Ch. 4 Colonial Government, Economy, and Society

Ch. 4 Colonial Government, Economy and Colonial Life

A Struggle for Power

• The 1700s in America involved more change for the Colonists and Great Britain.

• The colonists began to appreciate doing more things for themselves even though Great Britain wanted to control the colonies.

• At the same time, problems developed with the Native Americans and the French over land in the west.

• This chapter will talk about those struggles for power that led to the American Revolution.

Colonial Government

• In the Carolinas, the Commons House was the colony's representative in the assembly.

• New England colonies also had representative assemblies in the form of town meetings.

​Representative Government

Multiple Choice

Where did the colonists get the idea of representative government from?

• They came up with it on their own because of their need for self-government.

• They got the ideas from England that already had these forms of government in place.

Multiple Choice

Who was John Peter Zenger?

• He was the creator of the Frame of Government of Pennsylvania.

• He was the first proprietor of the colony of Maryland.

• He the owner of the New-York Weekly Journal newspaper.

• He was governor of New Netherland and founder of the New Amsterdam settlement.

John Peter Zenger was an indentured servant who became a printer in New York. He printed a paper calling out the colonial governor. He was sued for libel, arrested, and thrown in jail. The jury found him not guilty because his words were based on fact. This established freedom of the press in the colonies.

Zenger Trial

Salutary Neglect

• Distance meant that the British King had difficulty in governing colonial affairs.

• In the late 1600s, the British began a policy of salutary neglect.

• The British relaxed enforcement of colonial rules, especially trade laws.

• As a result, the colonies grew richer and more independent.

• Britain believed the colonists would trade with other countries, spend more money on British goods, and continue to provide Britain with raw materials.

• Britain thought they would benefit from the increasing wealth of the colonies.

• Instead, the policy created a feeling of INDEPENDENCE in the colonies where they could trade on their own and make their own political decisions,

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Expectations vs. Results

Poll

Do you think England should have had stricter laws on the colonists?

• Yes, because the colonists are their subjects.

• No, because the colonists had the right to self-govern.

Colonial Economy

• ​Colonists took pride in what they did which led to a love of freedom and a strong sense of responsibility.

• Colonists became aware of their own progress which was more advanced than some of the countries they came from.

• However, they knew in order to grow they needed to trade with other countries.

Independent Trade in the Colonies

• To achieve this goal, a country must export more than it imports.

• Mercantilism states that a country builds wealth and power by building its supplies of gold and silver.

Mercantilism

​So... a strong country must seek colonies that can supply raw materials to serve as a market for export goods.

Multiple Choice

What is an import?

• Goods sold to other countries

• Goods bought from other countries

• Goods stolen from other countries

Multiple Choice

What is an export?

• Goods sold to other countries

• Goods bought from other countries

• Goods stolen from other countries

• ​Merchants began making lots of money trading to France, Spain, and other countries.

• GB passed a series of acts forcing colonists to conduct trade only with Great Britain

• Colonists were mad because they lost lots of money

Navigation Acts

Open Ended

Why do you think the colonists were not happy with the Navigation Acts?

• Colonists were NOT happy about the Navigation Acts

• So, they began to smuggle goods by switching labels and bribing British port officials.

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Colonists' Response

Colonial Life

​The 13 colonies were divided into three regions. Each region developed a different culture and reason for settlement.

13 English Colonies

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements are true about reasons for settlement?

• New England colonies were settled for trade, Middle colonies for agriculture, and Southern colonies for religion

• New England colonies were settled for agriculture, Middle colonies were settled for religion, and Southern colonies were settled for trade.

• New England colonies for settled for religion, Middle colonies were settled for trade, and Southern colonies were settled for agriculture.

• ​New England settlements were organized around a common, a piece of land for public use. Farmhouses, a school, a meetinghouse, and shops were clustered nearby.

• Towns and cities developed quickly in New England.

Settlement Patterns in New England

Colonial Life

• As larger towns were built, colonists started sharing news and ideas with their neighbors.

• They held town meetings to pass laws, to set taxes to help their schools, and to select delegates.

• Libraries and newspapers were started

• Colonial writers, painters and musicians added to the cultural life of the people.

Multiple Choice

Large settlements also formed in what other region?

• Middle Colonies

• Southern Colonies

• In the Western territories

Open Ended

What are some things you think they had to do for themselves that we do not have to today?

• New Englanders set up schools to make sure everyone could read the bible.

• Places like Pennsylvania set up public schools for communities that have more than 50 homes.

• High level of literacy rates (85%)

• Middle Colonies had private schools.

• Widows or unmarried women ran the schools.

• Religious groups ran other schools.

• First colleges were to train ministers.

​Colonial Education

New England

​Colonial Education

Middle Colonies

Open Ended

Why do you think the South didn't have many schools?

• ​Believed the Bible was the only religious authority--not the king.

• Emphasized reading the Bible, prayer, hard work and proper behavior.

• Believed religion should play a role in the laws of the colony.

• Believed that all children should learn to read and write.

• Passed laws only church members could vote or hold public office.

Puritan Beliefs

American Beliefs

• Great Awakening--> personal faith rather than church rituals.

• Enlightenment--> knowledge, reason, and science can improve society.

• Freedom--> ideas of freedoms like freedom of the press become more widely accepted.

• Civic Virtue--> democratic ideals, practices, and values that for a truly free society.

Multiple Select

Which groups of colonists would NOT be allowed to vote in the colonies. CHECK ALL THAT APPLY!!!

• Slaves

• women

• white male landowners

• Native Americans

Multiple Choice

What were the acts called that prevented colonists from trading with anyone other than Great Britain?

• Embargo Acts

• Navigation Acts

• Maritime Acts

• Townshend Acts

Multiple Choice

What type of government allows for delegates to be elected to make decisions on behave of whole?

• Representative

• Democracy

• Republican

• Monarchy

Multiple Choice

Which region of colonies didn't have many schools?

• New England

• Middle

• Southern

Multiple Select

What are two reasons life was fragile in the colonies? CHECK ALL THAT APPLY.

• Slave revolts

• Women died during childbirth

• Native American attacks

• Epidemics of diseases

Multiple Select

What roles did woman have in the family during colonial times? CHECK ALL THAT APPLY.

• Care for the children

• formal heads of households

• represent the family in the community

• Work in the fields with husbands

Open Ended

List two reasons population increased in the colonies in the 1700s.

Open Ended

Give me three examples of how colonial government, economy, or beliefs may have lead to the American Revolution. Be specific and explain your answers.