Colonial+Era


 * Colonial Era: 1620-1754**
 * Molly Bent**

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 * Timeline:**
 * Presidents:** none


 * Vocabulary:**

__Mercantilism__: economic philosophy that held that colonies existed to serve the mother country; favorable balance of trade = exporting more than importing; economic activity should be regulated by the gov't; resulted in a lot of tension between the colonists and Britain

__Navigation Acts__: acts passed by parliament to regulate the colonies, told them what they could and could not sell and produce, all trade had to go through England first; angered colonists

__Salutary Neglect__: period of time 1650-1753 where the Crown ignored most colonial smuggling and granted a good deal of colonial control over their domestic affairs; wanted a good relationship with the colonies after the navigation acts; allowed colonies to develop their own culture, economics --> caused greater resistance when the British began to take control again

__John Locke__: Enlightenment philosopher; gov't existed to protect the citizens' life, liberty, and property; motivation behind the American Revolution and Declaration of Independence



__Bacon's Rebellion__: economically hard-pressed farmers angered by the fact Virginia's governor did not protect them from Indian attacks; they fought an unauthorized war against Indians in 1676; eventually turned on Jamestown - burned it to the ground; colonies turned towards slavery

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__Joint-Stock Company__: forerunner of the modern corporation, colony founded by private investors

__Indentured Servitude__: predominant system of labor until the 1670s; owed seven years labor as a slave in exchange for land, 90% of those who arrived in MD/VA 1630-1700 came as indentured servants

__House of Burgesses__: representative gov't in Virginia; first in America

__Headright System__: System used by the Virginia colony to attract colonists; promised land to immigrate to America; motivation to come to New World

__Puritanism__: conservative christian religion; sought to make the English church 'pure' ; founded MA Bay colony for religious reasons; motivation to come to New World

__Separatists__: Puritans who believed the Church of England was beyond saving and felt they must break away from it; Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, MA in 1620 on the Mayflower

__Quakers__: peace-loving, religiously tolerant people living in PA __Triangular Trade__: West Indian molasses to New England, rum to Africa, slaves to West Indies - colonial ships; promoted slavery and global trade




 * Primary Sources:**

__PS1: John Locke: Two Treaties of Government, 1690__ John Locke was a major English political philosopher of the Enlightenment. He applied Newton's Law of Nature to the human realm, arguing that nature puts all men in a perfect state of freedom and equality. All men are equal and are free to do as they wish, as long as it is within the laws of nature. No man has the right to tell another man what to do. He states that the only purpose of government is to protect the peoples' life, liberty, and property.If the government should fail to do this, it should be overthrown by the people. Locke's philosophy spread throughout Europe and, consequently, throughout the New World. It resulted in tension between the King and the settlers of the New World, ultimately supporting and motivating the American Revolution.

__PS2: Mayflower Compact__ The Mayflower Compact was the first written form of self-government in the New World. The Pilgrims voyage on the Mayflower was intended to stop off the Provincetown Harbor in Virginia; however, dangerous storms forced them to anchored at Plymouth Rock. Because the ship had not settled at the destination agreed upon by their charter company, many of its passengers declared themselves free from being governed. In order to prevent dissent and chaos, 41 passengers established a government that ordered all to live by the Mayflower Compact's rules for the sake of safety. This was the beginning of self-government in the New World.

__PS3: Ben Franklin: Poor Richard's Almanack (sic)__ Ben Franklin adopted the name “Poor Richard” for his yearly Almanack. Like most almanacs, Franklin’s contained the calendar, weather, poems, sayings, and astronomical and astrological information; however, it was most known for holding his aphorisms and proverbs. Almanacks were very popular in the Colonial Era, and “Poor Richard” was one of the most popular publications in colonial history. It sold over 10000 copies a year.

__PS4: Jonathan Edwards: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God__ Jonathan Edwards wrote this sermon during the First Great Awakening - a series of emotional religious revivals that occurred throughout the colonies. He emphasized the reality of hell and described its horrors in vivid detail. His goal was to open the colonists eyes to the eternal hell they will live in if they were choose to continue without faith. He also emphasizes that God has given humanity an opportunity to rectify their sins. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" helped build connections between the colonies. In general, the First Great Awakening helped develop an "American" Culture.

__PS5: John Winthrop: City on a Hill__ The //Arbella// was one of eleven ships that left in 1630 to carry over 1000 Puritans to Massachusetts. These Puritans wanted to "purify" the Church of England, which they believed was becoming too Catholic. They sought a new land and were determined to be an example for the rest of the world in rightful living. They wanted to be the model society and motivate others to follow their lead. Not long before arriving in Massachusetts, future governor John Winthrop gave his speech entitled "A Model of Christian Clarity". In this speech were his famous lines: "We shall be as a city upon a hill; the eyes of all people are upon us."


 * Essential Questions:**

__Q1: What motivations were there to come to the New World?__ People were economically, religiously, and personally motivated to come to the New World. Many settlers came to escape religious prosecution or to establish a community of like-minded believers. The Church of England was labeled Protestant because it was under the control of the English monarch, however, it's rituals were dominantly Catholic. Puritans, who wanted to "purify" the Church of England, were often arrested and jailed. In search of religious freedom, the Puritans founded Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Pilgrims (Plymouth Rock) and the Quakers (Pennsylvania) are also examples of religiously motivated settlers. In the early 1600s, England's population was growing rapidly while its economy was in a state of decline. The New World offered great economic opportunities - plantations, mercantilism, triangular trade - for both single men and the parent country itself. Men looking for work also traveled to the New World as indentured servants.

__Q2: What makes the New World different/unique from Europe?__
 * individualism
 * land of opportunity --> no aristocracy
 * more religious freedom --> separation of church and state
 * demographic diversity
 * individual land ownership, no feudalism

__Q3: Were the colonists British or American by 1750__

THESIS: Despite the fact that England's AMerican colonies were under the direct control of the king and forced to provide for the parent country, the colonists were more American than they were British by 1750 because of their new freedoms, budding American culture, and resistance towards British colonial rule.

BRITISH
 * Still under the direct control of the king --> king appointed royal governors, royal land grants
 * Forced to provide for the parent country --> navigation acts, mercantilism, triangular trade
 * Western culture, traditions, clothing, language
 * Little revolutionary sentiment

AMERICAN
 * Freedoms
 * representative self government (representative assemblies, town meeting, House of Burgesses
 * religious tolerance, separation of church and state
 * more people own land = can participate more in gov't
 * New England Confederation --> suggests colonists can take care of themselves
 * salutary neglect
 * "American" culture
 * religious diversity --> Quakers, Separatists, Puritans, Baptist, Methodist --> Great Awakening
 * demographic diversity -->Africans, Scotch-Irish, Holland, German
 * New England: emphasis on edu, high literacy rates, closer community
 * communications links colonies = common bonds
 * indentured servants, slaves --> mulatto
 * Enlightenment
 * individual land ownership
 * 130 years of colonial history
 * class structure based on wealth, not heritage
 * Other
 * Bacon's rebellion/ smuggling/ defy navigation acts
 * separated by the Atlantic Ocean

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinners_in_the_Hands_of_an_Angry_God http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Richard's_Almanack http://www.ushistory.org/us/3c.asp http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/colonial-era--34
 * Bibliography:**
 * http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/tpsocialsciences/world_history/dem_ideals/locke.htm**
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Compact**