America Hits Puberty

SassoUS I

Salutary NeglectO British/American colonies develop

largely separate and independentO No real sense of unityO Not much control coming from

London; all colonies develop some form of self-government

O This puts pressure on England to create some kind of uniform structure

Salutary NeglectO England needs to reorganize to guarantee the

success of the mercantile systemO Mercantile system is the foundation of the

English economy; mother country exploits the resources of its colonies

O The mother country (England) needs to prevent foreign nations from trading with its colonies

O This could be a big issue: American merchants had profited from trading with the Spanish, the Dutch, and the French

O England wants to discontinue this practice, and this plants the seed for British/American conflict

ReorganizationO England will attempt to regulate

trade in the 1650s with the Navigation Acts

O This series of laws will provide the legal basis for the mercantile system

O The Navigation Acts will be constantly adjusted and amended until the American Revolution, but here’s the gist:

O Colonies closed to all trade EXCEPT English/American ships

O Enumerated commodities (a list of the best crops) can only be sent to England

O All goods going from the colonies to Europe must pass through English ports (taxation)

O England will appoint America’s customs officials

ReorganizationO New laws are not received well by the coloniesO Most of the colonies have their own customs officials

already, and there’s no chance Americans will enforce these laws (which England kind of realizes)

O Smuggle like crazyO 1685- King James II- creates the Dominion of New EnglandO MA, CT, RI, NH, NY, and NJ have assemblies eliminated

and are organized under one governor (Sir Edmund Andros)

O Governor would supervise from BostonO When James abdicated the throne, Andros will be

removed, and the six colonies bring back their legislatures

O These actions establish a dangerous precedent

TrendsO America will grow rapidly

through immigration and nature

O Most of early society is un-aristocratic, but that will change when the British middle class begins emigrating

O Dominant number of immigrants are British laborers, arriving either independently or as indentured servants

Southern EconomyO South has some of the most

prosperous coloniesO Boom/Bust economy with 5

social classes: wealthy plantations, smaller plantations, subsistence farming, poor whites, slaves

O The plantation is the key to Southern living

O Not really developing commercial/industrial economy

O City life not developing; mostly self-contained communities

O There is a constant need for unskilled labor

Indentured ServantsO Men/women bound to a master for a fixed period of

service (avg. 4-5 years)O Work in exchange for passage to AmericaO Usually white and most come voluntarilyO After service: men are supposed to receive

land/clothing/tools; usually walk away empty-handedO Women hope to marry propertied menO About ¼ of the indentures are women (domestic service)O Will create some societal issues- indentures become a

large % of total populationO England will eventually start dumping criminalsO Some indentures will prosper financially, most find

nothing

African SlaveryO The demand for slaves will

exist almost immediatelyO Not easily available at first;

used more as a supplement to indentures

O Soon American/British demand will greatly expand the transatlantic slave trade; leads to the forced immigration of nearly 11,000,000 people

O Most arrive in the colonies via the Middle Passage, the 2nd leg of the triangular trade routes

Common Slave Ship

Northern EconomyO Dominated by agriculture, but a lot

more diverse than the SouthO Thriving commercial/merchant

sectorO Climate doesn’t really allow for the

same type of large-scale commercial farming that the South has

O Industrial ventures will be more common in the North, but England regulates much of it

O Some disadvantages for early industrial America: small labor supply, small market, poor transportation

O Larger presence of blacksmiths, silversmiths, and shipbuilders

O The resources are here for industrial development: lumber, coal, tradable commodities

GovernmentO There really isn’t anything that unifies the colonies in terms of

govt.O Colonies operate largely independent of the crown and

Parliament O Colonies regulate their own taxes and customs, although the

majority of the colonists view themselves as English subjectsO This will begin to change with the next wave of immigration:

French Huguenots (Protestants), Germans, Scot-IrishO The Colonies will always be very difficult for England to regulate:

too much land, too much ocean, too many ineffective officialsO Eventually the British govt. will have to become more hands onO The colonial fur trade is going to spark a major conflict between

the British, the colonists, the French, and the Native Americans