SHORT ANSWERS & ESSAY

Chapter 3 Review

The Triangular Trade & Slave Life

Africans were part of the transatlantic slave trade also known as the triangular trade. Merchants carried rum and other goods from New England to Africa where they would pick up enslaved people who would then be brought to the West Indies in exchange for sugar and molasses.

Failure to enslave natives and the decrease of indentured servants led to African slaves becoming a cheaper option.

Slaves were branded, beaten, and stuffed into the holds of ships. Starvation and disease, as well as suicide led to the deaths of several slaves in transit.

Most slaves worked in the field starting at the age of 12 and continuing on till unfit to work. Some were domestic servants and lived in the house of their masters. They were beaten, restricted by slave codes, and women were sexually abused.

Southern Development

Long, deep rivers that allowed for plantations to ship their goods without the need of docks and port cities, fertile soil and longer growing seasons led to a plantation based society in the South.

Farmers saw the economic benefits of growing one crop for greater profits. This became known as specialization and caused the South to develop differently then the North.

The North did not rely on cash crops since they had rocky soil. Northerners prospered from ship building and merchants became wealthy from trade. Northern distillers also produced rum. The North relied on ports to ship goods and cities were formed around these ports.

The Salem Witch Trials

Causes included: Immigrants and population growth led to social tensions.The new charter granted to Massachusetts after 1689 undercut Puritan dominance in the region.

Native American attacks kept the Puritans in constant fear and paranoia.

Religious fanaticism coupled with the constraints placed on women led to women using the church as a forum for public outcry.

The witch trials began with the testimony of two girls who fell into hysteria after their slave “cast a spell,” this resulted in the hanging of 19 and 1 man being crushed to death.The accused were generally outcasts or seen as acting strange. The trials ended once the Governors wife was accused.

The French & Indian War

The British were losing the war at first due to the guerilla warfare tactics utilized by the French and Natives. Their formal line style of fighting was useless against this type of warfare.

Following the war, the Native Americans took the biggest loss since they now had to deal with the English who refused to negotiate with them for land, and they had lost the protection of both the Spanish and French.

The colonist’s opinions of the British were drastically changed by the war. They no longer saw the British as invincible, and were angered by the Proclamation of 1763 and Sugar Act which followed the Treaty of Paris. They felt unfairly taxed and wanted to settle the land acquired through the war.

Essay: The Enlightenment & Great Awakening

The scientific discoveries of the Enlightenment challenged the previous notions established by the church. The sun-centered universe and value placed on logic and the scientific method made colonists think for themselves.Locke’s ideals of natural rights and the right of the people to overthrow an unjust leader were the foundations for the Declaration of Independence.

The Great Awakening also changed the view of predestination to one of individual salvation. Individuals were now responsible for their own afterlife.

Both of these movements subverted the traditional ideals of authority: Church & King