Chapter4

AmericanLifeintheSeventeenthCentury

1607–1692

I.TheUnhealthyChesapeake

• LifeintheAmericanwilderness:– Lifewasnasty,brutish,andshort.–Malaria,dysentery,andtyphoidtooktheirtoll.– Newcomersdiedtenyearsearlier.– HalfofthepeopleborninearlyVirginiaandMarylanddiedbeforetheirtwentiethbirthday.

– Fewlivedtoseetheirfiftiethbirthday,sometimeseventheirfortieth,especiallyiftheywerewomen.

I.TheUnhealthyChesapeake(cont.)

• SettlementsoftheChesapeakegrewslowly,mostlybyimmigration:–Mostweresinglemenintheirlateteensandearlytwenties.

–Mostdiedsoonafterarrival.–Menoutnumberedwomen,usuallysixtoone.– Familieswerefewandfragile.–Mostmencouldnotfindmates.

I.TheUnhealthyChesapeake(cont.)

• Chesapeakesettlements(cont.):– Mostmarriagesweredestroyedbydeathofa

partnerwithinsevenyears.– Scarcelyanychildrenreachedadulthoodunder

thecareoftwoparents.– Manypregnanciesamongunmarriedyoung

girlsreflectedweakfamilyties.

• YettheChesapeakecoloniesstruggledon.• Endof17thc.,whitepopulationwasgrowing.

II.TheTobaccoEconomy

• Chesapeakehospitabletotobaccogrowing:– Itquicklyexhaustedthesoil.– Itcreatedaninsatiabledemandfornewland.– Commercialgrowersmovedfartheruptherivervalleys,provokingIndianattacks.

• By1630stheChesapeakeshipped1.5millionpoundsoftobacco,andby1700almost40millionpounds.

• Overproductiondepressedprices.

p63

II.TheTobaccoEconomy(cont.)

• Moretobaccorequiredmorelabor,butfromwhere?– Naturalpopulationincreasewastooslow.– Indiansoftendiedoncontactwithwhites.– Africanslaveswereexpensive.– Englandstillhada“surplus”ofdisplacedworkersandfarmersdesperateforemployment.

• VirginiaandMarylandusedtheheadrightsystemtoencourageimportationoflaborers.

II.TheTobaccoEconomy(cont.)

• Chesapeakeplantersrecruitedsome100,000indenturedservantstotheregionby1700.

• These“whiteslaves”representedmorethanthree-quartersofallEuropeanimmigrants.– Indenturedservantsledahardlifebutlookedforwardtobecomingfreeandacquiringland.

– Afterfreedom,theyoftenhadtoworkforformermastersatlowwagesbecausefewreceivedlandaspartof“freedomdues.”

III.FrustratedFreemenandBacon’sRebellion

• Impoverishedfreedmenwereincreasinglyfrustratedwithbrokenhopesandfailuretofindsinglewomentomarry.

• 1670:Virginiaassemblydisfranchisedmostlandlesswhites.

• GovernorBerkeleyfacedBacon’sRebellion(1676)ledbyNathanielBacon.

III.FrustratedFreemenandBacon’sRebellion(cont.)

• BecauseofBerkeley’sfriendlypoliciestowardIndians,herefusedtoretaliateagainstaseriesofbrutalIndianattacks.

• Baconandhisfrontierfollowerstookmattersintotheirownhands.

• AfterBacondiedfromdisease,Berkeleybrutallysuppressedtherebellion.

• Afterwards,planterssoughtalesstroublesomesourceoflaborfortobacco.

IV.ColonialSlavery

• Inlate17thcenturyslaveryexpanded:– 7millionbroughttoNewWorldover300years.– 400,000cametoNorthAmerica,mostafter1700.– 1619:FirstAfricanswerebroughttoJamestown.– 1670:Africans=7%ofsouthernpopulation.– Colonistscouldnotaffordhighpricesforslaves.– Whiteservantswerelesscostlyinitially,butlessso

bylate1600sandseemedmoredangerousafterBacon’sRebellion.

IV.ColonialSlavery(cont.)

• Mid-1680s:Moreblackslavesthanwhiteservantscameintoplantationcolonies.

• 1698:RoyalAfricanCompanylostmonopoly.• ThusAmericans,especiallyRhodeIslanders,enteredthelucrativeslavetrade.

• MostslavescamefromwestcoastofAfrica,present-daySenegaltoAngola(seeMap4.1).

• Mostcameviagruesomemiddlepassage.

p65

p65

p66

Map 4.1 p67

p67

p68

IV.ColonialSlavery(cont.)

• Intheearly1600s,thelegaldifferencebetweenAfricanslavesandwhiteservantswasunclear,butthatchangedasthenumberofAfricansgreatlyincreased.

• 1662:Virginiastatutesbegantodefinetheironconditionsofslaveryforblacks.

• “Slavecodes”markedblacksandtheirchildrenasproperty(“chattels”)forlife.

IV.ColonialSlavery(cont.)

• Somecoloniesmadeitacrimetoteachaslavetoreadorwrite.

• NotevenconversiontoChristianitycouldqualifyaslaveforfreedom.

• Asthe1600sended,racialdiscriminationclearlymoldedtheAmericanslavesystem.

• SlaverythenshapedracerelationsthroughouttheEnglishcolonies.

V.SouthernSociety

• Asslaveryspread,gapsintheSouth’ssocialstructurewidened:– Ahierarchyofwealthandstatusbecame

defined.– Atthetopwerepowerfulgreatplanterfamilies:

theFitzhughs,theLees,andtheWashingtons.– BytheRevolutionaryWar,70%oftheleadersof

theVirginialegislaturecamefromfamiliesestablishedinVirginiabefore1690(the“FFVs”).

V.SouthernSociety(cont.)

• Mostoftheplanterelitewerehard-working.• Farbeneaththeplanterswerethesmallfarmers,thelargestsocialgroup.

• Stilllowerwerethelandlesswhites.• Beneaththemwerethosewhitesservingouttheirindenture.

• Increasinglyblackslavesoccupiedthebottomrungofsouthernsociety.

V.SouthernSociety(cont.)

• FewcitiessproutedinthecolonialSouth.• Thusanurbanprofessionalclass(lawyersandfinanciers)wasslowtoemerge.

• Southernliferevolvedaroundtheisolatedgreatplantations.

• Waterwaysweretheprincipalmeansoftransport.

• Roadswereterrible.

p69

p70

VI.TheNewEnglandFamily

• ContrastsinNewEnglandlife:– NewEnglandsettlersof1600sadded10yearstotheirlifespan.

– FirstgenerationsofPuritansaveraged70years.– Theytendedtomigratenotassinglepersonsbutasfamilies,andthefamilyremainedthecenterofNewEnglandlife

– NewEngland’spopulationgrewfromnaturalreproduction.

VI.TheNewEnglandFamily(cont.)

• MarriedlifeinNewEngland:– Earlymarriageencouragedaboomingbirthrate.–Womengenerallymarriedintheirearlytwenties.– Theyproducedbabieseverytwoyears.– Dreadofdeathinbirthinghauntedwomen.– Amarriedwomancouldexperienceuptotenpregnanciesandraiseasmanyaseightchildren.

– Longevitycontributedtofamilystability.– NewEngland“invented”grandparents.

p71

p72

VI.TheNewEnglandFamily(cont.)

• OthercontrastsbetweensouthernandNewEnglandwaysoflife:– Thefragilityofsouthernfamiliesadvancedthe

economicsecurityofsouthernwomen.– Becausemenoftendiedyoung,southern

coloniesallowedmarriedwomentoretainseparatetitletopropertyandinherittheirhusband’sestates.

– NewEnglandwomen,however,gaveuppropertyrightswhentheymarried.

VI.TheNewEnglandFamily(cont.)

• Arudimentaryconceptofwomen’srightsasindividualswasbeginningtoappearinthe1600s.

• Womencouldnotvote,butauthoritiescouldintervenetorestrainabusivehusbands.

• Womenhadsomespheresofauthority(e.g.,midwifery).

VI.TheNewEnglandFamily(cont.)

• LawsofPuritanNewEnglandsoughttodefendtheintegrityofmarriages:– Divorcewasveryrare,andauthoritiescommonlyorderedseparatedcouplestoreunite.

– Outrightabandonmentwasamongthefewpermissiblegroundsfordivorce.

– Adulterywasanother.

VII.LifeintheNewEnglandTowns

• NewEnglandersevolvedatightlyknitsocietybasedonsmallvillagesandfarms.

• Puritanisminstilledunityandaconcernforthemoralhealthofthewholecommunity.

• Societygrewinanorderlyfashion,unlikeinthesoutherncolonies.

• Aftersecuringagrantoflandfromacoloniallegislature,proprietorslaidouttheirtowns.

VII.LifeintheNewEngland Towns(cont.)

• Alsomarkedoutwasavillagegreen,wherethemilitiacoulddrill.

• Eachfamilyreceivedseveralparcelsofland:– Awoodlotforfuel– Atractsuitableforgrowingcrops– Atractforpasturinganimals

• Townsofover50familieswererequiredtoprovideelementaryeducation[seeboxedquoteonpage72].

VII.LifeintheNewEngland Towns(cont.)

• 1636:Harvardwasfounded.• Puritansrantheirownchurches.• DemocracyintheCongregationalChurchledtothesameingovernment.

• Townmeetingsclassroomsfordemocracy:– Electedofficials– Appointedschoolmasters– Discussedmundanematterssuchasroadrepairs

VIII.TheHalf-WayCovenantandtheSalemWitchTrials

• Passageoftimedampenedthefirstgeneration’sreligiouszeal.

• Bythemid-1600s,anewformofdoom-sayingsermonappearedwithjeremiads.

• Declineinconversionswasalarming.• 1662:TheHalf-WayCovenantforCongregationalChurchmembershipwasestablished,offeringpartialmembership.

p73

VIII.TheHalf-WayCovenantandtheSalemWitchTrials(cont.)

• TheHalf-WayCovenantweakenedthedistinctionbetweenthe“elect”andothers.

• DoorsofPuritanchurcheseventuallyopenedtoallcomers,whetherconvertedornot.

• Strictreligiouspuritywassacrificedtothecauseofwiderreligiousparticipation.

• Womenbecamethemajorityofchurchgoers.

VIII.TheHalf-WayCovenantand theSalemWitchTrials(cont.)

• 1692:Salemwitchtrialsoccurred:– Agroupofgirlsclaimedtohavebeenbewitchedbycertainolderwomen.

– Ahysterical“witchhunt”ensued,leadingtolegallynchingof20individuals.

– 19werehanged;1pressedtodeath.– 2dogswerealsohanged.

• WitchcraftpersecutionswerecommonatthistimeinEurope.

p74

VIII.TheHalf-WayCovenantandtheSalemWitchTrials(cont.)

• ThereignofhorrorinSalemalsogrewfrom:– TurmoilofwarswithIndians– UnsettledsocialandreligiousconditionsofevolvingMassachusetts,whichreflectedawideningsocialstratification(marketeconomyvs.subsistencefarming)

– Traditionalists’fearofrisingcommercialism

• In1693thegovernorendedthetrials.

IX.TheNewEnglandWayofLife

• ThestoryofNewEnglandwaslargelywrittenbyrocks:– Puritansdidnotpossessthesoil;itpossessedthembyshapingtheirhard-workingcharacter.

– ThedifficultlandleftcolonialNewEnglandlessethnicallymixedthansoutherncolonies.

– TheharshclimatealsomoldedNewEngland.– Blackslaverywasonamodestscalebecausefewstaplecropsweregrownonsmallfamilyfarms.

IX.TheNewEnglandWayofLife(cont.)

• JustasthelandshapedNewEnglanders,sotheyshapedtheland:– NativeAmericanslefttheirimprintbutdidnothaveaconceptofindividuallandownership.

– Englishsettlersweredifferent;theyfeltavirtualdutyto“improve”theland.

– Dramaticchangesresultedfromintroductionofnewlivestockasclearedforestsledtoerosion.

– Repelledbyrocks,hardyNewEnglandersturnedtofinenaturalharbors.

IX.TheNewEnglandWayofLife(cont.)

• Calvinism,soil,andclimatemadeforenergy,purposefulness,sternness,stubbornness,self-reliance,andresourcefulness.

• NewEnglanderssawthemselvesasGod’schosenpeople.

• Theyhadanincalculableimpactontherestofthenationastheymovedwestward.

X.TheEarlySettlers’DaysandWays

• ThecyclesoftheseasonsandthesunsettheschedulesofallearliestAmericans:– Overwhelmingmajoritywerefarmers.– Dailytaskswereassignedbygenderandage.– Lifewashumblebutcomfortablecomparedto

Europebecauselandwascheap.

p75

X.TheEarlySettlers’Daysand Ways(cont.)

• MostwhitemigrantscamefromneithertherichestnorthepoorestclassesinEurope.

• Crudefrontierlifedidnotpermitaflagrantdisplayofclassdistinctions.

• SomeelitetriedtorecreateonamodifiedscalethesocialstructureoftheOldWorld.

X.TheEarlySettlers’Daysand Ways(cont.)

• 1689–1691:Leisler’sRebellioninNewYorkwascausedbyanimositybetweenlordlylandholdersandaspiringmerchants.

• EffortstoreproducethefinelystratifiedsocietiesofEuropeprovedfeebleinearlyAmerica,whereequalityanddemocracyfoundfertilesoil—atleastforwhitepeople.

p76