<p> Colonial America in the 18th Century </p><p>Mid-Atlantic States</p><p>Irish, German 90,000 immigrants “God’s three arrows” : famine, pestilence, war </p><p>Pennsylvania = fertile land, low taxes, avoid military duty Germans come as indentured servants (1715-1725) </p><p>Scots-Irish: New York + Pennsylvania</p><p>1715-1754: No major Indian wars By 1750: Philadelphia is the largest city in the colonies</p><p>New England Key Theme: Homogeneity of New England</p><p>Mixed Economy Rocky soil, small farmers Boston + Salem are port centers for trade with Europe, Caribbean and Africa</p><p>New England Reduced size of farms 250 acres = 1600s 75 acres = 1700s Decreased soil fertility = dwindling farm size Migration to the frontier (Nova Scotia, Maine, New Hampshire)</p><p>Unfree Labor</p><p>Indentured servants + Slaves Labor system was harsh</p><p>Early slaves (North) Artisans, farmhands, personal servants 10% of population House slaves adapted English culture</p><p>Middle Colonies Rich soil: cleared by Native Americans Corn, beef, pork, wheat Trade with West Indies, New England, Portugal, Spain, England Thus, close ties with Atlantic basin New York is the fastest growing city in the Middle Atlantic</p><p>Changing Values</p><p>North 50 acre farms Land ownership = independence + political rights</p><p>Cotton Mather “Eyes of an Angry God”</p><p>Key values: Ambition, materialism, individualism Commitment to religion declined in importance Land speculation = profit</p><p>Benjamin Franklin Pennsylvania Gazette Poor Richard’s Almanac</p><p>“Lost time is never found again” “Sloth makes all things difficult but industry all easy” “The sleeping fox gathers no poultry”</p><p>Women + Family</p><p>Remarried because of scarcity of women midwives Make contracts Quaker women used love not guilt to mold kids Inherited land Nurturing role in the family unit</p><p>Ecological Transformation Demand for wood =deforestation European livestock = denuded grasslands Demand for fur = decline of beaver, bear, wolf, raccoon</p><p>European ethic Land = wealth</p><p>Plantation South Scots-Irish + German immigrants Tobacco Coast Grain, hemp + flax Planter Class = Political Leadership</p><p>Indigo, Rice + Carolinas</p><p>South Courthouse = main gathering place 1619 House of Burgesses Church = center of community gatherings </p><p>Southern Backcountry Small farms Poverty, lacked education Few libraries in the all the colonies (John Adams largest library) Poor diet, endless work, meager rewards</p>