Colonial Ways of Life (Southern, NE, and Middle Colonies)

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Colonial Ways of Life (Southern, NE, and Middle
Colonies)

• Ch. 3 sect. 12 notes

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1) From the earliest days of settlement, the
Southern Colonies developed an economy based on
agriculture. The first cash crop of the South was
tobacco.
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2) The agricultural economy of the South led to
the rise of plantations, which were large
commercial estates where many laborers lived on
the land and cultivated the crops for the
landowner.
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3) Tobacco was in high demand in Europe during
the early to mid 1600s. This ensured a high price
for all the Southern farmers who raised tobacco.
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4) The geography of the Chesapeake Bay region was
perfectly suited to tobacco farming. Numerous
inlets and navigable rivers connected to the bay.
Farmers who located their farms near the bay had
an easy shipping outlet.
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5) Many immigrants to the South hoped to become
wealthy. However, the nature of the plantation
system created a society with distinct social
classes. Only a few were able to become wealthy
landowners, who were often called the Southern
gentry.
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6) Most landowners in the colonial South were
small backcountry farmers. They were sometimes
referred to as yeomen to distinguish them from
the gentry.
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7) By the latter part of the 1600s the colonial
South was a sharply divided society, with a small
group of wealthy plantation owners at the top and
many poor backcountry farmers, tenant farmers,
and enslaved African Americans at the bottom.
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8) The governor of Virginia in 1660 was Sir
William Berkeley. He was a wealthy plantation
owner. Berkeley assembled a majority of
supporters in the House of Burgesses and then
exempted himself and his councilors from taxation.
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9) Governor Berkeley arranged for the House of
Burgesses to restrict voting to landowners. These
policies angered backcountry tenant farmers who
lost their right to vote.
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10) The backcountry farmers of Virginia wanted to
extend VAs land into the Piedmont, the region of
rolling hills b/w the coastal plains and
Appalachian Mtns. These lands were claimed by
Native Americans. The plantation owners opposed
extending lands into the Piedmont.
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11) A plantation owner named Nathaniel Bacon, who
owned a large tract of land on the frontier near
the Piedmont, took up the cause of VAs
backcountry farmers. He organized a militia and
attacked the Native Ams in order to take their
lands in the Piedmont.
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12) Bacon eventually went to Jamestown with
several hundred armed men and seized power,
charging Governor Berkeley with corruption. This
event became known as Bacons Rebellion, and
convinced VAs wealthy landowners to make land
available to backcountry farmers.
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13) The Royal African Company was granted a
charter by King Charles II to engage in the slave
trade. Slaves were obtained from Africa and
brought to America to work on the Souths large
plantations.
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14) The slave code was a set of laws that
regulated slavery and defined the relationship
between enslaved Africans and free people.
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15) The most important issue for the majority of
colonists in the 1600s was their ability to
acquire land. In the southern colonies this was
difficult due to the dominance of large
plantations.
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16) Backcountry farmers in the colonies grew only
enough crops to feed their families, which is
called subsistence farming. Backcountry farmers
made up a very large percentage of the population.
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17) People from England who were willing to sell
their labor for a certain number of years for a
chance to come to America and acquire land agreed
to become indentured servants.
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18) The Grand Banks are a shallow region in the
Atlantic Ocean with an environment favorable to
plankton. They are located off the coast of New
England and became the main source of New
Englands fishing industry.
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19) During the colonial era of American history
selectmen were men selected annually to manage a
towns affairs.
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20) A town meeting was where residents met to
discuss local problems and issues. They became an
important part of government during the colonial
era. Town meetings became most prevalent in the
New England colonies.
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21) The three way trade New England merchants
established with the Caribbean in order to
acquire British goods was an example of
triangular trade.
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22) Colonists who became wealthy by risking their
money buying land, equipment, and supplies and
then selling them to new immigrants for a profit
were entrepreneurs.