Colonial and Revolutionary America Essay 5 to 6 pages

What ways did Indian and English agricultural differ? How did these differences affect the lands where the English settled?

· Indian

· Multicrop Fields- Fewer weeds, Less Erosion, Nutrient Rich

· Women did the work

· Seasonal Rotation

· English

· Single crop Fields- Plowed Rows, More Area

· Shared Labor between the genders

· Lack of Crop Rotation

· Fences/Livestock

· “Improve the Land”

· Thanks to Indian burning/crop rotation, lands settled by English nutrient rich and covered with berries.

In what ways did the extent and purposes of hunting wild animals differ in Indian and English Societies?

· Indian

· Hunted only what they could eat.

· Used spoils as gifts

· English

· Hunted what they could eat

· Then sold they rest

· Furs

How were Indian societies organized?

· Movable villages

· Men

· Hunt/Trap

· Leisure

· Fishing

· Women

· Agriculture

· Child rearing

In what ways were the economies of the Colonists shaped by their relationship with the mother country?

· Colonists viewed goods with the idea that they could sell them to the mother country. They were only allowed to trade with Britain for a long time. White pine, tobacco and beaver furs were all big export goods of the colonies.

What factors caused a shift from labor by indentured servants to enslaved Africans in Chesapeake agriculture?

· Rising wages in Britain

· Shorten contracts and Immigrants could now pay their own way to the new world

· Cost of transatlantic passage falls

· More voyages

· Larger, faster ships

· Slave trade expands, prices fall, becomes completive with Indentured servants

· Colonists wealthier, can afford slaves

What was the status of women under English law? In what ways was the status of women under the law of the colonies different from England?

· English Law

· Married women could appear in court accompanied by husband

· Single and widowed white woman could be sued, convey property and write wills

· Women could not vote, married women enjoyed limited property rights

· Widows entitled to 1/3 of husbands property at death.

· Husbands had right to manage wife’s property

Colonies

· Scarcity of people elevated women’s importance in society and law

· Surest way to wealth was widowhood- significant is society with high death rates

· Multiple marriages meant some of wealthiest people were Women

· New England- religious law, more equal treatment of men and women

How did women’s roles change in the economy from 1630-1790? How did this affect their legal and political rights?

· Prior to 1690

· Importance of household production meant women occupied prominent role in the economy and debtor-creditor relations

· After 1690

· Trade now between towns, cities, colonies and other Atlantic economies

· Use of paper debt to conduct transactions

· Means role of women greatly diminished

What was the great awakening? How did it affect churches and the relationship between ministers and the faithful?

· Great awakening

· Waves of revivals, rise in popularity of revivalism

· Focus on despair and enthusiasm of divine grace(“Sinners in the hand of an Angry God”)

· Effect of elites vs faithful

· New lights- Preached the immediacy of the Holy Spirit, suddenness of conversion

· Old Lights- decried bursts of enthusiasm as akin to madness

· Made people view the church as less important

Why did different slave labor systems develop in the Chesapeake and Lower South colonies and what did their difference mean for the lives of slaves?

· Chesapeake

· Indentured servants presents, mixing of races

· Originally Class > race.

· Then race becomes significant- After 1680

· Gang Labor- constant low level skilled labor (Low skill= slaves are less important).

· Masters are present

· Slave lives- Almost no free time, crimes punished by masters

· Lower South

· Very Little interaction between races.

· Skilled Labor

· Task system-Highly skilled labor, less hours of work

· Plantation style

· Masters absents

· Slaves have more freedom from masters

· Raise own crops, more ability to trade, Developed own culture, language, way of living

In what ways did slavery in the cities differ from rural slavery? How was it similar?

· Cities

· Mixed Race

· Greater mobility

· Skilled or semi-skilled, often literate

· Men- craftsmen, women- house servants

· Sometimes carried out own contacts

· Often clothed in current fashions

· Rural

· Black

· Stayed on plantations

· Low skill, not literate

· Farm work

· No time for extra work

· Rags

· Similar

· Slaves

· Lack of rights

· Lesser people

Iroquois League relations with other Indian groups? European settlers and Imperial authorities? How did they manage to become and remain the dominant Indian group in eastern North America?

How did the French and Indian War affect relations between Britain and its American colonies? Between Indians and European Americans?