Notes on the Colonies Grow

1. New England Colonies (Pages 100–103)

A. Immigration was an important factor to the growth of the colonies. Between 1607 and

1775, almost a million people came to live in the colonies. The colonies also grew as

parents had larger families, more babies survived childhood diseases, and people

began living longer.

B. Most New Englanders lived in towns. Each town had a meetinghouse facing a green,

or common, where cows grazed and the army trained. The meetinghouse was used

for both town meetings and church services.

C. The soil in New England made farming difficult. Farming produced just enough to

meet the needs of families. This was called “subsistence farming.” The farms in New

England were also smaller than in the South.

D. Small businesses thrived. Skilled craftspeople, such as blacksmiths, furniture makers,

and printers, started businesses. Women often produced extra candles, garments, and

soup to sell or trade.

E. Shipbuilding and fishing were important industries. Trade with Northern and Southern

Colonies and with the West Indies centered in northern coastal cities. Trade with the

colonies and Europe also centered in northern coastal cities. For example, manufactured

goods from Europe were traded for fish, furs, and fruit from New England.

F. The triangular trade route developed. Ships brought sugar and molasses from the

West Indies to New England where the molasses was made into rum. From New

England, rum and other manufactured foods were shipped to West Africa. On the

second leg in Africa, these goods were traded for enslaved Africans. On the last leg,

the enslaved Africans were taken to the West Indies where they were sold to planters.

The profit was used to buy more molasses, and the triangular trade continued.

G. One of the worst parts of the triangular trade was called the Middle Passage. Enslaved

Africans endured inhumane treatment and conditions during the voyage across the

Atlantic.

II. The Middle Colonies (Pages 103–104)

A. Farms in these colonies were larger than in New England. As a result, they produced

greater quantities of cash crops.

B. The port cities of New York and Philadelphia became busy with the wheat and livestock

that was shipped from them.

C. Lumbering, mining, small-scale manufacturing, and home-based crafts were major

industries of the region.

D. Religious and cultural differences existed here. Immigrants from Germany, Holland,

Sweden, and other non-English countries provided a cultural diversity not found in

New England.

Discussion Question

What was the importance of cash crops? (Cash crops could easily be sold in both the colonies

and in Europe. They brought in revenue to the seller. The larger the land and the harvest from

that land, the more the revenue increased.)

III. The Southern Colonies (Pages 104–105)

A. The economies of the Southern Colonies were dependent upon tobacco in Maryland

and Virginia and on rice in South Carolina and Georgia. As a result, commerce or

industry was slow to develop in the South.

B. Growing tobacco and rice was dependent upon slave labor. Rice was even more profitable

than tobacco. London merchants, rather than the local merchants, managed this

southern trade.

C. Tobacco and rice were grown on plantations. A plantation, or large farm, was often on

a river so crops could be shipped easily by boat. Each plantation was a community consisting

of a main house, kitchens, slave cabins, barns, stables, and outbuildings, and

perhaps a chapel and a school. They were in the Tidewater region of the South.

D. Some people in the South settled in the backcountry region, toward the Appalachian

Mountains. Small farms grew corn and tobacco. The independent small farmers outnumbered

the large plantation owners. Yet the plantation owners controlled the

economic and political life of the region.

Discussion Question

Would you have wanted to be a backcountry farmer or a plantation owner? Give your

reasons. (Answers will vary, but should include discussion of the needs of running a small farm

versus a large plantation, the desire to have a life of wealth versus a more middle-class existence,

the desire to control versus being independent, and so on.)

IV. Slavery (Page 106)

A. Slavery was a main reason for the economic success of the South. It was criticized as

being inhumane. Some colonists did not believe in slavery, nor would they own

enslaved people.

B. Most of the enslaved Africans lived on plantations. Many suffered cruel treatment. All

of the Southern Colonies had slave labor and slave codes, or strict rules that governed

the enslaved Africans.

C. Although many enslaved Africans saw their families torn apart and suffered from

harsh treatment, they also developed their own culture as enslaved people. This was

based on their West African homelands.

D. Some were given the opportunity to learn trades and become skilled workers. If they

were lucky enough to buy their freedom, they developed communities with other free

African Americans.

E. The debate over slavery later ended in a war with the North against the South.

Discussion Question

Would you have enforced the slave codes as a white colonist living in the South during

this period in history? (Answers will vary, but many students would say no. Others might

have felt it was their duty as a colonist to enforce laws and keep things running smoothly.)

I. English Colonial Rule (Pages 108–109)

A. In the mid-1600s, the English monarchy saw Charles II and then James II rule. James II

tried to tighten royal control over the colonies, but in 1688 he was forced out by the

English Parliament. Mary, his daughter, and her husband, William, ruled. This power

of elected representatives over the monarch was known as the Glorious Revolution.

B. The English Bill of Rights, signed by William and Mary in 1689, guaranteed certain

basic rights to all citizens. This document inspired the creation of the American Bill of

Rights.

C. England passed a series of laws called the Navigation Acts. The colonies were an economic

resource that England wanted to maintain control of. These laws controlled the

flow of goods between England and the colonies. They kept the colonies from sending

certain products outside of England and forced the colonists to use English ships

when shipping.

D. Some colonists began smuggling, or illegally trading with other nations. They did not

want to trade only with England. This illegal trade was the beginning of the economic

conflict between England and the colonies.

Discussion Question

How did the economic theory of mercantilism govern England’s interest in controlling

colonial trade? (English manufacturers bought raw materials from the colonies and used them

to make finished goods. These finished goods were sold to the colonists and to other countries. As

a nation becomes more powerful, it has to export more goods than it imports. The more England

could control the colonies, the more money it could make from its trade with them. The colonists

had to trade only with England under the Navigation Acts. Trade with other countries was not

allowed. The colonists had to pay the English price for goods and use English ships to ship their

products. England profited from all angles.)

II. Colonial Government (Pages 110–111)

A. There were three types of colonies by the 1760s:

1. The Charter Colonies of Connecticut and Rhode Island. They were established by

a group of settlers who had been given a charter, or a grant of rights and privileges.

Colonists elected governors and members of both houses of the legislature.

Britain could approve the governor’s appointment, but the governor could not

veto acts of the legislature.

2. The Proprietary Colonies of Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Britain

granted land to proprietors to start these colonies. The proprietors could usually

rule as they wished. They appointed the governor and members of the upper

house, or the council. The colonists elected members of the lower house, or

assembly.

3. The Royal Colonies of Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey,

North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. They were ruled directly by Britain.

The King appointed a governor and council. The colonists elected the assembly.

The governor and council members usually acted as Britain told them. However,

conflicts arose, especially in the assembly, when officials tried to enforce tax laws

and trade restrictions.

B. Voting rights were granted only to white men who owned property. Women, indentured

servants, men without land, and African Americans could not vote.

Discussion Question

How did the colonists’ involvement in government prepare them for their eventual

struggle for independence from Britain? (Colonists elected officials and took an interest in

the laws that were passed. They were not afraid to complain when they did not like the enforcement

of certain laws. They learned about the ideals of democracy by practicing them.)

III. An Emerging Culture (Pages 112–113)

A. The return of strong religious values in the 1720s through the 1740s led to the Great

Awakening. Influential preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield

inspired colonists in New England and the Middle Colonies to reexamine their

lifestyles, their relationships with one another, and their faith.

B. The family was the foundation of colonial society. Men were the formal heads of the

households. They managed the farms and represented the family in community matters.

C. Women also participated in decision making and worked in the fields or on farms. In

the cities and towns, they worked outside the home for wealthy families, as teachers,

nurses, or as shopkeepers. However, they could not vote.

D. Education was valued in the colonies. Many communities established schools. By 1750

the literacy rate in New England was approximately 85 percent for men and 50

percent for women.

E. Many schools were run by widows or unmarried women who taught in their homes.

Some schools in the Middle Colonies were run by Quakers or by other religious

groups. In towns and cities, craftspeople opened night schools to train apprentices.

F. Harvard was the first college, established in 1636 by Puritans. The early colleges were

founded to train ministers.

G. The Enlightenment, a movement that began in Europe in the 1750s, influenced the

colonists. It spread the idea that knowledge, reason, and science could improve

society. Ideas spread though newspapers, lectures, and organizations.

H. The foundation for freedom of the press came when New York Weekly Journal publisher

John Peter Zenger was sued, accused of libel for printing articles criticizing the royal

governor of New York. Zenger argued free speech was a basic right of the people. The

jury based its decision on whether the articles were true, not offensive. Zenger was

found not guilty.

Discussion Question

Compare the family roles of men and women in colonial times to those of today.

(Answers will vary, but should include a discussion of who heads the household, the types of jobs

men and women hold, how they can be a part of community affairs, and what responsibilities

they have. Discussion should compare then and now.)

I. British-French Rivalry (Pages 116–118)

A. The French and British rivalry grew as both countries expanded into each other’s

territories.

B. In the 1740s, the British fur traders built a fort at Pickawillany in the Ohio River country.

In 1752, the French attacked this fort and drove the British out. The French built several

more forts along the Ohio River valley to protect what they claimed to be their furtrading

territory.

C. Also in 1740, French troops raided towns in Maine and New York. The British

captured the French fortress at Louisbourg, north of Nova Scotia, in retaliation. Later

they returned Louisbourg to France.

D. Many Native Americans helped France since the French and Native Americans had a

better relationship. The Native Americans often raided British settlements.

E. The Iroquois Confederacy was the most powerful Native American group in the East.

It consisted of five nations:

1. the Mohawks

2. the Seneca

3. the Cayuga

4. the Onondaga

5. the Oneida

They remained independent until the mid-1700s when the British gained certain trading

rights in the Ohio Valley.

Discussion Question

Why did the British and French rivalry grow? (The rivalry grew as a result of each country

wanting to control the territory that they claimed and each country infringing on the other’s

territory.)

II. American Colonists Take Action (Pages 118–119)

A. In 1753 the Virginia governor Robert Dinwiddie sent George Washington into the

Ohio Valley to push the French out. He was not successful against the French.

B. In the spring of 1754, Washington returned as a lieutenant with a militia of 150 men to

build a fort near present-day Pittsburgh. He found the French were already there

building Fort Duquesne. Washington established Fort Necessity nearby. The French

surrounded Washington’s soldiers and forced them to surrender but later let them go

back to Virginia.

C. Even though he was defeated, Washington’s fame spread throughout the colonies and

Europe because he stood up to the French.

D. Agroup of representatives met in Albany, New York, to discuss the possible war

threat and to defend themselves against the French. The representatives adopted the

Albany Plan of Union suggested by Benjamin Franklin. But none of the colonies

approved the plan because no colony wanted to give up any of its power.

E. The series of clashes that occurred was called the French and Indian War by the

colonists because they were fighting two wars—one with the French and the other

with the Native Americans who were allies of the French.

Discussion Question

Why did the Albany Plan of Union fail? (It laid out a plan that would unite the colonies, but

none of the colonies wanted one government to rule them. They were not ready to give up their

powers.)

I. The British Take Action (Pages 121–124)

A. Early in the war, the French appeared to be winning control of the American land.

1. They had built forts throughout the Great Lakes region and the Ohio River valley.

2. They had strong alliances with the Native Americans. This allowed them to control

land from the St. Lawrence River in Canada south to New Orleans.

3. The British colonists had little help from Britain in fighting the French.

B. In 1754 Great Britain sent General Edward Braddock to be commander in chief of

British forces in America and drive the French out. He was unsuccessful in the battle

at Fort Duquesne, suffered nearly 1,000 casualties, and was killed himself.

C. This defeat spurred Britain to declare war on France. The Seven Years’ War began in

1756. French, British, and Spanish forces clashed in North America, Europe, Cuba, the

West Indies, India, and the Philippines.

D. During the early years, the British were not successful. After William Pitt, prime minister

of Britain, came to power, things changed.

1. Britain paid for war supplies, which ultimately put them into debt.

2. Pitt sent British troops to conquer French Canada. In 1758 the British recaptured

the fort at Louisbourg.

3. New Englanders, led by British officers, captured Fort Frontenac.

4. British troops forced the French to abandon Fort Duquesne, which was renamed

Fort Pitt.

Discussion Question

Why did Pitt want to capture French Canada as well as gain a path to the western territories?

(He wanted Britain to control the lands in North America.)

II. The Fall of New France (Page 124)

A. The continued British victories led to the downfall of the French as a power in North

America. In 1759

1. the British captured several French islands in the West Indies

2. the British defeated the French in India

3. the British destroyed a French fleet in Canada

4. the British surprised and defeated the French army at the Battle of Quebec. Quebec

was the capital of New France and a place that was thought to be impossible to

attack.

B. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the war. In the treaty,

1. France kept some of its islands in the West Indies but gave Canada and most of its

lands east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain

2. Great Britain gained Florida from Spain

3. Spain received lands west of the Mississippi River (the Louisiana Territory) and

the port of New Orleans

C. North America was now divided between Britain and Spain with the Mississippi

River as the boundary.

Discussion Question

Why was the Battle of Quebec such a great victory for the British? (It was the capital of

New France and thought impossible to capture because of its location high on a cliff.)

III. Trouble on the Frontier (Page 125)

A. The British victory left the Native Americans without their ally and main trading partner.

The British raised prices of goods, did not pay the Native Americans for their

land, and began new settlements in western Pennsylvania.

B. Pontiac was a chief of an Ottawa village near Detroit. He put together an alliance of

Native American peoples in 1763. In the spring, they attacked the British fort at

Detroit, captured other British outposts in the Great Lakes region, and led a series of

raids called Pontiac’s War along the Pennsylvania and Virginia frontiers.

C. The war ended in August 1765 when Pontiac heard that the French signed the Treaty

of Paris.

D. To prevent more fighting and westward expansion, Britain established the Proclamation

of 1763. The king declared the Appalachian Mountains as the temporary boundary for

the colonies. This created more conflicts between Britain and the colonies, especially to

those people who owned or invested in land west of the mountains.

Discussion Question

What could Britain have done differently so as not to anger the colonists with the

Proclamation of 1763? (Answers will vary, but suggestions may include amending the proclamation

when they saw how angry some of the colonists were or working out contracts with the

speculators to appease them. The fact remained that Britain wanted to control its colonies and

was not looking to appease them because of the proclamation.)