Chapter 3
Letters from an American Farmer
Mercantilism
- The system where the colonies would cultivate and produce raw materials (ex: cotton, tobacco,
corn, etc), ship those materials to Great Britain, the British would manufacture goods using the
materials, and then ship those materials back to the colonies.
- The goal of this system was self sufficiency within the British Empire
- If the exports > imports, then the balance of trade was profitable. If exports < imports, the
difference was compensated for using silver and gold.
Enumerated articles
- An expansion of the Navigation Acts (provided more bans for the colonists)
Salutary neglect
- When a superior or someone of a higher standing turns a blind eye to their subordinates.
- Britain was turning a blind eye to the government of the colonies, allowing for autonomy within
the colonies and let the colonists learn how to govern themselves, while still being under British
rule (pre French and Indian War)
- The British also did not completely enforce mercantilism, so the colonists were trading with the
French, Dutch, etc. before the French and Indian War
- After the French and Indian War, the British debt doubled, so they began to enforce mercantilism
and controlled the colonies more than they had in the past. This marked the end of salutary
neglect
Deism
- The concept that God created the universe and everything within it, but he does not interfere with
it and he lets history play out the way it is meant to.
Writs of assistance
- Search warrant issued by judges used to enforce Navigation Acts and enumerate articles. Used to
crack down on smuggling. Allowed British to legally search a house without a reason or a
warrant.
No taxation without representation
- The colonists protested being taxed without having an American representative in Parliament
Virtual and actual representation
- Virtual representation - the colonies were in a way represented because theoretically everyone in
Parliament was looking out for the best interests of the colonies
- Actual representation - geographically based representation in Parliament
- The difference between these revealed how much the colonies and Britain had diverged
politically
Direct and indirect taxation
Navigation Acts
- Acts that banned the colonies from manufacturing their own goods or exporting to nations other
than Great Britain (1651-1751).
- Because of salutary neglect, the colonists ignored the Navigation Acts and sold to the Dutch, the
French, etc. There was also a decent amount of smuggling and piracy.
, Hat, Iron, and Wool Acts
Great Awakening
- A period of religious revivalism in the colonies in the 1740s-1750s in which religious fervor
became prominent again and colonists started to convert to different denominations of
Christianity such as Evangelism and Presbyterianism.
The Enlightenment
- The Enlightenment influenced the late 17th and 18th centuries. It emphasized the integration of
reason, rationality, and individualism in society, rather than tradition. The Enlightenment was
meant to provide a new understanding of the natural world along with rational thought that all
things, living and nonliving, are governed by scientific laws. The colonists took the ideas of the
Enlightenment, changed them to fit their specific needs, and then implemented them into their
daily lives.
Colonial wars
- King William’s War (1689-1997): French attack New York and frontier settlements of American
colonies. Colonists capture Nova Scotia in retaliation. 1697, the Peace of Ryswick restored all
captured lands and ended the war
- War of the Spanish Succession / Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713): this war was fought to prevent
the union of France and Spain under the Bourbons. Colonists burned St. Augustine in Florida and
retook Port Royal. The Treaty of Utrecht (1713) gave Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the
Hudson Bay to Great Britain and ended the conflict.
- King George’s War (1740-1748): Native American raids sent from both the French and the
British. New England forces captured a French fortress. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
resolved the conflict and forced the New Englanders to give back the fort.
Albany Plan of Union
- A rudimentary form of colonial union proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754. It was rejected by
almost everybody.
Great war for empire / Seven Years’ War / French and Indian War
- Cause: English colonists began trading in Ohio with the Hurons, who the French had a trade
monopoly with previously. The French and the British start a dispute over who gets the territory
near the Ohio River.
- French first attacked in 1752, the British sent Geroge Washington and troops to fight back in
1754. The English outnumber the French, but were disorganized and decentralized, while the
French were united. In 1756 the conflict moved from North America to Europe where it
continued until Great Britain was victorious.
George Washington
- He was sent at the age of 21 to warn the French to stop building forts along the territorial borders,
and he accidentally started the French and Indian War. The French ignored Washington and GW
was sent back with troops after the French attacked. He was outnumbered 4:1 and suffered a great
loss at the hands of the French. He signed a document unknowingly admitting to the assassination
of a French leader, and he returned to the colonies a hero.
William Pitt
Letters from an American Farmer
Mercantilism
- The system where the colonies would cultivate and produce raw materials (ex: cotton, tobacco,
corn, etc), ship those materials to Great Britain, the British would manufacture goods using the
materials, and then ship those materials back to the colonies.
- The goal of this system was self sufficiency within the British Empire
- If the exports > imports, then the balance of trade was profitable. If exports < imports, the
difference was compensated for using silver and gold.
Enumerated articles
- An expansion of the Navigation Acts (provided more bans for the colonists)
Salutary neglect
- When a superior or someone of a higher standing turns a blind eye to their subordinates.
- Britain was turning a blind eye to the government of the colonies, allowing for autonomy within
the colonies and let the colonists learn how to govern themselves, while still being under British
rule (pre French and Indian War)
- The British also did not completely enforce mercantilism, so the colonists were trading with the
French, Dutch, etc. before the French and Indian War
- After the French and Indian War, the British debt doubled, so they began to enforce mercantilism
and controlled the colonies more than they had in the past. This marked the end of salutary
neglect
Deism
- The concept that God created the universe and everything within it, but he does not interfere with
it and he lets history play out the way it is meant to.
Writs of assistance
- Search warrant issued by judges used to enforce Navigation Acts and enumerate articles. Used to
crack down on smuggling. Allowed British to legally search a house without a reason or a
warrant.
No taxation without representation
- The colonists protested being taxed without having an American representative in Parliament
Virtual and actual representation
- Virtual representation - the colonies were in a way represented because theoretically everyone in
Parliament was looking out for the best interests of the colonies
- Actual representation - geographically based representation in Parliament
- The difference between these revealed how much the colonies and Britain had diverged
politically
Direct and indirect taxation
Navigation Acts
- Acts that banned the colonies from manufacturing their own goods or exporting to nations other
than Great Britain (1651-1751).
- Because of salutary neglect, the colonists ignored the Navigation Acts and sold to the Dutch, the
French, etc. There was also a decent amount of smuggling and piracy.
, Hat, Iron, and Wool Acts
Great Awakening
- A period of religious revivalism in the colonies in the 1740s-1750s in which religious fervor
became prominent again and colonists started to convert to different denominations of
Christianity such as Evangelism and Presbyterianism.
The Enlightenment
- The Enlightenment influenced the late 17th and 18th centuries. It emphasized the integration of
reason, rationality, and individualism in society, rather than tradition. The Enlightenment was
meant to provide a new understanding of the natural world along with rational thought that all
things, living and nonliving, are governed by scientific laws. The colonists took the ideas of the
Enlightenment, changed them to fit their specific needs, and then implemented them into their
daily lives.
Colonial wars
- King William’s War (1689-1997): French attack New York and frontier settlements of American
colonies. Colonists capture Nova Scotia in retaliation. 1697, the Peace of Ryswick restored all
captured lands and ended the war
- War of the Spanish Succession / Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713): this war was fought to prevent
the union of France and Spain under the Bourbons. Colonists burned St. Augustine in Florida and
retook Port Royal. The Treaty of Utrecht (1713) gave Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the
Hudson Bay to Great Britain and ended the conflict.
- King George’s War (1740-1748): Native American raids sent from both the French and the
British. New England forces captured a French fortress. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
resolved the conflict and forced the New Englanders to give back the fort.
Albany Plan of Union
- A rudimentary form of colonial union proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754. It was rejected by
almost everybody.
Great war for empire / Seven Years’ War / French and Indian War
- Cause: English colonists began trading in Ohio with the Hurons, who the French had a trade
monopoly with previously. The French and the British start a dispute over who gets the territory
near the Ohio River.
- French first attacked in 1752, the British sent Geroge Washington and troops to fight back in
1754. The English outnumber the French, but were disorganized and decentralized, while the
French were united. In 1756 the conflict moved from North America to Europe where it
continued until Great Britain was victorious.
George Washington
- He was sent at the age of 21 to warn the French to stop building forts along the territorial borders,
and he accidentally started the French and Indian War. The French ignored Washington and GW
was sent back with troops after the French attacked. He was outnumbered 4:1 and suffered a great
loss at the hands of the French. He signed a document unknowingly admitting to the assassination
of a French leader, and he returned to the colonies a hero.
William Pitt
