"Life in the American wilderness was nasty, brutish, and short for the earliest Chesapeake settlers." Explain. Many of the earliest Chesapeake settlers were killed by diseases such as malaria, dysentery, and typhoid, and cut about 10 years from a typical Englishman's life span. This would lead to the outnumbering of men to women and early pregnancies and marriages to keep a generation going.
What conditions in Virginia made the colony right for the importation of indentured servants? Over time, as the tobacco industry grew, more and more workers were needed. The indentured servants were a perfect fit for the job considering that Indians died too quickly and African slaves were too expensive.
Who is most to blame for Bacon's rebellion, the upper class or the lower class? Explain. The upper class is most to blame for the Bacon rebellion because if Berkley had taken action to fix the problems of the people who rebelled, they wouldn't have rebelled in the first place.
Describe the slave trade. Due to drastic economic changes in England, the slave trade was able to greatly expand and slaves would soon outnumber the colonists themselves. Race would start becoming an issue by the end of the seventeenth century, when rights were established that clearly differentiated the African slaves with the whites.
Describe slave culture and contributions. Slaves brought a very unique culture to America. Off the coast of South Carolina, slaves created a language called Gullah which has contributed some words to our culture. A West African religious dance eventually contributed to the development of jazz. Every specific job carried out by each slave helped build and create the more modern America.
"And precisely because of the diversity of African peoples represented in America, the culture that emerged was a uniquely New World creation." Explain. This means that the slave culture was so unique and different. This diffusion and creation of African culture in America has had long lasting effects and makes this part of the New World special.
Describe the southern culture in the colonial period, noting social classes. Wealth and status quickly became an important component of the southern culture. The social classes consisted of planters at the top, then the small farmers, then the landless whites [mostly former indentured servants], and lastly the African slaves on the bottom.
What was it like to be a woman in New England? In New England, the society was based on large families meaning a wife would always be producing offspring. The lives of women consisted of taking care of and raising their children along with the usual household chores of cooking, cleaning, etc.
Explain the significance of New England towns to the culture there. The New England towns were important because they established a tight-knit community of people. Larger towns with over fifty families were forced to have elementary education and this would increase the literacy rate and education for future generations.
What evidence shows that New England was becoming more diverse as the 17th century wore on? As the 17th century wore on, the Half-Way Covenant was established in New England to regulate religious conversions as the colony spread. New England also went through the Salem Witch Trials which would be never forgotten events that happened in the colony.
How did the environment shape the culture of New England? Due to the poor quality of soil, New England was less diverse than the southern colonies. Climate also had an important roll in this as well, with extremely hot summers and extremely cold winters also disinteresting immigrants.
How much equality was evident in the colonies? Men, women, and children all had similar roles in each of the colonies; men would do the hard work, women would do household chores and raise their children, and the children would help out both of them.
A Servant Girl Pays the Wages of Sin: This shows how many strict laws the indentured servants had to follow and the little freedom they had to do anything. A simple mistake cost the servant girl do double time of work.
The Governor Upholds the Law: This statement of Berkeley's shows how important it was to him to have a good image to his people and the King, regarding the circumstances of the rebellion. This also tells us that even though Berkeley tried pardoning Bacon, that he refused and decided to go off on his own.
Slavery is Justified: This shows how some people questioned slavery because of religious ties, wondering if this was right to do. Some people didn't like the idea at all, but they didn't really have a choice. At the same time, Virginia would not be able to function without the slaves and that became evident to most people who accepted slavery.
The Stono River Rebellion in South Carolina: The Stono Rebellion was the largest slave uprising in the British colonies. This enforced even harsher laws on the slaves and precented them from going to Florida with the Spanish. Slaves were no longer able to receive payment or education for about ten years.
The Salem Witchcraft Hysteria: This shows just how non-credible trials in colonial America could be, considering the absurdness of the witch accusations. The events that occurred during the Salem Witch Hunt were strange coincidences that had a major effect on New England.