Colonial Life.ppt

Colonial Life Creation of an “American Identity” in the Era of Benign Neglect I. Restoration Colonies A. Middle Colonies 1. Middle colonies NY, NJ, PENN, DEL, MD 2. Multicultural, tolerant Dutch influence B. Southern (Proprietary) Carolinas 1670srace ratio Georgia 1732 social experimentbuffer zone Oglethorpe II. Communities of Trade A. Lower South World contact1730s - rice indigo production Absentee landlords Caribbean influenceSea Islands B. Chesapeake Market agriculture tobacco imports C. New England Least dependent on Britain 2. Net exporter timber, fish to West Indies Slave trade D. Middle Colonies Breadbasket Cosmopolitan centersNY, Philadelphia “Best poor man’s country” III. Community Work A. Planter Society Early 1700s: white labor drying up Pressure to move west 2. Growth of slavery1700: 13%1776: 40% 3. American patriarchy paterfamilias 4. Few population centers 5. Lack of skilled (free) labor Labor Ideology B. Slave Culture Seasoning / isolation 2. Communitylanguages Gullah “Mus tek cyear a de root fa heal de tree.” - religion participatory equality before God 3. Culture as resistance Culture of resistance  Stono Rebellion, 1739 4. The Price of Slavery militant culture gender gap limited economic development limited democratization C. Northern/Middle colonies New opportunities economic status 2. Population explosion 1688: 225K 1775: 2.5M 500K (black) Why?- cheap land, tolerance, skilled labor Ethnic diversity Scots-Irish, Welsh, Germans, French Colonial experience, American identity Interdependence ties together colonies Social patterns erode European traditions Opportunities add to sense of entitlement The Enlightenment in America I. 1700s: Age of Reason “Enlightenment” The search for rational basis of