Chapter+4+-+American+Life+in+the+17th+Century

**Key Terms and People: ** **Chesapeake**: location of the first Virginia colony with very low life expectancy. Half the population would die before they turned twenty. This was due to diseases including Malaria, dysentery and typhoid. The colony also had a very low number of women, with men outnumbering them 6 to 1. This led to poor family lives and stunned population growth. However by the 1700’s the colonist had built Immunities to the diseases, and became the most populated colony in America. **Tobacco Economy:** The environment was really good at growing tobacco, which the colonist planted as a cash crop. By 1630, they had an average of 1.5 million lbs of the crop a year to exports. This number would increase to 40 million by the end of the century. For laborers for this, the colonist used indentured servants to work on their plantations. These workers were the first slaves in America. Small Farmers- had a few slaves and small farms. Landless Whites- whites that owned no land. Blacks Slaves- slaves Authorities chartered towns, and every family would receive land. Any town that had more than 50 families would have an elementary school.  In 1636, Massachusetts formed Harvard College, in contrast to Virginia’s first college, William and Mary, in 1693. Puritans were in charge of church, and since democracy was in church, democracy was in government.
 * Indenture Servant:** An impoverished person in Great Britain could go to the colonies to work for a period of time. After that time, they would be free of all their debts. That was what an Indentured servant was, someone who worked to free their debts. It usually took seven years.
 * Freedom Dues**: The rewards an indentured servant got after they were free. Included free passage to America, barrels of corn, small parcel of land, and clothes.
 * Headright System**: A system passed to encourage the transport of indentured servants. Anyone who transported them to America would receive 50 acres of land.
 * Nathaniel Bacon**: A 29 year old planter in Virginia, who hated William Berkeley. He was a freeman, who was angry at the fact that not only that they did not make money, but the colonial government did not protect them from the Indians. He was strongly against the governments policies. He died of disease during his rebellion.
 * Bacon’s Rebellion**: Nathaniel Bacon, and followers (freemen), attacked the Indians on the western boundary of Virginia, not discriminating for or against good or bad Indians. Bacon’s men attacked all. After this Indian murder, they marched to the capital, (Jamestown) and started to burn the city. This made Berkeley flee, until Bacon died of disease. In retribution for this rebellion, Berkley hanged over 20 rebels.
 * William Berkley:** The colonial governor of Virginia. He often pushed for friendly policies for the Indian population, which angered the colonists. He had a monopoly on the fur trade between the Indians and the colonists, making a huge profit. He eventually showed his cruelty by hanging over 20 rebels, more than Charles II hanged for the murder of his father.
 * Slavery:** The first African slaves were in America by 1619, but were extremely few, with only 2000 by 1670. When indentured servants started to decline because of rising British wages, in order to provide labor, black slaves began to be exported more and more to the colonies.
 * Royal African Company:** Company that was chartered in 1672 had a monopoly on the slave trade, lost the monopoly, and then many people tried to cash in on slave trade. (Especially Rhode Island)
 * Slave Codes:** in the early 1660’s these codes against blacks made them and all of their children property to the white owners.
 * Gullah** –a language that blacks off the coast of South Carolina developed.
 * Slave Revolt of 1712**- happened in New York City 12 whites were killed and 21 blacks were executed from this.
 * Social Scale:** Great Planters- owned lots of slaves and large plantations.
 * Jeremiad**- New Puritan preaching that told of the end of the world.
 * Half way Covenant-** Allowed people to be baptized but not a “full communion”. Boost in membership from this brought more money in.
 * Salem Witch Hunt-** Girls claimed they were possessed, 20 women were hung in 1692. 1693 declared that all trials were over. 1713, all convictions were annulled.
 * Massachusetts in colonial times-** Massachusetts wanted to abolish slavery.
 * Leisler's Rebellion**- Started in New York City beteen 1689 through 1691. Was bloody and gruesome and caused by rich landowners and struggling merchants.

 **IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW**
 * In 1739 blacks from South Carolina attempted to free to Spanish Florida but were stopped by a local militia.
 * Due to the bad soil in New England it becaome much more diverse from the south. New Englanders excelled in cod fishing, ship building, and timber mining.
 * In the South when a wife’s husband would die, often times leaving her with young children to take care of, she would inherit the land and property in her own name. But in New England Puritan leaders thought this would make the marriage less strong, therefore the church would inherit the land.
 * By the end of the 18th century there were over 7.5 million slaves in the "New World."