CHAPTER 2



Chapter 2

Transplantations and borderlands

Chapter Summary

During the seventeenth century two colonial systems existed in North America and in the Caribbean Islands. Island and Southwest borderland provinces governed by Spain continued to flourish and provide an interesting counterpoint to colonies established by the British. Before 1660, most British provinces began as private ventures (with charters from the king), but the motives that brought them into being were as varied as the sociopolitical systems they developed. After 1660, proprietary colonies became the norm, and charters indicated a closer tie between the “owners” of the colony and the king, who granted them. As a result of this colonization effort, by the 1680s England had an unbroken string of provinces stretching from Canada to the Savannah River and holdings in the West Indies. As the colonies matured, their inhabitants began to exhibit a concern for control of local affairs and an independence of interests that eventually came to trouble the British Empire. It was a time when colonists began to sense that they were both English and American, a dual personality that was to lead to trouble and confusion on both sides of the Atlantic. The problem was that at the time, the American colonists were developing attitudes and institutions distinctly, England, fully aware of the potential of its colonies, began to tighten its control of its possessions.

Objectives

A thorough study of Chapter 2 should enable the student to understand

1. The differences between the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies in terms of objectives, types of settlers, early problems, and reasons for success.

2. How the lives of colonists were shaped by contact with Native Americans and how the Indians’ world was also transformed.

3. The causes and significance of Bacon’s Rebellion.

4. The background of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and its founders, the Puritans.

5. The conditions in Puritan Massachusetts Bay that spawned such dissenters as Robert Williams and Anne Hutchinson.

6. The expansion of the original settlements and the influence of the New World frontier on the colonists.

7. The significance of the Caribbean colonies in the British-American colonial system.

8. The reasons for the founding of each of the original thirteen colonies and the West Indian provinces.

9. The early economic, religious, and political factors in the colonies that tended to produce sectional differences.

10. The effect of the Glorious Revolution on the development of the American colonies.

Main Themes

1. The origins and objectives of England’s first settlements in the New World.

2. How and why English colonies – mainland and Caribbean -- differed from one another in purpose and administration.

3. The problems that arose as colonies matured and expanded, and how colonists attempted to solve them.

4. The impact that events in England had on the development of colonies in British America.

Points for Discussion

1. How did the evolution of the Virginia colony between 1607 and 1625 reveal the impact of New World conditions on English aims and expectations? How did the Virginia colonists adapt to American circumstances, and what sort of society emerged as a result?

2. What do the causes of Bacon's Rebellion suggest about the sociopolitical system of Virginia in the 1670s? Why was Bacon considered a hero by some and a traitor by others? What impact did the outcome of the "rebellion" have on Virginia politics?

3. How did the goals of the colonists settling in Massachusetts Bay differ from those of the Virginia colonists? How and why did these goals change in the first fifty years of the colony? How did opponents of these changes respond?

4. How did England apply the principles of mercantilism to its North American and West Indian colonies, and how did the various colonial interests respond? What part did Spain’s American colonies play in English efforts?

5. By 1660, it was evident that England had become concerned about Massachusetts' lack of cooperation with the mother country’s policies. Why did England view Massachusetts as a "troublemaker" (if not an outright enemy), and why, in turn, did the people of the Massachusetts Bay Colony have the same opinion of England?

6. Having assessed the reasons behind England's attitude toward Massachusetts (and vice versa), explain England's policy toward the Bay colony and how the Puritans reacted to the various attempts to control them.

7. Between 1660 and 1700, the American colonies were shaken by a series of "revolts," of which Bacon's Rebellion was only one. Compare and contrast the protests that took place in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia, paying special attention to the internal divisions that helped spark the outbursts. What evidence do you find to suggest that what occurred was the result of tensions in colonial society?

8. What factors caused friction between English colonists and Native Americans? Could these problems have been avoided? Explain why or why not, incorporating examples and results of such friction in the various colonies.

The following is a list of key terms, concepts, and names from Brinkley. You should definitely be able to identify these things, explain their significance, and group them thematically by finding connections within the list. Do this for each chapter.

Starving Time Sir William Berkeley Nathanial Bacon John Winthrop

House of Burgesses Separatists Headright System City upon a hill

Plymouth Puritans Fundamental Orders Mayflower Compact

Indentured Servants William Bradford Anne Hutchinson Pequot War

King Philip’s War Jamestown John Smith John Rolfe

Pocahontas Powhatan Navigation Acts Dominion of New England

Mercantilism William Penn Quakers Roger Williams

Tobacco George Carteret and John Berkeley

Chapter 3

Society and Culture in Provincial America

Chapter Summary

After the turmoil of the late seventeenth century had subsided, it became evident that the English-American 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, new technologies appeared, 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 1700 and 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.

Objectives

A thorough study of Chapter 3 should enable the student to understand

1. The disagreement among historians concerning the origins of slavery.

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

3. Immigration patterns and their effect on colonial development.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Main Themes (Which are related to points raised in the Chapter Summary.)

1. How the colonial population grew and diversified.

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

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

Points for Discussion

1. 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 Origins of Slavery"). Use this exercise to explain the difference between "fact" and "interpretation."

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

3. 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?

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

5. What were the reasons for the revival movement known as the Great Awakening? What doctrines were preached by the ministers involved? How did colonists respond? What was the revival's impact on colonial life? 6. 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.

7. 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.

8.What role did religion play in the advance of education in America? In what way did religion also hinder education?

9. 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."

10. 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?

Key Terms

Covenant William and Mary Harvard The Great Awakening

Slave Codes Triangular Trade Stono Rebellion George Whitefield

Jonathan Edwards

Vocab: heinous, dissent, exemplary, denomination, decimate, enigmatic

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