Colonial Life Cornell Notes

Life in the British Colonies
I. The Government & Economy of the British colonies

A. The ____________________, ___________________________________, & __________________ colonies were very
different from each other…Yet they shared some common traits in their political, economic, & social characteristics
B. Government in the Colonies
1. All British colonies were governed with a policy called _________________________________________________
a. British Parliament & the king controlled the colonies, but ____________________________________________
its policies as long as Britain ___________________________ from the colonies
b. Almost all the colonies had a royal _______________________, but their salaries were paid by the colonists so
governors rarely overturned local laws
c. This loose control allowed the colonists to create their own __________________________________________
i. Colonial assemblies were _____________________________________________________________ made up
of colonists who passed their own _______________ & taxes
ii. Typically, colonial assemblies were controlled by the ______________________________________________
C. The Economy of the British Colonies
1. The American colonies were an important part of the __________________________________________ network
a. The colonies produced profitable _______________________, such as tobacco, wheat, fish, indigo, & whale oil
b. Britain sold __________________________________ back to the colonists, like clothing, tea, guns, & tableware
c. Increased demand for colonial raw materials, increased the demand for ________________________________
2. This network created a series of _______________________________________ among America, Europe, & Africa
3. By the 1650s, Britain began to embrace the economic policy of ___________________________ based on the idea
that the colonies exist to generate _______________ for the ___________________________________________
a. Mercantilism is based on the idea of a ______________________________________ in which a nation exports
more than it imports
b. Mercantilism meant that Britain began to control & ______________________ colonial ____________
i. In 1660, Britain began the first of a series of ____________________________________________ designed to
_________________ colonial trade & increase British wealth
ii. The Navigation Acts required the colonists to trade _______________________________________________
II. Differences Among the British Colonies
A. All 13 of the British colonies participated in the trans-Atlantic trade…But regional differences led to a long-term
division between the “____________________” & “____________________” colonies
B. The Southern Colonies
1. Southern economies were dominated by ________________ agriculture, __________________ rather than cities,
large gaps between rich & poor, and _______________ & indentured servants
a. English colonists typically made up the plantation owners in the _________________________ lands in the east
b. Former English indentured servants, ________________, & __________________ immigrants moved to the
“_____________________________” with poor soil, near Indians, & lived in poverty
2. _________________________ in the South was far more common than in the Northern colonies
a. _________________% of Southern slaves were ___________________________________, most on plantations
b. Slaves came from a variety of places in __________________________ & had a variety of languages & cultures
i. Slaves used _____________ & _____________ to maintain their African culture
ii. Slave families were common, but ___________________________ were not recognized
iii. Slave religion often ___________________ African rituals with ______________________________
iv. Slaves resisted by _____________________________, slowing down work, or sabotaging equipment; In the
_________________________________ 150 slaves attacked & ________________ over 20 whites
C. The Northern Colonies
1. The ______________________ economy was more ________________ than the South
a. Northern farms typically were _______________ & grew multiple crops like ______________, corn, & livestock
b. In addition to farms, the Northern economy focused on lumber, ______________________, fishing, iron works
c. Northern cities like Boston, Philadelphia, & New York were important ports for international _______________
i. Northern cities gave people more professional & trade ____________________ than anywhere in the colonies
ii. ______________________________________ represented opportunity in America by rising to fame through
his printing business, ________________ inventions, & political writings
2. Slavery existed in Northern colonies where most __________ worked on small-scale farms or as domestic
servants
3. Like in the South, English, Germans, & Irish immigrants lived in the backcountry as ________________________
III. The Great Awakening
A. By the 1700s, __________________ attendance in the colonies had ____________________
B. In the 1730s & 1740s, the _____________________________________ began as preachers used ________________
to encourage religious conversions
1. Preachers like _______________________________ & George Whitefield were popular evangelists
2. Preachers used “_________ & ______________” & camp revivals” to encourage people to examine their faith
3. The Great Awakening led to a rise of new religious denominations like _________________ & ________________
4. The Great Awakening took place in all colonies & became the first _________________________________ event
Closure Activity: Examine the primary source below & explain how it relates to the American colonies
#1 #2
_____________________________________ ______________________________________
_____________________________________ ______________________________________
_____________________________________ ______________________________________
_____________________________________ ______________________________________

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Life in the British Colonies

I. The Government & Economy of the British colonies

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