History essay 2
irsatha_9
week2formingtheearlycoloniesaudio.pptxEarly Colonial Life 1600-1700
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Imagine that someone provides you with the opportunity to go to a new place. They will pay for your way to get there, but the trip will take 3-6 months with little to no fresh food or water. If you survive the trip over, you will be given some supplies, but once there, you will be responsible for your own survival against a landscape and climate you have never experienced before. You have the change of making a great deal of money, but you might also mysteriously disappear. You might be eaten by cannibalistic natives, or even your fellow settlers if they got hungry enough. Perhaps you’ll be lucky enough to simply die of disease. On the off chance that you survive all of this, the odds are you will never see or hear from any of your family and friends again. You will never see a paved road, brick house or any of the “staples of civilization”
The question is, would you go?
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Reasons to colonize
Those in search for commercial or social gain
Those looking for religious freedom
Those shipped against their will
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For the few who did choose to go, they can be separated into 3 major groups
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Commercial gain
Virginia
Jamestown 1607
Commercial venture for minerals
Ended up with tobacco and land
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Virginia was established for commercial gain (give slightly more history here)
Two joint-stock companies, or a business enterprise where investors pooled their money for funding and sustaining colonies geared towards commercial enterprise, were given a license from King James I to colonize Virginia. Their primary goals were to search for gold, silver, and copper. They settled the first permanent English Colony in 1607 with Jamestown.
Settling wasn’t an easy task. They chose a swamp, for its easy defenses, but swamps have things like mosquitoes, that carried malaria. They also arrived in May, too late for the planting season. Not like that would have mattered really, because the men on the boat weren’t farmers, but gentlemen and their man servants, who knew nothing about hard labor or actual farming. Half of the settlers died the first winter.
A bigger problem was that the colony was meant to be a basecamp for other commercial operations, largely mining. But without the necessities of food and shelter established, which they didn’t really focus on doing, they were in danger of all dying. Capt John Smith finally took charge, worked with Natives and got the colony to take care of basic needs first.
Obviously, they found nothing worth mining, but instead brought back a milder version of the plant NA smoked for religious ceremonies.
The other profitable thing that England found in Virginia was land, badly needed to solve England’s land and food crisis.
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A brief history of feudalism
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Importance of land
Cash crops
Raw materials
Solution for overcrowding/crime
Source of tax revenue
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Switching commercial aspirations from minerals to land, changed European colonialism for the next century. England began to see their colonies as mints, producing all the money they needed. A colony could produce raw materials, could be a new home for undesirables and alleviate overcrowding, could grow cash crops, like tobacco, cotton and sugar. And later, it could also be a source of tax revenue in the future through taxing importation and placing tariffs on other countries. Of course, viewing the colonies as little piggy banks proves to be a point of contention in 100 years.
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Social Gain
Ability to buy land
A stronger say in government/ ability to self govern
General Assembly 1619
House of Burgesses 1642
More social opportunities (less people, more jobs to fill)
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One of the advantages to traveling to the new world, was the chance to increase you social station. Virginia was able to offer this. To incentivize coming to the colonies, the companies used the freedom in their charters to give people political power and the right to own land. This was quite amazing when you think about it. Up until that point, one had to accumulate a considerable amount of wealth before they could purchase land away from a noble, and even then, you might need permission from the king to do so [king owned all of the land, and “gifted” it to his nobles]. Political power was also tied to personal wealth, so to have opportunities for both of that was quiet intriguing.
SO essentially Virginia, as being found by a company, was able to create a space away from the rules of the monarchy, but used traditional English law, like having representative government. IT created a space to have the best of both worlds, and for many years up until the 1700s, the colonists existed without substantial influence or pressing of the Crown.
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Religious Freedom
Protestant Reformation 1517-1648
Martin Luther 1517
John Calvin 1536
Massachusetts 1620
Rhode Island 1636
Connecticut 1673
Maryland 1632
Pennsylvania 1681
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The reformation changed the religious and social structure of Europe. Whereas before everyone listened to the Vatican, now there were very vocal actors who not only saw Protestantism as a viable religious path, but also a way to get out from under the papal rule.
But getting out from underneath the cultural power that Catholicism had was much more difficult, and many religious groups found themselves being pushed out of their country and seeking refuge in a new place. [lets just think about that for a second. The concept of religious freedom didn’t exist until now, or at least not for the last millennia. You were catholic, you showed up to mass, and that was it. Or in England, Church of England or faced a fine. But now you have people thinking about new ways of worship, and finding themselves persecuted.
Take for example the Huguenots, French protestants, who at one time were so hated that when the King of France attempted assassination of a Huguenot political leader resulted in the nationwide killing spree of 5,000-30,000 Huguenots in the 1572 St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.
Similarly, groups like the pilgrims, who were a sect of Puritans that believed the church needed to be separate from the state, were seen as politically dangerous and possibly even political enemies. Culturally, the English hated the Puritans, Calvinists, and pilgrims. They hated all the nice things in life and believed in austerity in life and religion. They judged those that didn’t. They didn’t make very nice neighbors. The pilgrims made their way to Leyden in the Netherlands, but the less wealthy and educated found it difficult to find employment and talked of going back to England. In order to save the congregation, the decision was made to move to what eventually became known as Massachusetts.
Landing in Massachusetts was an accident. They meant to land in Modern Day New York so they could be close to Virginia and have some support from established Jamestown. This turned out to be a good thing, as they were able to establish their own set of governing properties and society.
Rhode Island
Roger Williams a part of people who questioned Calvanism and predestination = whats the point of church? Anne Hutchinson preacher? Said the holy spirit spoke to her and told her that only 2 or 3 puritan minsters actually preached the appropriate covenant of grace, others were goddless hypocrites kicked out
Maryland
Catholics also took their turn in seeking out religious freedom from persecution. When the reformation took over, catholics were persecuted in England as they were against the church of England . Lord Baltimore established Maryland in 1632 with more akin to a feudalist society but with religious toleration.
Penn
Quakers or the Society of friends, who believed that the light of god was found from within. Philly became known as the Athens of America because of its rich cultural life. And a haven for intellectual and educational institutions.
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Shipped against their will
Indentured Servants: people who worked in exchange for expenses paid
Usually 5 years of service
40% died in service
Women often sexually abused
Some willing, some kidnapped
Slaves with legal rights
Actual Slaves -1619
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Among those looking for advancement commercially or socially were Indentured Servants, or people who had their travel, room and board paid for by a master in exchange for their labor.
Usually 5 year term, but often wasn’t the case. 40% frequently died in service because of disease, hard working conditions, or extended terms
Women often sexually harassed or abused. If they became pregnant, time added on to their service
Essentially slaves. Legally could be bought, sold with rights restricted (like forced to be illiterate) but had legal powers
For example, some of the few records we have of IS come from legal cases brought against their masters to sue for freedom when their contracts were extended for bogus reasons.
Actual slavery existed early in the colonies, the first boat came 1619 to Virginia to help with tobacco crops. We will talk about it later
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Daily Life
New England
Patriarchal
Women stayed at home
Kids subject to discipline
Chesapeake/ South
High death rate
Remarriage
Women had more power
Kids treasured
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New England had better standard of life than Chesapeake and South because of weather conditions and geography. NE tended to live longer and the two areas developed different cultures as a result, with traits that lasted for centuries
Patriarchal society men the only ones with contact to the outside world; responsible for all lives in house
Women had 10 + kids bc of 20 child bearing years, in charge of running the household, only social contact
Kids subjected to strong discipline sometimes when kidnapped by NA often chose to stay with their “new families” when recaptured because NA known to be indulgent. Puritans treated kids like adults early on. But kids were often educated because they were expected to be learned members of the church
Chesapeake had such a high death rate that almost 50% of those who immigrated died within a decade which meant little opportunity to for a family life and remarriage constant
Women were left their husbands wealth upon death and widows were on high demand due to female scarcity.
Kids were valued because they had a shorter life expectancy
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Built Environment
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NE more like what you would see in Europe with organized towns, paved roads, substantial homes. Chesapeake/south more spread out
Homes were dark and plain 1-2 room structures without refined things like furniture. If there was a chair, it was reserved for the HOH. Often couldn’t even afford chamber pots
Alden house 1680 Duxbury MA
Hypothetical 17th century home ches.
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City on a Hill
John Winthrop 1630
Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
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The main philosophy of Pilgrims was City on a Hill where they believed God had a purpose for their lives, which was to be God’s shining example to others as to how they should live their lives.
Being that beacon was stressful though. It called on Puritans to constantly monitor their own behavior and the behavior of their neighbors. Puritans were generally disliked by non Puritans (and probably some Puritans themselves too) They were judgmental and harsh by today’s standards. Everyone was compelled to go to Church if they wished to participate in the government.
JFK
Reagan
Obama
Romney
Cruz
Comey
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Salem
Witch trials 1692-1693 http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/maps/accusationMaps/index.html
Extreme religiousness,
Quick growth of colony
Lack of land
Social causes – Greed, power, “dangerous women”
Psychological, fear
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Salem
Witch trials were a mixture of extreme religiousness, quick growth of colony, lack of land
If your neighbors were constantly monitoring your behavior and tattling, its easy to see how feuds might begin.
Salem was a small town on the outskirts. Between 1672-1689 the town went through 4 preachers, remarkable considering that most areas only needed a new political and religious leader when the previous died.
In 1692 Samuel Parris, the current preacher, was dismissed. Around the same time, his daughters and niece Betty and Abigail and another girl, Ann Putnam (9, 11, 12) started to “utter foolish ridiculous speech.” the dr diagnosed the ravings as the work of the Evil Hand and declared them bewitched.
Town goes on the hunt and came upon Parris’s black slave and local fortune teller Tituba (who only came under suspicion after she offered to bake a witches cake trying to seek out the witch), a bedridden widow Sarah Osborne, and a poor, likely mentally ill woman, Sarah Good)
By April 1692 24 ppl charged with witchcraft and other towns wanted in on the hysteria
Nearby Andover, lacking their own bewitched preteens borrowed the girls to come and make accusations
By May the hunt spread to Maine and Boston and extended up the social ladder to the governor’s wife
By June the Gov formally charged 150 witches (without his wife) and 28 found guilty
Causes for the hunt
In addition to the top three, historians and sociologists believe that the hunt boils down to two major aspects social causes and psychological causes
Socially salem was growing and running out of land. Widows often had it. Also witchcraft accusations allowed you to express emotions forbidden in the church, like greed, distain etc
Psychologically, there was a fear of the unknowing. Witches had been used for centuries to explain mysterious deaths of family members or livestock and crops. Bad things were not a product of Gods will like they are today, but the direct work of the devil. Also superstitions were outlawed because they were pagan, but witches were mentioned in the bible and okay
Also a fear of unmonitored women. Note that the first women accused were a widow, an unmarried slave, and poor woman, all of which had a different role in society as they were free of direct supervision of a man. There was also a fear of women who had medical knowledge because even though women were in charge of doctoring, they had knowledge men didn’t re: things men couldn’t see, like plants or how to cure illnesses.
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