Chapter 4: Life in the Colonies

Why was the Zenger case important?

The Zenger case helped establish a fundamental principle: the press has a right and responsibility to keep the public informed of the truth.

What was the role of colonial women?

Women were responsible for taking care of the household and raising the children. As a rule, colonial women made all the clothes for themselves and their families.

How might one become a member of the middle class?

You could acquire property.

What was education like for the gentry vs. the poor?

In the south, the gentry hired tutors and the poor received no education.

Why were slaves crammed to maximum capacity on the ships?

Increase in profit (less money to use less ships)

What is the difference in social equality between England and the colonies?

~ In Europe, wealth is based on birth. ~ American had much more social equality than Europe, but still had social classes

What were the education laws that the Puritans passed?

~ They required parents to teach their children and servants to read ~ Every town, if you had more than fifty families, had to start an elementary school ~ Towns w/ 100 or more families had to start a grammar school for older students These laws were the beginning of public schools in America

Who made up the gentry?

~ Wealthy planters ~ Merchants ~ Ministers ~ Royal Officials ~ Successful lawyers

What was the role of colonial men?

~ usually controlled a families income and property ~ represented their families in public life as voters and officeholders

What countries participated the slave trade?

~France ~Netherlands ~Spain ~Portugal ~England The colonies will enter the slave trade as well, mainly in New England

What does Magna Carta mean?

"great charter"

What are the Navigation Acts?

1.) Shipments from Europe to the English colonies had to go through England first 2.) Any imports to England from the colonies had to come in ships built and owned by British subjects 3.) The colonies could sell key products such as tobacco and sugar only to England

What were the first colleges?

1638 - Harvard opens as first college in the colonies 1693 - College of William and Mary - first college in the south

How did different states react to slavery?

1639 - Maryland passed a law stating that baptism of slaves did not lead to liberty 1663 - Virginia - any child born to a slave was also a slave 1652 - Rhode Island passes an anti-slavery law but it didn't last

Examples of an slave uprisings.

1663 - Gloucester, Virginia - first big slave uprising - eventually put down 1739 - an enslaved Angolan named Jemmy led a revolt in SC

What was the Great Awakening? When? How did it begin?

1730s - 1740s - The Great Awakening was a religious revival. It began as a reaction against what some Christians saw as a decline of religious zeal in the colonies.

Which groups of people were permitted to vote in colonial elections? Which were not?

50 - 75% of white males in the American Colonies could vote. Women, Native Americans, and Africans did not have the right to vote.

Were all indentured servants properous?

About 10% became prosperous landowners. Approximately 10% became artisans. The others returned to England or became a class of poor whites.

What do indentured servants receive after their term is finished?

After an IS served their term, they received a pair of clothes, tools, and 50 acres of land.

What were conditions like on the slave ships?

As many as 350 slvaes were bound together in tiny spaces without light or air. Conditions were so bad, 15-20% of Africans died or committed suicide during the Middle Passage. Very rarely, captains provided better conditions in hope that more slaves would survive.

How did jobs of *boys* and *girls* differ?

Boys were expected to work the fields with their fathers, while girls labored there mothers learning how to run a house. Boys who were learning trades began as apprentices.

Describe the education colonial schools and public schools.

C: ~ Colonial schools taught religion ~ Lessons in school included reading, writing, and arithmetic ~ Students had to memorize ABCS, roman numerals, and the Lord's Prayer P: ~ Colonial schools taught religion, public schools do not

What was life like for young children in the colonies?

Children started school and began to do household chores at age 7. Before then, they played many games, like hopscotch, marbles, leapfrog, and jump rope. The toys the colonial children played with were normally homemade.

What was the goal of Enlightenment thinkers?

European thinkers came to believe that all problems could be solved by human reason. Thinkers looked for Natural laws that governed politics, economics, and society.

True or False: Indentured Servants had many rights.

FALSE

Describe the triangular trade.

First leg: ~ ships from New England carried fish, lumber, and other goods to the Caribbean ~ they sent ships carrying sugar and molasses, which was used to make rum Second leg: ~ ships carried rum, guns, and other gods from New England to West Africa ~ merchants traded goods for slaves Final leg: ~ ships carried human cargo to the West Indies for sale ~ traders bought more molasses w/ profits from selling slaves

What were some of Ben Franklin accomplishments?

Founded a library, fire department, made discoveries about electricity, and bifocal glasses.

Who was Ben Franklin? What were some of his writings?

Franklin was a founding father, community leader, scientist, inventor, and diplomat. He started a newspaper at age 17, called the Pennsylvania Gazette. His most popular work was Poor Richard's Almanac - a collection of moral sayings.

How did education differ for girls and boys?

G: ~Some schools admitted girls and others taught them in the summer, when boys weren't there ~Girls might also attend dame schools B: ~Grammar schools were like modern high school - prepped boys for college ~Colleges opened to educate men for ministry

Why was Baron de Montesquieu important?

He suggested that government be divided into three separate branches: ~ Legislative branch to make laws ~ Executive branch to enforce laws ~ Judicial branch to make judgements based on the law *This is the basis of US government*

What was the Glorious Revolution? What was the result of it?

In 1688, King James II is removed from the throne. Parliament invites his daughter Mary, and her husband William, to rule England. As a result, in 1689, KIng William and Queen Mary sign the English Bill of Rights.

Why was John Locke important?

In 1690, Locke published Two Treatises On Government. He argued that people have certain natural rights that were unalienable. He also challenged the idea of divine right. *Because government exists to protect the rights of people, if a monarch violates those rights, the people have a right to overthrow the monarch. This idea would later shape the founding of the US.*

Why was a large family useful on a farm?

Most colonists lived n farms, where a large family was considered an advantage. Many hands were needed to operate a farm.

What is the main reason that slavery takes root in the colonies?

Slavery takes root because of the plantation system. Profits from tobacco and rice lead planters to import thousands of Africans to work in the fields. The southern economy depended on slavery.

How did racism affect slavery?

Slavery was restricted to only Africans. It was based on racism. Most colonists thought they were superior to Africans. They also believed that they were helping slaves by introducing them to Christianity.

How were slaves captured? Who captured them?

Slaves were captured by Africans that lived on the coast. They raided the interior and sold the captives to slave traders. The slaves were bound in chains at the legs and neck and forced to march 300 miles or more.

True or False: By participating in the Triangular Trade, the colonists often disobeyed the Navigation Acts.

TRUE

How was the power of English monarchs limited?

The Magna Carta was the first document to restrict an English ruler's power. It limited the monarch's rights to levy taxes w/o consulting nobles. Parliament is a two house legislature and/or governing body in England. No monarch could raise taxes w/o the consent of Parliament. This "power of the purse" gave Parliament a degree of control over the monarch. The English Bill of Rights restated many of the rights granted in the Magna Carta, but it also supported the "power of purse".

Who made up the middle class?

The majority of the colonists from Europe were called the "middle sorting" - they were neither rich or poor. ~ Small planters ~ Independent farmers ~ Artisans

What was the purpose of slave codes?

The purpose of slave codes was to restrict the rights and activities of slaves and protect the other colonists from rebellions.

What did the slave codes state?

The slave codes said: ~Slaves could not meet in large numbers ~Could not own weapons ~Could not leave the plantation w/o permission ~Become illegal to teach slaves how to read and write ~Masters who killed off slaves were not tried for murder

What was the Middle Passage?

The slaves were traded for guns and other goods Then they were loaded on the slave ship and transported on a brutal journey across the Atlantic known as the Middle Passage.

What were free African Americans rights?

They could own property and slaves. Many purchased family members and set them free.

What cultural influences did the Africans bring to America?

They kept their own customs/languages of West Africa and weaved their own grass baskets to sift rice.

What did boys in grammar school learn?

They learned Greek, Latin, arithmetic, geography, and English competition.

Why did colonists resent the Navigation Acts?

They thought they favored English merchants. Some colonists circumvented the Navigation Acts by smuggling - illegally importing and exporting goods.

What is Parliament?

Under the Magna Carta, nobles formed what was called the Great Council. This became English Parliament. Parliament is a two house legislature and/or governing body in England.

About how many slaves wound up in the colonies?

about 500,000 (most ended up in the Spanish colonies, Brazil, and/or the Caribbean)

What was the Enlightenment?

an intellectual movement

What were the two houses of Parliament? Who made up each?

~House of Lords -made up of nobles who inherited their rules ~House of Commons -elected officials (Only a few rich men and landowners had the right to vote for the House of Commons)

How did the Great Awakening affect American society?

~Led to the rise of many new churches ~Methodists and Baptists grew quickly ~This led to more religious tolerance

What was education like for African Americans?

~Most colonial schools were restricted to white children ~Quakers and Anglicans taught African Americans to read - this will be banned by slave codes in the south

What were the powers Parliament?

~Parliament's greatest power was the right to raise taxes ~No monarch could raise taxes w/o consent of the Parliament

What rights did the Magna Carta support?

~Protected the right to own private property ~Guaranteed the right the right to trial by jury

What is the Theory of Mercantilism? What supported the theory?

~Theory of Mercantilism - the colonies exist in order to serve the economic needs of their parent country ~1651 - Navigation Acts passed by Parliament to support mercantilism