Group+3

=
In the 1500’s, a group called the Puritans arose in England that wanted to get rid of anything that had to do with Roman Catholicism in the Church of England. The Puritans wanted to change how the Church of England was run. Eventually the Puritans separated completely from the Church of England because they thought the Church was corrupt, and they fled England for the New World where they could practice religion in their own way. When the Pilgrims got to the New World, they met a Patuxet Indian named Squanto who helped them to plant food and served as a translator between the Pilgrims and other neighboring tribes. Squanto was kidnapped by slave traders before the Pilgrims came and they planned to sell him in Spain but he escaped to England where Squanto learned to speak English. He then returned to the New World in 1619 where he met the Pilgrims. ====== [] [] Slavery in Begins in Virginia Not many black slaves lived in New England before 1619. But by 1680, African slave labor grew in popularity. When the supply of white servants declined, masters decided to turn to African slave labor to make up for the loss in workers. In Virginia, the tolerance of blacks was not very different that how the white people lived. Some blacks were indentured servants who were allowed to marry and own land after their serving period. Some were slaves for life. They were even allowed to marry white people and have children with them. Then around 1660 some states began to separate blacks from white society. Laws were created to suppress blacks by banning them from having relations with whites, owning land, and traveling without written consent. The status of white servants went up in response to these laws, putting them above the black slaves. A rebellion called Bacon’s Rebellion took place in 1676 by former indentured servants, backcountry farmers, and costal planters, convinced they were not being protected enough by the government from Indians. Nathanial Bacon led the rebellion to burn down Jamestown’s capital and to set free indentured servants at enemy plantations. During the middle of the rebellion, Bacon died of a disease and with no leader the rebellion fell apart. Out of fear of their indentured servants turning against them, the owners of plantations removed the white indentured servants and replaced them with black slaves. After that, the number of slaves rose dramatically in Virginia during the next few years. [] []

** Conflicts **
Salem Witch Trials In the year 1691, a group of girls in Salem, Massachusetts, accused an Indian slave named Tituba of being a witch. Her confession started witch hunts in which nineteen men and women were hanged and one person pressed to death. In prisons, over 150 people were waiting for a trial. Tituba was most likely an Arawak from South America and had been enslaved in Barbados before being brought to Massachusetts in 1680. Her master was named Samuel Parris and he was in the sugar business in Barbados before becoming a minister in Salem. Two girls in Parris’s house and two girls in neighboring houses started having abnormal convulsions and choking. Tituba made a “witchcake” from rye meal and urine to help the ill girls. Some people thought she was doing witchcraft and arrested her. She, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne were thought to have bewitched the girls and were put on trial. Tituba confessed, but Good and Osborne claimed they were innocent. Both Osborne and Good ended up dead because Good was executed and Osborne died in prison. A main cause of the mass hysteria was that people were scared and thought their nice community would be ruined by witchcraft and devilry. After the hunts Tituba took back her confession and claimed that her master had beaten her to make her confess. [] [] Slave Revolts

=
‍ Slave owners were always afraid of slave rebellions. They were paranoid that their slaves would rebel against them, especially in places where the slaves outnumbered the whites. In New York City, 32 people were convicted of conspiring to commit arson in the city. Seventeen black men, two white men, and two white women were all hanged for the crime. Seventy more blacks and seven more whites were banished from New York City. Many slave owners in New York thought the slaves were conspiring against them and would ban together to burn down cities. It was probably false that the saves were conspiring against their owners. In the past, there is evidence that some slaves might have been conspiring against their masters and committing arson to gain their freedom. Slave revolts took place in the Caribbean, too. Escaped slaves often went to Florida or Virginia. A large consequence of the uprisings was the execution of accused African-Americans. A group in New York set fire to a building and killed nine white people who came to put the fire out. Nineteen slaves in all were gruesomely executed. ====== [] []

=
Black slavery started with the slave trade. The slaves were captured by people of other tribes and were kept and “seasoned” until the main voyage. It is believed that very few of the first black slaves were indentured servants which means they worked for their freedom. Although some were listed as “servants” they were treated very differently from the white servants. The black slaves were treatedfar worse than the white slaves. In 1640, six white slaves and a black slave ran away. When they were caught the white slaves got a lesser sentence and the black slave got 30 whippings and he had the letter R branded onto his cheek. He also had to wear shackles for a year as his owner saw fit. Many laws were passed to take away any freedom the blacks might have. A law was passed saying that all of the children of women slaves would become slaves. There was a law called “The Black Codes” that defined blacks as “movable personal property” and not as human beings. These slaves couldn't testify in court against whites. They couldn’t own any dogs or guns as these were said to be items of too much value for a slave to have. The whites’ believed that the blacks were associated with evil and witchcraft. When a black hit a white, the owners could cut off the slave’s ears and depending on the severity of the crime, they could be hung and their bodies exposed. ======

It is said that women were the weaker, subservient sex.

=
The women had to sew, cook, take care of domestic animals, and make many of the necessities used in the household such as soap, candles, clothing, and other things. They could not vote, hold public office, or participate in legal matters on their own behalf. The women were supposed to be obedient to their husbands with no questions. Women weren’t completely stuck doing house work though. They were allowed to attend the birth of livestock and drive the plow horse. Although the husband did the voting, his vote was influenced by his family and if he was ill or not able to attend, the wife was allowed to do the voting. In colonial America, the men out numbered the women by a significant margin so the women were of higher value there then in Europe. More women in Colonial America attended church then the men so the women were in charge of raising good, Christian children. ====== Sage, Henry. "Women in Colonial America." . N.p., 2007. Web. 20 Sep 2012. .

Life in early Virginia was a death trap. Within the first three years, three-hundred out of six-thousand people survived. In Virginia disease was all over the place, there were many children without parents, people had many marriages and life was very short. Even with all these terrible conditions, people still came to Virginia. The main reason was to raise tobacco. Tobacco growth required a lot of labor which was usually done by white indentured servants who were transported to Virginia in exchange for 4-7 years of work.

. "Life in Early Virginia." //Digital History//. N.p., 2012. Web. 21 Sep 2012. .

The Puritans played the most important role in shaping American values. They contributed to our country's sense of mission, its work ethic, and its moral sensibility. The puritans strongly disliked sexual relations outside of marriage and if you were caught doing so, you could have been fined or whipped. Puritans greatly valued poetry though they were skeptical of the theater and visual arts. Although the puritans strongly believed in God’s Law, they did not push a “church-run” state. Ministers were not allowed to hold public office. In Massachusetts, the puritans held annual elections and all “freemen” had the right to vote. . "The Puritans." //Digital History//. N.p., 2012. Web. 20 Sep 2012. . ** Government and Politics of Colonial America ** Between 1689 and 1763 four times England, France, and their Native American allies struggled for power in Colonial America. During the late 17th Century and early to mid 18th Century, France and England struggled for imperial power in Colonial America. Along with the French and English, the Native Allies who were also in struggle for power with each other, often playing off the conflicts of the English and French. Sources: []
 * The Puritans **
 * The Struggle for Power in Colonial America **

The seedlings of Democracy began in 1619 when the Pilgrims landed in Virginia. The House of Burgesses was the earliest seeds of Democracy in Colonial America and was the Virginian Government at the time. It was not quite a Democracy but it shared some very important ideas with Democracy. The House of Burgesses was under direct rule of the Royal Crown in Great Britain. It had a Royal Governor appointed by the King of England, and the Governor’s council was selected by the Governor. The seed of Democracy in the House of Burgesses was the fact that the representatives from various locales, plantations and counties were elected by the people. But the idea of Democracy and seeds of Democracy were planted. The capacity to allow the citizens to be represented and have a voice in the government was an important part in seed for later Democratic government.
 * Government: The Beginning of a Democratic Government **

Other seedlings were planted when the Pilgrims landed off course in Massachusetts. Where the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts it was chartered land so the Pilgrims had no official charter to govern themselves by. The Pilgrims felt inclined to make their own government so before the Pilgrims got off the Mayflower they drafted the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact stated that the government officials would be elected by general vote and would be re-elected annually. The Mayflower Compact was an important seed to Democracy. The government of Plymouth has a heavy influence of Democracy. It was created by people, every eligible citizen had full voice in the government, and the officials were elected by the people.

Sources:

Northern State University. "Colonial Government." //Colonial Government//. Northern State University, n.d. Web. .

"History of Colonial America." //History of Colonial America//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. .

"House of Burgesses." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. .

//JSTOR//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. []. "Democracy in the Colonies." //Democracy in the Colonies//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. [].