Transcript Living with Diversity - Rosholt Elementary School

A.P. United States History
Mr. Krueger
• Throughout history, Americans have shut out any minority groups
or newcomers who didn’t speak the language or share the
culture of the English origin.
• The separation of ethnic and racial groups caused violence and anger.
• These issues intrigued public debate in the 18th century
• This occurred before Americans advocated independence
• Does this still occur today?
• Ben Franklin made demographic calculation
• U.S. population was doubling every 25 years
• Total population of Britain mainland population
• 1700 – 250,000*
• 1770 – 2,150,000*
• 3% increase
• Natural reproduction accounted for most of the increase
• Population grew younger – ½ under 16 at the time
• Population Characteristics
• Dispersed
• Heterogeneous
• Non-English Europeans start arriving by the thousands
• Goals
• Land
• Independent Farmers
• Tended to head to the backcountry
• They found these western areas demanding and violent – Native
Americans, Africans, Europeans
• Non – English Colonists in numbers entered the colonies in the
18th century
• Rich ethnic diversity
• Largest group: Scotch – Irish
• 2nd largest group: Germans
• Reasons to come to the colonies:
• Control in Ireland (Catholics)
• Scotch Irish (150,000 in the colonies pre-revolution)
• In England they were held at a disadvantage when trading and taxed
extremely high
• Result:
• Emigration to America
• Freedom
• Property
• Most arrived in Philadelphia, but quickly moved west
• They were welcomed because they created a buffer between the
Native Americans and the Atlantic Settlers
• Scotch-Irish challenged authority and settled large land areas
• Similar to Quakers
• Seeking religious freedom they settled in Pennsylvania
• Leader – Francis Pastorius (Mennonites)
• Settlement – Germantown
• Lutherans also emigrated (Germany) and sought material gains
more than religious freedom
• Leader – Henry Melchior Muhlenberg
• He organized a meeting of local pastors and organized ministers, this was
very important to American Lutheran History
• They were the Pennsylvania Dutch, due to the confusion with the word
deutsch – which meant German
• Ethnic differences in Pennsylvania led to disputes
• Ben Franklin referred to them as stupid, and feared that they
would soon be outnumbered
• Feared loss of language (English) and government
• 1730’s many Irish-Germans emigrated to western Virginia due
to the prejudice
• Germans remained on fertile soil, while the Irish kept moving
• These groups stayed outside of colonial government
• Methodist ministers offered spiritual advice and created moral
character.
• Native American groups suffered greatly in the 17th-18th
centuries
• War
• Disease
• Native Americans wanted to know where they could live
• 18th century – many lived between the Appalachians and the
Mississippi River
• Some wandered as remnants of their pre-colonial tribes
• Survivors joined other groups to form multi-ethnic communities
• Strong tribes (Cherokee, Choctaws) welcomed refugees
• Many found unique ways to adjust
• Middle Ground – term for how Native Americans held their
ground beyond the Appalachians
• Total isolation was not the Native American plan
• They traded with the English and French for metal goods and
weapons
• Their goal was to maintain a strong independent voice, backed by
military strength
• Took advantage of rivals when possible, and compromised when
necessary
• Would even complain to the Europeans when prices were too high
• European competition kept prices down, but the French and Indian
War (1763) ended competition
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Regarded as a philosopher – used reason and science
Grew up in Puritan New England
He loved to read and enjoyed, “The Spectator” a new British journal
With his brother published The New England Courant (Weekly
Newspaper) under the name of Silence Dogood. Satirical paper
directed at the Boston political – religious leaders.
• Invention – Lightning Rod – it was a symbol of material progress.
• Organized groups that discussed English literature, philosophy, and
science
• Organized groups called the Junto, a club for mutual improvement
(Liberty Company) – members communicated between colonies
• Colonial economy increased with the population
• Abundance of Land
• Increase in Agriculture
• America produced more tobacco, wheat, rice
• Over 50% of the goods produced went to Great Britain
• British Controls in the Colonies
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White Pine Act – No cutting of White Pines – best for Royal Navy
Navigation Acts
Sugar Act – heavy tax on molasses from foreign ports
Hat and Felt Act – limited colonial goods that competed with foreign
exports
• Iron Act
• British laws at this point were seldom enforced. With consumer
society in GB, colonies had a market.
• Colonies traded amongst themselves and with the West Indies –
helped to cover the unfavorable balance of trade with Great
Britain.
• English now Exporting more than ever (1740’s-1770’s)
increased 360%.
• Example: china and silverware replace earthenware bowls in
colonies.
• English industrialization hurt the colonies
• British merchants offered credit for purchase with interest
• American debt continued to rise
• Mid 18th century individuals began to rethink basic ideas
involving church and state
• Religious revivals spring up throughout the colonies
• New England – Congregational church shattered (felt
organized religion had lost vitality)
• In Virginia the Methodist and Baptist Churches were changing
• Jonathon Edwards – Massachusetts minister (Calvinist) felt local ministers
had gone soft. Felt new birth depended on God.
• George Whiefield – toured colonies. Great speaker, welcomed all
Protestants, used the press
• Gilbert Tennent – revivalist with a sermon called Once the Danger of
Unconverted Ministers
• New light Presbyterians founded higher learning, establishing
the following colleges
• New Jersey (Princeton)
• Brown and Rutgers University
• Eleazar Wheelock – Dartmouth College
• People were taught to speak up and take an active role in their
salvation
• African Americans sects developed
• Richard Allen – African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME)
• It brought colonists together outside of various city boundaries
• *It was a national event before a nation existed
• Parliament provided a model for American Government, by
copying the British, they saw the differences and became more
American
• British Constitution was not a formal document, change was
dangerous and destabilizing
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Monarch with hand picked court
House of Lords (180 aristocrats) Upper House
House of Commons (558 elected members) Lower House
Both Houses tend to be from the same background
• Cato’s Letters – important for colonies
• Colonists thought their government was modeled after GB.
• Governor = King
• Council = House of Lords
• Assembly = House of Commons
• By mid 18th century most colonies had Royal governors
• Selected through patronage
• Had great power – Veto, Dismiss judge, military commanders
• Councils were 12 wealthy colonists appointed by Board of Trade
• Colonial Assemblies
• Wanted to protect liberty
• Printed many types of written work to promote ideals
• Would not coop with Royal Governor
• Colonies become more involved in conflicts between the British
and French in America.
• British had more population in the Colonies than the French
• However, the French and Native Americans had success against the English
– defended Quebec and Montreal
• The fight was for the entire west including the Mississippi Valley
• French Allies – Algonquin
• British Allies – Iroquois
• British were successful against the French
• French Forts stopped English Colonial expansion – hemmed in
the colonies
• George Washington and troops constructed Fort Necessity, but
were overthrown by the French
• Ben Franklin sought colonial cooperation and called for the
Albany Congress – discussed coop with Iroquois
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Common defense
Western Expansion
Native American Affairs
B.F. suggested taxes to cover military
• May 18, 1756 – Britain declares war (Seven Years War)
(French and Indian War)
• Perceptions of War
• Colonists had cooperated
• Leaders like George Washington learned the British weren’t invincible
• Colonists still part of Empire – but not as willing to pay the cost.