Chapter 4 18th century America

English Population growth

• The English colonies had a remarkable annual population growth of 3 percent between 1700 and 1770 Much of this was from families

• The population is fairly young under or at age 16• Voluntary new comers to the country moved to the

backcountry where living conditions were demanding and violent.

• The back country stretched 800 miles from western Pennsylvania to Georgia.

• They attempted to follow British customs.

Diverse new comers

• Scotts Irish: Arrived throughout the 18th century most who were looking to improve material lives than political freedom.

• German’s Second largest group the came for religious tolerance, which would shift to material gains. They mostly settled in the middle colonies mostly Pennsylvania. The Germans were lead by the Lutheran minister Henry Muhlenberg

• The English were suspicious of both groups. • Convicts where another large group of immigrants they were

normally shipped from Britain and were indentured servants. These convicts were brought her under the Transportation Act

Spanish Borders

• From the time the Spanish established settlements in North America until the early nineteenth century. They would struggle to hold onto their northern colonies as interest waned.

• Spanish outposts grew slowly mostly from fear of the French colonizing an encroaching in Spanish land.

• Spanish colonists would enslave Native Americans and their settlements, but they would be unable to sustain growth.

• The Spanish Colonies spread from Florida to California excluding Louisiana.

El Pope and the Pueblos

After the defeating the Aztecs by 1598 the Spanish had conquered the Pueblo culture.There were constant revolts but the Natives were not unified so their dissent was put down quickly.Po'pay or El Pope lead a revolt against a Spanish mission not far from Santa Fe This event successfully pushed the Spanish out of New Mexico. By the end of seven years war the Spanish would also give the for in St. Augustine to the British making it one the more major European settlements that would become a part of America.

The impact of European ideas on the New world

• A more urban cosmopolitan setting began to grow in the Atlantic colonies.

• Urban populations remained small in colonial America but they were starting to grow.

• Most of these major cities were trading posts.• Because of this people in these port cities

were able to get the latest in European ideas and styles.

American Enlightenment

• 18th century is usually known as the age of reason. Radical ideas swept through salons and universities.

• This intellectual revolution was known as the Enlightenment.

• Eventually the writings of Newton, Locke, Voltaire, and Hume would reach the colonies.

John Locke

• Widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers.

• He is known for developing the idea of the Social Contract

• The social contract is an intellectual device intended to explain the appropriate relationship between individuals and their governments.

• The Social contract arguments assert that individuals unite into political societies by a process of mutual consent, agreeing to abide by common rules and accept corresponding duties to protect themselves and one another from violence and other kinds of harm.

American enlightenment Continued

• Compared to Europe the American enlightenment was quite tame.

• The interest was the search for useful knowledge that can improve life.

• The result is an increase in scientific tinkerers.• There was also a push to be politically

involved as people kept in the loop by reading weekly journals.

Ben Franklin

• Franklin is one individual immersed in the culture of the city.

• He sees himself as a person of reason and science.

• Franklin would satirize Boston’s political leaders in his paper the New England Courant

• Franklin would move to Philadelphia and continue to tinker

Economic Transformation

• Despite the growth of the population living standards kept pace and actually improved.

• We see people buying goods on credit, which allows them to but cheap manufactured goods.(E.g. Dishes, and other household items)

• We see trade increasing in the west indies but, we see that the most important trade partners to the colonies is England

American Debt

• American debt increases quickly after 1690 as Americans import far more commodities.

• The imports help to “Anglicize” American Culture

• During this time we see increase in intercoastal trade between England and the middle colonies.(These items included rice and tobacco for meat and wheat produced in Britain)

The Great Awakening

• The Great Awakening had a profound impact on colonial America and caused colonists to rethink their basic assumptions about church and state institutions.

Awakening Continued

• The main complaint especially in New England was that religion had lost it’s vitality.

• The people felt that their hearts were not touched in church like they had in Winthrop’s generation.

Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield

• Both these preachers vividly depicted hell and captivated audiences.

• It was part of an effort to restore religious vitality.• Itinerant preachers used Edwards and Whitefield's

examples to bring the population closer together and give them awareness of the larger religious community.

• The result is we see important centers of higher learning form.

• There was also a shared optimism for the future of America or the colonies

Old V.s. New

As the Awakening crew in the colonies there was controversy between New Lights which were energetic emotional followers.

They were the rivals of Old lights, or ministers that opposed the awakening.

During this time Richard Allen formed the Episcopal Church.

There was also a push for greater education creating the colleges: Princeton, Rutgers, Brown, and Dartmouth.

Political Clashes: Royal Governors

The majority of colonies had Royal Governors. They were rather inept and existed to keep control of the colonies for the crown.Governors were in council with the board of trade.Essentially Royal governors took on the role of kings in the colonies.

Political Clashes: Royal Governors v.s. Colonial assemblies

• Colonial leaders attempted in many ways to recreate British-style institutions.

Colonial assemblies were often aggressive in asserting power as they fought to protect the rights of American colonists.

The French and Indian War

• The Seven Years war takes form in the Americas as the French and Indian War.

• During this period we see a military stalemate between Britain and France In Europe.

• William Pitt was in charge of the war and moved it to America.

• The war was fought Ohio, Michigan, Canada. It lead to A British Victory and British control of all French lands but Canada.

Perception of the war in the Americas

• Many colonists took pride in their actions during the war.

• Drew them closer to the mother country making them feel they were apart of the mother country.

• It moves your average colonist far from home to explore the vastness of America

• It lead to the training of many Americas well known officers.

Albany Plan

Was a concept created right after the French and Indian war by Benjamin Franklin.

It was the idea to have government system for all 13 colonies.

The plan was rejected by both the colonial assemblies and the board of trade.