American Colonies: American Colonies: Prelude to RevolutionsPrelude to Revolutions

HIST 140 Theme 7HIST 140 Theme 7

Summer 2011Summer 2011

By: Le Thi My HoBy: Le Thi My Ho

13 The “Glorious Revolutions”13 The “Glorious Revolutions” Hoping that Hoping that England’s King England’s King James James

would recognize Parliament’s power would recognize Parliament’s power and to accept a Protestant and to accept a Protestant successor, the Protestant sent the successor, the Protestant sent the Dutch Prince of OrangeDutch Prince of Orange, William, to , William, to EnglandEngland

1688 Dutch faced a renewed war 1688 Dutch faced a renewed war with powerful France under with powerful France under King King Louis XIVLouis XIV, so William boldly invaded , so William boldly invaded England as a preemptive strike to England as a preemptive strike to capture that realm for Dutch Alliancecapture that realm for Dutch Alliance

William’s Dutch regiments occupied William’s Dutch regiments occupied London, and Parliament transferred London, and Parliament transferred the throne to the throne to William William andand Mary Mary, as , as joint sovereignsjoint sovereigns

The revolution was fundamentally a The revolution was fundamentally a coup spearheaded by a foreign army coup spearheaded by a foreign army and navy of the united English and navy of the united English peoplepeople

13 Revolutions13 Revolutions

Dominion of New England colonies: Dominion of New England colonies: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, Hampshire, New York, andand East and West Jersey East and West Jersey

Dissolving the Dominion, Massachusetts, Dissolving the Dominion, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Plymouth revived Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Plymouth revived their separate governments under their old their separate governments under their old charters, restoring elected regimescharters, restoring elected regimes

Protestant Associators promised to “vindicate and Protestant Associators promised to “vindicate and assert the Sovereign Dominion and right of assert the Sovereign Dominion and right of King King William William and and Queen Mary Queen Mary to this Province; to defend to this Province; to defend the Protestant Religion among us and to the Protestant Religion among us and to protectprotect and and sheltershelter the Inhabitants from all manner of the Inhabitants from all manner of violence, oppression and destruction that is plotted violence, oppression and destruction that is plotted and designed against them”and designed against them”

14 The Atlantic News14 The Atlantic News The increased volume and The increased volume and

predictability of shipping improved the predictability of shipping improved the flow of transtlantic information, flow of transtlantic information, eroding the colonial sense of isolationeroding the colonial sense of isolation

1690 – 1690 – William Byrd of Virginia William Byrd of Virginia declared “We are here at the end of declared “We are here at the end of the World, and Europe may bee the World, and Europe may bee turned topsy turvy ere wee can hear a turned topsy turvy ere wee can hear a word of it”word of it”

Colonists felt informed about Colonists felt informed about European events at the same time European events at the same time that those events bore a greater that those events bore a greater importance to them as they became importance to them as they became embroiled in the imperial warsembroiled in the imperial wars

By 1739, British America had By 1739, British America had 13 13 newspapersnewspapers in in 7 seaports 7 seaports of of 7 7 coloniescolonies: Bridgetown (: Bridgetown (BarbadosBarbados), ), Kingston (Kingston (JamaicaJamaica), Charles Town (), Charles Town (SCSC), ), Williamsburg (Williamsburg (VAVA), Philadelphia (), Philadelphia (PAPA), ), New Yordk (New Yordk (NYNY), and Boston (), and Boston (MAMA))

14 The Atlantic Trade14 The Atlantic Trade The empire developed a The empire developed a multilateral trading multilateral trading

systemsystem that used that used bills of exchange bills of exchange drawn on drawn on London merchant firms to London merchant firms to balance regional balance regional credits credits andand debits debits

A long-term trend toward increased debt A long-term trend toward increased debt owed by the mainland colonists, as their owed by the mainland colonists, as their voracious demands as consumers exceeded voracious demands as consumers exceeded even their considerable means as producers even their considerable means as producers and formidable ingenuity as tradersand formidable ingenuity as traders

Navigation Acts Navigation Acts locked the Chesapeake and locked the Chesapeake and the West Indies into shipping their tobacco the West Indies into shipping their tobacco and sugar directly to Englandand sugar directly to England

The southern European trade and the The southern European trade and the growing importance of wheat exports shifted growing importance of wheat exports shifted prosperity within the colonies, as New prosperity within the colonies, as New England stagnated while the middle colonies England stagnated while the middle colonies boomedboomed

The growing economy endowed The growing economy endowed free free colonists with a higher standard of livingcolonists with a higher standard of living than their counterparts in Europethan their counterparts in Europe

The wealth of colonial regions varied directly The wealth of colonial regions varied directly and positively with the number of slavesand positively with the number of slaves

15 Awakenings 15 Awakenings EstablishmentsEstablishments Most colonies’ founders believed that Most colonies’ founders believed that

public morality, political harmony, and public morality, political harmony, and social order required social order required religious uniformityreligious uniformity

Establishments varied from colony to Establishments varied from colony to colony, so did religious dissentcolony, so did religious dissent

Thanks to compact settlement by towns Thanks to compact settlement by towns and laws mandating churches, few and laws mandating churches, few inhabitants lived more than 6 miles from inhabitants lived more than 6 miles from a a meetinghousemeetinghouse

As an established church dependent As an established church dependent upon upon taxationtaxation, the church needed to be , the church needed to be inclusive to justify town support and to inclusive to justify town support and to provide provide universal moral instruction universal moral instruction and and supervisionsupervision

Almost every denominational cluster of Almost every denominational cluster of settlers sought its own local church to settlers sought its own local church to preserve its preserve its distinct identitydistinct identity

17 The Great Plains of Texas17 The Great Plains of Texas The early 18The early 18thth Century – French traders ascended the Century – French traders ascended the Great Great

Plains riversPlains rivers to trade with the village peoples, offering to trade with the village peoples, offering gunsguns and and ammunition ammunition for for buffalo hides buffalo hides and and slavesslaves

Overmatched in a trade war for Indian favor, the Spanish Overmatched in a trade war for Indian favor, the Spanish instead tried to expand their traditional combination of instead tried to expand their traditional combination of Franciscan missions and Franciscan missions and military presidios military presidios eastward into eastward into the contested border zonethe contested border zone

1716 – the Spanish built new missions in the hill country of 1716 – the Spanish built new missions in the hill country of east Texas, where the east Texas, where the Caddo Caddo were settled horticulturalists, were settled horticulturalists, the people deemed most appropriate for conversionthe people deemed most appropriate for conversion

The The SpanishSpanish had compounded their exposed frontier by had compounded their exposed frontier by adding a 2adding a 2ndnd cluster of weak and unprofitable cluster of weak and unprofitable settlements in settlements in TexasTexas