7*American Colonies: Road to Revolution, part 1

Discover why early American colonies struggled to unite, exploring mercantilism, salutary neglect, and the French and Indian War's impact.

Searching For Unity Similarities and Differences Between Colonists When the English first came to the 13 colonies they realized that the new world presented them with both new opportunities as well as dangers. With the English government and military over 3,000 miles away, these dangers pushed the colonists towards attempting unity. Unity, however, proved to be more difficult than expected.For one, colonists came to America for different reasons. Those who settled in Virginia did so with the goal of harvesting the vast natural resources of the area, including tobacco, cotton, fruits, and vegetables that grew year-round due to the warm climate. The Puritans in Massachusetts, on the other hand, came to establish the ideal society to freely practice their religion. Meanwhile, the colony of Georgia was established by Englishmen and women fleeing from jail time and debtors they owed money to.The English government supported all of these various reasons for settling in part because it was competing for land in the Americas with other nations like France and Spain. England had another reason for establishing colonies: it was also competing for wealth. Like most western European nations in the late 1600s, England followed an economic policy called mercantilism. Under this policy, nations attempted to gain wealth by controlling trade and establishing colonies. The colonies made money for England by supplying raw materials to its industries. England turned these raw materials into manufactured goods that could then be sold to other nations, including its own colonies. Thus, colonies in North America gave their raw materials to England only to have to buy back the final products manufactured by the mother country. Colonies were NOT allowed to trade with other countries.For more than a century, the British government had left the colonies alone to solve their own problems (this is called "salutary neglect"). Due to this unofficial British policy, the colonists avoided strict enforcement of parliamentary laws, especially trade laws, as long as British colonies remained loyal to the government and continued contributing to the economic growth of their parent country (England) in the 18th century.During this time of salutary neglect, Americans in each colony had learned to govern themselves by electing their own assemblies. Like the British Parliament, the assemblies had the power to pass laws and to create and collect taxes. Each assembly also decided how the colony's tax money should be spent. Americans had more freedom to run their own affairs than ordinary people in any country in Europe. Self-government also made the colonies attractive to settlers.By 1733, there were 13 British colonies along the Atlantic coastline. They can be grouped into three distinct regions: New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies. These regions had different climates and resources that attracted settlers and encouraged the development of different ways of life.Depending on where their colonies were, the English settlers established different economies. In New England Colonies, fishing, lumber, and crafts industries were prominent. In the Middle Colonies, farmers raised a variety of crops and livestock. Lumbering, shipbuilding, and other occupations added to the many opportunities there. Lastly, the Southern Colonies region featured rich soil and a hot and wet climate which were ideal for growing tobacco, rice, and other cash crops. Wealthy colonists in the Southern Colonies took advantage of these conditions by establishing large farms called plantations. Plantation owners relied on indentured servants and enslaved Africans to sow and harvest their fields.Differing reasons for coming to the new world, contrasting ideals, loyalty to the English crown, lifestyles, and economies all contributed to a distant connection between the colonists. Nonetheless, the diversity amongst colonists made it difficult for them to be united and to relate to each other when conflict arose. Matching After reading above, connect the colonial region with defining characteristics to show what you have learned. Virginia Natural resources like tobacco, cotton, fruits and vegetables New England Fishing and lumber Massachusetts Religious freedom for Puritans Carolinas Economy revolved around warm-weather crops Georgia Established for people fleeing from debt and jail mercantilism Controlling trade to gain wealth salutary neglect Lack of strict trade regulation and law enforcement in exchange for loyalty Self-government Colonial assemblies were elected; passed and controlled local laws and taxes Attempts at Colonial Unity Despite their differences, the English colonists did face some of the same dangers, including conflicts with neighboring American Indians. The need for defense produced two serious attempts at unity.In 1643 the New England Confederation was a short-lived military alliance between 4 colonies in an attempt to defend the English from American Indians and competing Dutch colonists. By 1684 the the Confederation disbanded due to a lack of cooperation.70 years later, the threat of French and American Indian aggression in the new world resulted in Benjamin Franklin proposing the Albany Plan of Union. The plan called for the English colonies to create a joint council of representatives that could raise taxes and a military to defend all of the colonies. Ultimately, this plan would fail as the British government rejected the plan.Within the next year the French and British, as well as their colonies would engage in one of the largest, longest and most expensive wars in world history: the Seven Years War, also known as the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Political Cartoon Analysis“Join, or Die,” by Benjamin Franklin, Pennsylvania Gazette (Philadelphia, PA), May 9, 1754. Courtesy, Library of Congress Respond to the question using the above image. 1. Observe: What do you see? List everything which might be relevant (another hint: when analyzing political cartoons, notice images, symbols, exaggeration, captions irony, metaphor).2. Analyze: What do you think each part means?3. How does the above political cartoon symbolize the colonists' failed attempts at unifying? (hint: Think about what you just read, which is the context of this political cartoon) WAR! French and Indian Style Watch the attached video summary of the French and Indian War and answer the questions below. What region did France occupy as they looked to expand into British territory? Florida West Coast Canada Ohio Which future American president saw his first real experience in combat during this war? Thomas Jefferson George Washington John Adams James Madison Which Native American tribe of tribes did the British create allies with during the war? Iroquois Confederacy Powhatan Tribe Cherokee Tribe What was the name of the treaty that ended the war? Treaty of Quebec Treaty of Ontario Treaty of London Treaty of Paris Following the war the British empire was in massive debt. The national debt as a result of the war DOUBLED. Given that a majority of the money was spent to protect the colonies how did the British propose to pay off the debt? Tax the American colonists Tax the English Borrow money Force the French to pay Mercantilism the Navigation Acts Click on this link to watch the video to review mercantilism and learn about the Navigation Acts. Afterward, answer the below questions. Based on the above video, which two aspects of the Navigation Acts do you think would be the most difficult for the colonists? Explain why. (Please include the term mercantilism correctly.)