as a people, leaving them hardy,
frugal, and morally upright. Such developments contributed to an overall American identity as New English colonists left the area and spread
across the nation over time.

12. The Early Settlers’ Days and Ways

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a. Early American life was very much shaped by the world around it: colonists worked from day to night, going by the seasons to manage their
crops. Women tended to domestic duties, while men tended the farm and gathered firewood. Children helped with smaller duties while earning
a crude education.

b. Living conditions were generally healthy, and in fact better than those in England or anywhere else in the world. This combined with the
affordability of land made the colonies a desirable place to live.

c. Although most immigrants came from the English middle class, early colonial societies were not stratified, and mainly focused on colonists’
need to work together to survive. However, some colonists strove to be the “better sort,” attempting to develop a stratified society similar to
that of England’s.

i. Given the colonies’ predominantly democratic ideology, such stratification was slow to surface.

ii. Resentment against the upper classes fueled rebellions such as Bacon’s Rebellion and the bloody Leisler’s Rebellion.

iii. The “meaner sort” (people of lower classes) were also resented and restricted from indulging in luxuries of the upper classes.

d. Despite such social tensions, the colonists eventually worked together to promote equality and representation for all colonists. However, these
developments, for the most part, only favored free white men, which would lead to later tensions and conflict.