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Sunday, November 28, 2010

COLONIAL LIFE

Introduction


As the British, French and Spanish colonies entered into the 18th century, one colony seemed to flourish over the other two. The British colonies experienced expansion in population, economic growth and independence from the British monarchy. On the contrary, the Spanish and French colonies remained stagnated or experienced a decline in both with close ties maintained to either Spanish or French monarchies. Diversity is what separated the three colonies. The British embraced it and the Spanish and French did not. Disease was still present in all three colonies but not to the devastating extent of the previous centuries. Advances were slowly being made to educate women although their primary role remained in the home. The 18th century provided the ground work for what North America was to become today. LG


Government in the 18th Century British Colonies


In the 18th century the royal government still reigned over the colonists after taking over from the Virginia Company in 1624. Each colony had their own governor. The governor was to act as a direct extension of the King. Polices that governed everyday life came directly from the British monarchy. Most of the governors were from England and still resided there and delegated to a representative in the British colonies. Assemblies in the form of representative government were established in the colonies due to opposition to the monarchy dictating the everyday affairs of the colonists. The legal rights of the colonists were not clearly defined so the colonists took advantage of this to pass their own laws. In 1720 the assemblies won the right to their own legislation but needed approval from the governor and the monarchy. With most of the governors still residing in England, the colonists did not feel that they were being represented adequately in government. The colonists started to fight back and after the revolutionary war a change in politics occurred.

The assemblies now looked to formalize their powers with the Articles of Confederation. These articles lacked a cardinal authority and each state acted independently. Women and slaves were not allowed to vote. Constitutions were developed by each state that were written contracts outlining basic rights that could not be challenged. The unity that was sought after in government was now starting to see a split. In September 1787 a united Constitution was finalized and the first president and vice president were to be elected by an electoral college. The Constitution passed on June 21st, 1788.

George Washington was elected February 1789 as the first president and re-elected again in 1793. John Adams was elected vice president. Throughout his presidency Washington had always encouraged a unified government but before the end of his second term parties began to form. The Federalist allied with Britain and the Democratic- Republic allied with France. John Adams was elected president in 1796 and Thomas Jefferson vice president. Tensions mounted between Federalists and the Republicans and the election of 1800 shifted towards Republicanism with Thomas Jefferson as president. LG


Government in the 18th Century French Colonies


King Louis XIV took direct control of New France in 1663 and modeled the government after France itself. New France remained this way until 1763. The political structure of New France included an Intendant, Governor Genera, Sovereign Council, chief Road Officer, Captain of the Militia and the Administration of Justice.

The Intendant was also the president of the Sovereign Council. Other duties included presiding over all matters of the justice department, claims between tenants and landlords, financial affairs and overseer of local government.

The Governor Generals only responsibility was the military. Treaties and alliances were established through him and in times of crisis he could also make independent decisions. The Governor General also shared with the Intendant the responsibilities of the police, religion and providing assistance as needed to the colonists. 

The Sovereign council was the court of appeal. In addition, this council was responsible to enforce any laws passed down by the monarchy in New France. The council consisted of the Governor, the Bishop, the Intendant and the councilors.

The Chief Road Officer was responsible for all road maintenance and creation. The Captain of the Militia was head of the militia whose main responsibility was to receive orders, inform the colonists and to set the plan into action. The Administration of Justice consisted of a royal judge, an assistant royal judge and the King's prosecutor.

The Secretary of State for the Maine had responsibility for the colonies and handled any issues arising in New France for the King and also settled petitions made by the colonists.

The Seven years War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris 1763. With this treaty came the transfer of power from France to Britain. The colonists were now subject to rule by the British monarchy. LG

 

Government in 18th Century New Spain



                                         


The Bourbon Dynasty in Spain in the 1700's brought on political and economical change.  Local and regional governments were now under direct Spanish rule. Regions of the colonies were divided into Viceroyalties. The Viceroy ran the colony in the interest of the monarchy. The responsibilities of the Viceroy included governing the citizens, serving punishments, authority over all royal officials, assembly of the courts/government. The power of the Viceroy could also extend to decision making on political, financial and military affairs in some cases.

The local government consisted of the governor, mayors, councilors, royal lieutenants, attorneys and the court clerk. The responsibilities of the local government were to prepare ordinances for the royal court of justice and the Viceroy to approve. The Bourbon Reforms opened the doors for American born Spaniards to become more actively involved in the local government and the justice system. The monarchy did not like the increase in American influence and started to exert more control over who occupied government positions. Intendants were added as regional supervisors responsible for the judicial system, war treasury and policing their regions. The Intendants reported to the Commandant General who in turn reported directly to the monarch. Decreasing American influence in government led up to an Independence movement.  LG

 
Colonial American Government and Politics

Colonial American Government and Politics Video — History.com LG


British Colonization in America



Sometimes it is difficult to remember for the first one hundred and seventy years of American History Americans were British. This means our early history was British history too. Much of our culture and our principles of governance were inherited from the British. What an interesting thought!

Even though not all colonists came from Great Britain, all were subject to the rule of the Crown. Even if they left Great Britain because they were unhappy with their lives, they still cherished their English heritage. Every colony was eventually named for something or someone English, with the exception of Connecticut and Massachusetts. Cites and towns were named after English counterparts. Many colleges and universities such as William and Mary and Kings College were reminders of home.

The American Revolution did not happen overnight. Trouble had been brewing since before Lexington and Concord. It is suggested the revolution began when the colonists left England in the beginning. It is probable the majority of American colonists felt a continuing sense of loyalty to the King. It is said George Washington wrote a friend that independence from Great Britain was the last hinge a colonial subject would wish for.

The colonists did not question the idea of being part of the British Empire until shortly before the American Revolution began. For the one hundred and fifty years of colonial history, American colonists saw themselves as subjects of the crown with the rights, privileges and responsibilities that British citizenship entailed. MH


In 1727 changes were occuring in England. Two were the deaths of England's monarch George 1 and the English astronomer and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton. Born this year were signers of the U. S. Constitution, William Ellery and William Samuel Johnson. Many other changes were happening as the world was changing. More Colonists were coming to America.

British Colonial society was composed of several social classes. It was a person's social class that determined their political and legal rights, what they wore, even where they sat in church. The wealthiest, best-educated, and most influencial class was the gentry. The gentry owned large farms or plantations. Other gentry class members were merchants, doctors, lawyers, or ministers. Most of the leadership positions in the community were held by the genty.

The middle class farmed small landholdings, ran small stores and businesses or worked at ordinary skilled crafts such as shoemaking or woodworking. Women of the middle class made their own cloth, candles, cheese, soap and other goods. Anything that was made in excess was sold to augument the family income. Men of the middle class could vote and a few held public office.

The lower class was comprised of men and,sometimes, women who worked as day laborers, apprentices, sailors, servants, and slaves. Very few had any property or could read, write or vote. This lower class was usually very mobile, moving from place to place in search for work. They had no rights, very little property because of their mobility and could not vote.

The colonial family size was usually nine people and was often comprised of stepchildren, grandparents, aunts and cousins. The children were expected to obey their parents and other authority figures. Unruly behavior was dealt with quickly and harshly. It is said that punishment was so harsh it could be construded as torture according to modern society.

Most homes were very modest. Furniture had been brought from England and things the colonists could not bring with them were made in the colonies if they could not make it themselves and were local versions of European goods.

It was important to keep up with the news of the colony which was exchanged by word of mouth on the "grape vine". Notices that were official were read at the church on Sunday and posted on the doors of public buildings. Often a "crier" was retained to share the information. The criers was hired to go through the town gathering groups to hear the latest news. Sometimes information came from out of town visitors who brought letters or could relate the information directly.

Education was parent sponsored. Most education was conducted in the home by a parent or other relative unless a family acquired a teacher to come and teach their children. Recompense for such to happen usually came from the provisions of the parents. Payments could and did include furs, vegetables gown on property, firewood or work in return for the education. Most of what children needed to learn was taught at home: farming, hunting, building and repariring things were necessary for a colonial boy. Colonial girls were taught gardening, sewing, spinning, cooking and care for the animals. In an apprentice system trades and professions were taught. MH



Spanish Women in Colonial America

When the Spanish came into the Americas they came as explorers with dreams and expectations of building homes, families and new lives in this new land.

Family life was based heavily around the role of the woman. Women maintained the family structure that allowed for many children and dominance over native populations. Religion was a central aspect of family life and provided a social point for values in the era of the Spanish Inquisition.

Families were large and, by forcing the natives into a role of servitude, the needs of the children and family unit as a whole were answered. Women provided the basic foundations, raising the children and maintaining the servants. Men were the source of financial security in Colonial Spain and agriculture was the prime occupation along with the exploitation of native lands and properties.

Spanish women had few choices in life. They could choose a life of marriage and family or go to the church to live a cloistered life. Often this decision was forced on them at a very young age. Prearranged marriages were common. The woman or young woman could choose to marry the person asked for her in marriage or she could run away to the church and avoid the pressure of marrying someone they did not want.

Outside of religious teachings the knowledge necessary to function in the home, basic skills were kept out of the range of women.

Because of the mix of European, natives and African slaves gave rise to the Latino and Hispanic populations of Central and South America. The strong Catholic influence of Spain played a strong role in the Latin American Culture. That culture remains strong even today. The large families with strong social bonds that represent Latino and Hispanic culture can always find their roots in Colonial Spain and the Catholic Church. MH



 French Women in Colonial America

As in entire early America a woman's role in society was very much more limited than that of a man's. Unlike her brothers who might go off to boarding school for their education, French girls generally learned at home at the feet of her mother or older woman of the household. It was there girls learned the basics of domesticity which included but was not limited to washing, sewing, cooking, cleaning, gardening and the many other tasks at hand that were attributed to managing a household which might also include slaves.

There were very few girls' schools established during this time that could afford the study of languages, mathematics, poetry, art and music and the many other refinement classes such as philosophy that served to round off a young woman's education. Funds were generally reserved for the education of her brothers to provide them with the opportunities for a prosperous life.

The primary purpose of any girl's formal instruction was to help her catch a husband. Marriage was considered the societal norm; there were very few other options for women besides finding work as governesses or teachers. Women who had been married were able to take over their husband's businesses and become shopkeepers and the possibility of attracting another husband.
A final alternative to marriage was to enter a convent.

Life for colonial women was precarious at best. It was difficult to be a woman in Colonial America. MH


 Family Colonial Life 


                                                    


Families of the 18th century were often extended , where grandparents lived with their children and grandchildren, making family large. There were an average of 5 or more children in a family unit.
There has never been one American family, each culture had their family and family customs.
Family was often the basis of political, religion, social and economic unit. They educated the young and later cared for their parents. Family was the first and basic unit of the government, each culture of families has their own ideas and customs.
Children were important assets to the family. They carried forward the family business, the family customs in the generation to come.
The children were often apprenticed to local tradesman in order to learn a trade for work. The upper class were taught at home by a tutor that prepared them for college. Boys often attended college and the girls attended finishing schools to prepare them to be proper women in society later in their life. The poor did not have schooling opportunities as they often worked at home on the family farm.
Children often married young or betrothed by arrangement of their parents. AW




Diseases in the colonial life

Most diseases during the colonial period were brought by the English, Spanish and other European settlers, causing epidemics here in the New World.  Lack of sanitation helped in transmitting these diseases; hand washing, and proper disposal of sewage were not practiced.  Some of the diseases that were common during this period in the Americas, New Spain and New France were smallpox, plague, yellow fever, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, influenza, measles, malaria, palatine fever, cholera and diphtheria, most of which were new to them, therefore, treatments were not available yet.  Most of the diseases were the same in all European colonies, English, French and Spanish.  Thousands of people were dying of these contagious diseases, with little or no medicine.  The indigenous people of the Americas who were not immune to these diseases, died in the millions, almost 95% of their population vanished. 

                                                                               

Plague, which was not a common disease in the English colonies, was very common in the Spanish colonies.  It killed thousands of Native Americans that came in contact with the Spaniards through wars.  Plague is caused by a bacteria called Yersinia pestis and is transmitted by fleas from infected rodents.  Symptoms are muscle soreness, fever, loss of appetite, swelling of the lymph node and two out of three died during 1520s.  Plague has three forms, pneumonic, bubonic and septicemic causing painful and quick death.
                                                                                                                                                                

                                                      Smallpox (Variola): Information for adults 
 Smallpox is caused by variola virus and is spread from person to person by contact with an infected person or by respiratory tract.  It was first brought by the Spaniards to South America in the 1500s, where many of their people died of it, but the Native Americans suffered the most.  The first epidemic lasted from 1520s-1590s.  Its symptoms are fever, chills, headache, nausea and severe muscle pain initially, after a few days rashes appear all over the body.  Vaccine for smallpox, initially was developed by Zabdiel Boylston in 1721 in Boston, and then worldwide by Edward Jenner in 1796.  Long term effects of smallpox on survivors were decreased fertility, blindness and the pox marks.

 

Yellow Fever caused by a arbovirus is responsible for more than a hundred thousand deaths in the Americas, with its first appearance in 1762 in many major cities such as Boston, Philadelphia (1793) and New York.  Malaria and yellow fever were brought through the slaves from Africa to Barbados and then to the Americas.  Its symptoms are fever, headache, backache and the yellowing of the skin; it is transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks from a person that is infected by the virus.  Vaccine was invented in the 1950s.  
Among many other diseases were the typhoid fever and cholera that spread through unsanitary living conditions, and contaminated food and water.  Malaria is caused by a parasite that was brought from Africa caused thousands of deaths in the Americas.  Quinine, which was made from the bark of the Cinchona tree in South America, was and is still used to treat malaria for over 350 years.

Colonial Doctors
The early colonial medical treatments were not advanced at all.  Majority of illnesses were treated at home with home remedies of herbs such as opiates for headache, quinine for malaria, and chalk for heartburn.  Doctors were not used because people could not afford them; other families believed that the sickness is a punishment from God and decided not to treat the patient.  Another reason people did not go to the doctor was that the doctors did not have sufficient knowledge, which increased the mortality rate.  Very few medical advances were made by colonial times; few medicines were invented usually from roots, tree bark, plants and herbs.  The most common practice was the bloodletting for almost any disease; they thought by bleeding patients, harmful toxins would leave the body.  There were around 3500 doctors in America before the American Revolution, most of them not qualified to be doctors.  No medical college existed in the colonies before the Revolution.  FW

Colonies education and professionals
In the early colonists time the employment opportunities were not the same. For the French, Spanish, and English there were no Television producer, car salesmen, rocket scientists or computer programmers, there were only coroner, bookkeepers, barbers, cabinetmakers, weaver, bakers In the early colonists time the employment opportunities were not the same. For the French,, brick-layers, accountants, and musicians. The first emigrants to America were skilled laborers, who could make things as hobbies. Also the education was parent sponsored; it was not tax payer like today. Most schools required parents to participate in providing the physical needs of the teacher by any means. Whatever children needed to learn was mainly taught at home; farming, hunting, building, and repairing things was the main concern for learning in schools for the colonies. In the English colonies a good number of women were taught basic reading and writing skills, regardless of social status. Naturally education was less common for lower-class girls, but it was not unheard of, past rudimentary reading and writing skills. The young girls in the colonies were taught how to garden, sew, spin, cook, and care for the animals. Trades and professions were taught on the apprentice system which was described as “one of the earliest forms of adult education” (Earle, 1935) In French colonial Louisiana more importance was placed on the education of girls than that of boys. Colonial leaders felt that it was going to be females that brought French civilization and sophistication to the colony and that it was more important for boys to be educated in their future trade than to receive formal education (Rubenstein, 1992, p. 197).
Adults and young people were taught a craft or a trade by working alongside an accomplished master for a required period of time. Based on French colonial the women were overseen by the Ursuline nuns, they taught all French colonial girls regardless of class all the reading, writing, and basic math skills. Regardless the religion it was required that all students were educated in the Catholic religion (Rubenstein 1992, p. 99) TO


 RELIGION
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            BRITISH COLONIES
                                                        

 Importance of religion in everyday life in the colonies experienced a decrease in the 18th century as compared to the 17th century. Less people were attending church. This was an era of great struggle between the Christian and secular worlds. Revivalists, in a move that was termed the Great Awakenings, traveled throughout the colonies in an effort to breathe life into Christianity. There were various denominations of Christianity but the majorities were Protestant. In New England Puritanism and Congregationalism were dominant. In the middle colonies and southern colonies, Baptist and Presbyterian
churches prevailed. Roman Catholics resided predominantly in Maryland. In the plantation south, Charleston, New York and Philadelphia the Anglican church dominated. With the Bill of Rights came the liberty of practicing different religions. Dissenting religions were allowed to worship in public but financial support was only given to the established churches. Deists were one of those dissenting faiths. The Deists looked to nature and science to reveal God's word. With the increase in liberties, women were still not allowed to preach the word of God. Black slaves were the largest number of non Christians. Many black slaves practiced different African religions. Efforts were made to convert the slaves to Christianity and there was some success. In the 1770's black ministers emerged and began preaching to their people. By 1790 independent black churches were established. LG


                                                                NEW SPAIN
Religion was thought to be the unifier of all the different aspects of New Spain. Catholicism more importantly was thought to be the only thing that could prevent native uprisings by converting them the Christianity. Religious diversity was lacking compared to the British colonies. Catholicism was the only religion in the Spanish colonies. Only people of the Catholic religion and Spanish descent were allowed to come to the new world. Missionaries were brought to in to convert the natives. By the 18th century Catholicism had evolved to include aspects of the native culture and African cultures. The conversion to Catholicism was believed to maintain social order. LG
      NEW FRANCE

                                         

New France like New Spain lacked the diversity of the British colonies in regards to religion. The only religion was Catholicism and only French Catholics were allowed in the colony. Conversion of the native people to Christianity was a common theme for all three colonies. Once seminaries were established to train new priests, dioceses and parishes were added in New France as the population expanded. The priests were responsible for the religious services including administering the sacraments and keeping up with the church records. Unlike the British colonists, religion was still an active part of daily life during the 18th century and the church and the state were united.  LG

In conclusion, the English, French and Spanish colonies that came to the Americas in the 17th and 18th century were all in pursuit of a better life, whether it was for freedom of religion, or in search of riches, they all were looking for a better life.  Although in the beginning they had to face many difficulties such as diseases, conflicts with the indigenous people, and lack of infrastructure, they flourished overtime.  New government system was put in place even though they were still under the monarchies; economy blossomed with the crops of tobacco rice and wheat, schools were established for the children and some colleges for the upper class families.  Religion was always very important to all the colonies, they practiced different religions in different parts of the country, sometimes freely other times they would be prosecuted just as they were back in Europe.  As time went on, education became more and more important, especially for women who had no legal rights at the time and were basically prepared to become good wives and mothers.  Diseases such as smallpox, malaria, yellow fever and cholera diminished the population in half at times.   Doctors did not have a formal education since there were no medical schools available before the American Revolution.   Freedom from the monarchial government of Europe was important to most of the colonists, after the revolutionary war, they were free to make their own laws and regulations.  Today the English colonies are the strongest and most in number.  FW
Citations: 
"Jefferson Writes Declaration of Independence."2010. The History Channel website. Nov 23 2010, 7:03 http://history.com/videos/jefferson-writes-declaration-of-independanceRoark, et al. The New Nation Takes Form 1789-1800, Building a Republic 1775-1789, The War for America. The American Promise 4th ed. 1 vols. Bedford/St Martin's Press. 17 November 2010 http://ebooks.bfwpub.com/tap4v1.phpHouse of Commons (Online Image) Available http://legacy.owensboro.kctcs.edu/mmaltby/his108/house%20of%20commons.jpg

"Administration." New France New Horizons. Library and Archives Canada. 17 November 2010http://www.champlain2004.org/html/administration.pdf

New France (Online Image) Available http://www.bonjourquebec.com/fileadmin/Image/decouvrez/lequebec/histoire_patrimoine/tq_001992_g.jpgGarcia, Melcholr Campos. "Politics and Government : Bourbon New Spain." Concise Encyclopedia of Mexico 2001:606-610. Academic Search Complete. EBSCOhost. University of Texas at Arlington lib. , Arlington, Tx. 17 November 2010 http://libproxy.uta.edu:2067/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=9&sid=7251cfb2-f8d5-4623-98ef-1337312af66d%40sessionmgr13

First King of the Bourbon Dynasty (Online Image) Available http://www.typicallyspanish.com/spain/uploads/2/felipe5.jpg
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Earle, Alice Morse (1935). Child Life in Colonial Days. New York: Macmillan Company.
Robenstien, Clark. (1992). French Colonial Policy and the Education of Women and Minorities: Louisiana in the Early Eighteenth Century. History of Education Quarterly Volume 32, Issue 2, 193-211
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http://ebooks.bfwpub.com/tap4v1.phpColonial Church (Online Image) Available http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?action=view&link=History/United_states/Colonial_America&image=AC5_068AW.jpg&img=54&tt=
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Citation: "1727 Colonial America" Default Page. Webb 28 Nov. 2010. http://www.acadweb.wwu.edu/osl/colonial_america.htm




Contributors
Position
Research material
Lesley-Anne Griffith
Leader, researcher
Colonial government & religion, Introduction
Farzana Wakil
Technical Expert, researcher
Colonial diseases, Conclusion
Mary Hinsey
Researcher
British Colonization, Colonial women
Angela Wilson
Researcher
Colonial families
Tenisha Oden
Researcher
Colonial education & professionals