Gene Kwan

10/8/2008
5th Period
Chapter 3 The British empire in America 1660-1750
-England wanted trade like that of the Dutch, dominating the Atlantic. They utilized
America as a resource and Africa for slave trading to attain this power. England
maintained a firm hand over the power of colonies, often controlling the colonial politics.
Resulting in white supremacy and black condemnation.

The Politics of Empire 1660-1713

-Indians and Puritan magistrates imposing order on unruly settlements fought against
England’s power in New England and the Chesapeake.

The Restoration colonies

--1660 Charles II ascended to the English throne giving away millions of acres of
American land. Carolina became a system of powerful nobility and mass of serfs after
establishing the Church of England.

The Carolinas
-Refused to work in large manors, preferring modest family farms
-Created a hierarchical social order like in Europe.
-Depended on trade with Natives for slaves and fur.
-Exported to West Indies.

William Penn and Pennsylvania

-Prosperous colony. Protestants and Quakers.
-Quakers aimed for simplicity and spirituality.
-Religious freedom, voting and office-holding.
-Ethnically diverse, open and democratic.

From Mercantilism to Dominion

-Navigation Act: America produces raw material, England makes the finished product for
export.
-Massachusetts brought under control when English acts are disobeyed, therefore
disobeying the church.

The Dominion of New England

-Rhode Island and Connecticut are imperial systems inspired by Louis XIV by Oliver
Cromwell.
-Absolutist rule imposed on colonies by King James.

The Glorious Revolution of 1688

-Revolt against James’ absolutism, he is exiled and replaced by Mary.
-Locke’s theories justified the coup; inalienable rights to life, liberty and pursuit of
property.
-Colonial internal self-governments
-English trade, and fear of monarchical power
 Gene Kwan
10/8/2008
5th Period
Imperial Wars and Native Peoples
-War between England vs. France and Spain involving Indians
-Britain’s success brings Newfoundland, Acadia, Hudson Bay, and new slaves.

The Imperial Slave Economy

-Trade was focused on planting staple crops which meant slave work.

The South Atlantic System

-Sugar becomes popular and high in demand
-To plant and process sugar slaves were needed which created a new slave catching
system in Africa
-The transport of slaves required vessels bringing in new jobs for Scottish women and
men
-African societies adopt slaving; noble births took lesser births and made them slaves.
Women remained in Africa thus throwing off the balance of the sexes.

Slavery in the Chesapeake and South Carolina

-Workforce lasted longer, work not as intense for tobacco planting
-20% slave population
-Sought reproduction to make slaves
-80% population in SC
-Rice becomes new phenomenon but planting it in putrid water creates disease

African American Community and Resistance

-A large diversity of slaves from differing parts of Africa prevented revolts
-Cannot understand each other’s language
-New culture created with newly developed Afro-English language (Gullah)
-Equality of sex population; slaves were members of families
-Slaves who rebelled were subject to cruel punishment (amputation, whipping, etc)
-The more blacks there are vs. whites, the more violent the whites are
-Black began rebelling in clever ways (bartering for free days, working more slowly)

The Southern Gentry

-Livelihood increased as people moved away during hot seasons avoiding disease
-Male supremacy
-Class: Planter Merchant Elite over larger yeoman over tenants over blacks.
-Smallholders invested in land and slaves, taxes went down for poorer whites
-Yeoman given “power” which was used so political figures could manipulate them to
choosing them into office
-Aristocracy establish a generation to generation control of plantations
-Women gained power by learning etiquette, marrying, and as soon as married gain
control over the family.

The Northern Maritime Economy

-Food was rather bought expensively than labored over
-Cycle; farmers shipped goods in exchange for slips that gave credit for slaves
 Gene Kwan
10/8/2008
5th Period
-Atlantic trade helped American colonial prosperity
-Rises in population
-New homes and jobs
-New opportunities presented to artisans, merchants, farmers, and workers.

91-98
Seaport Society
-Top; wealthy landowners and prosperous merchants owning mansions, 40 merchants
controlled 50% of the trade.
-The rest of society was built on self-help to make enough money for a dignified living.
(Like an American Dream) But most workers remained quite poor.
-The lower class consisted of laborers men and women. They we essential to the
economy since they unloaded products from ships and reloaded them with wheat, fish,
and rice for export. 10% were African slaves. Most worked hard to get by.
-For most people was living by daily wages, being sick a single day could mean starving,
basically homeless almost.

The New Politics of Empire 1713-1750

-British ministers would rule colonies with a gentle hand if they were prosperous,
allowing economic autonomy and a degree of self-government.

The Rise of Colonial Assemblies

-Political factions (Whigs) won a fight for a constitutional monarchy and limited
authority of the crown. Strengthened the house of Commons.(?)
-American representative assemblies; seized partial control of budget and offices.
Disobeyed king’s instructions
-Power was to the rich, while the poor still could vote. Power to the descendants of
Puritans
-The assemblies couldn’t not change the country in the way that the country
autonomously took care of it’s own integrity.

Salary Neglect
-British government relaxed their hold on colonial self-governments and focused on the
trade and defense in turn helping the colonies become less controlled.
-Walpole’s; put royal governors in office, people of no talent.
-Colonists supported the American liberty to prepare for political equality within the
British Empire.

Protecting the Mercantile System of Trade

-Walpole during the years of salutary neglect aimed to protect British commercial interest
in America from Spain.
-Georgia was created as a refuge for postwar poor; 500 acres of farms and no slaves
-subsidize?
 Gene Kwan
10/8/2008
5th Period
-Spain quickly had power spread throughout America and the English feared this (trade
and political reasons)
-Robert Jenkins was mutilated; Walpole used this as an excuse to launch war.
-The war ends in failure due to SC’s lack of militia support, many troops die.
-British expected raw goods to be sent from America, to enforce this, American were not
allowed to export textile (farming tools)
-The British still allowed sea trade in the Atlantic, the colonies still traded; 95% mainland
and West Indies, 75% London and Bristol
-American produce too much export of flour, fish, and meat. This opened trade with the
French islands.
-Gold and Silver and bills of exchange all sent to Britain to pay for manufactured goods,
draining domestic money supply. Solution; paper money for farmers land as collateral,
but Rhode Island issued too much money causing inflation
-British achieved economic success in America, but lost the politically centralized
colonial system.