| VUS.3 |
The student will describe how the values and institutions of European economic life took root in the colonies and how slavery reshaped European and African life in the Americas. |
Identify the following colonial regions, and summarize how the economic activity of each region reflected its geography and the European origins of its settlers:
• The New England colonies developed an economy based on shipbuilding, fishing, lumbering, small-scale subsistence farming, and eventually, manufacturing. The colonies prospered, reflecting the Puritans’ strong belief in the values of hard work and thrift.
• The middle colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware developed economies based on shipbuilding, small-scale farming, and trading. Cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore began to grow as seaports and commercial centers.
• Virginia and the other southern colonies developed economies in the eastern coastal lowlands based on large plantations that grew “cash crops,” such as tobacco, rice, and indigo, for export to Europe. Farther inland, however, in the mountains and valleys of the Appalachian foothills, the economy was based on small-scale subsistence farming, hunting, and trading.
Explain that the economic institutions in the colonies developed in ways that were either typically European or were distinctively American, as climate, soil conditions, and other natural resources shaped regional economic development.
Describe how a strong belief in private ownership of property and free enterprise characterized colonial life.
Summarize the following social characteristics of the colonies:
• New England’s colonial society was based on religious standing. The Puritans grew increasingly intolerant of dissenters who challenged the Puritans’ belief in the connection between religion and government. Rhode Island was founded by dissenters fleeing persecution by Puritans in Massachusetts.
• The middle colonies were home to multiple religious groups, including Quakers in Pennsylvania and Catholics in Maryland, who generally believed in religious tolerance. These colonies had more flexible social structures and began to develop a middle class of skilled artisans, entrepreneurs (business owners), and small farmers.
• Virginia and the other southern colonies had a social structure based on family status and the ownership of land. Large landowners in the eastern lowlands dominated colonial government and society and maintained an allegiance to the Church of England and closer social ties to England than in the other colonies. In the mountains and valleys further inland, however, society was characterized by small-scale subsistence farmers, hunters, and traders of Scotch-Irish and English descent.
• The “Great Awakening” was a religious movement that swept both Europe and the colonies during the mid-1700s. It led to the rapid growth of evangelical religions such as the Methodists and Baptists and challenged the established religious and governmental order. It laid one of the social foundations for the American Revolution.
Describe how the institution of slavery influenced European and African life in the colonies.
Using the following information, explain that the African slave trade and the development of a slave-labor system in many of the colonies resulted from plantation economies and labor shortages.
• The growth of a plantation-based agricultural economy in the hot, humid coastal lowlands of the southern colonies required cheap labor on a large scale. Some of the labor needs, especially in Virginia, were met by indentured servants, who were often poor persons from England, Scotland, or Ireland who agreed to work on plantations for a period of time in return for their passage from Europe or relief from debts.
• Most plantation labor needs eventually came to be filled by the forcible importation of Africans. While some Africans worked as indentured servants, earned their freedom, and lived as free citizens during the Colonial Era, over time larger and larger numbers of enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the southern colonies (the “Middle Passage”).
• The development of a slavery-based agricultural economy in the southern colonies would lead to eventual conflict between the North and South and the American Civil War.
Below is an annotated list of Internet resources for this organizing topic. Copyright restrictions may exist for the material on some Web sites. Please note and abide by any such restrictions.
America’s First Look into the Camera: Daguerreotype Portraits and Views 1839–1864. The Library of Congress. <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/daghtml/daghome.html>. This site contains prints and photographs from American history pertaining to this organizing topic.
Archiving Early America. <http://www.earlyamerica.com/>. This site contains primary source material for eighteenth-century America.
Best of History Web Sites. <http://www.besthistorysites.net>. This site offers access to various Web sites related to this organizing topic. Select “U.S. History,” then “Pre-Colonial,” and then any item.
Bonomi, Patricia U. “The Middle Colonies as the Birthplace of American Religious Pluralism.” TeacherServe from the NationalHumanitiesCenter. <http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/midcol.htm.> This site offers information about the religions of the middle colonists.
Cable News Network. <http://www.cnn.com>. For Web sites related to this organizing topic, type the desired topic in the Search box and click “Search.”
Colonial Days Web Adventure. Family Education Network. <http://www.teachervision.com/tv/curriculum/weeklywebadventures/colonial_days/t_home.html#artq>. The site includes sample lessons on colonial America. It is designed for lower level students but may have useful information for teachers of Virginia and United States History.
Colonial America. James Madison University.< http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/colonial.htm>. Explore the Colonial Period of our history through the Internet. You'll find maps, lesson plans, bibliographies and curriculum content materials here.
Maps of Early America. Archiving Early America. < http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/maps/>. This site contains maps on colonial America.
Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Other Clearinghouses. U.S. Department of Education. <http://www.ed.gov/about/contacts/gen/othersites/eric.html>. Select “Search any or all ERIC web sites.” Type in a topic (e.g., Columbus), and then click “Search.”
Founding the American Colonies — The Time Page. <http://www.timepage.org/spl/13colony.html>. This site contains maps and other information on the founding of the 13 original colonies.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon. <http://www.mountvernon.org>. This Web site offers information on George Washington and his home, Mount Vernon.
Grenet, Phyllis. “American Life: A Comparison of Colonial Life to Today’s Life.” Yale-New Haven Teacher’s Institute. <http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1990/5/90.05.04.x.html>. This site gives a comparison of family life in colonial America to family life today. The site is intended for first grade teachers, but may have useful information for teachers of Virginia and United States History.
Heyrman, Christine Leigh. “The First Great Awakening.” TeacherServe from the NationalHumanitiesCenter. <http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/grawaken.htm>. Contains information on the Great Awakening.
HistoryChannel.com. <http://www.historychannel.com>. This site provides access to Web sites related to this organizing topic. Type a topic in the “Search” box and click “Go.”
The History Net: American History. <http://americanhistory.about.com>. This site contains searchable resource information for teachers.
Kid Info. <http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Colonization_NE_Colonies.html>. This site contains information on the New England Colonies.
“Lecture Four: The Great Awakening.” Wake Forest University. <http://www.wfu.edu/~matthetl/perspectives/four.html>. This site contains information on the revival of religious enthusiasm in America beginning as early as 1679.
Outline Maps — Education Place. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. <http://www.eduplace.com/ss/ssmaps/>. This site permits visitors to print a variety of maps related to this organizing topic.
Presidential Inaugurations. The Library of Congress. <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/pihome.html>. This site contains information on presidential inaugurations.
“Puritans.” New Advent. Catholic Encyclopedia. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12581a.htm>. This site contains information on the Puritans.
Smithsonian Institution. <http://www.si.edu/>. This site provides Web access to the various museums within the Smithsonian Institution.
“The Terrible Transformation: People & Events: The Middle Passage c. 1600–1800” Public Broadcasting Service. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p277.html>. This site contains the story on the transport of slaves from Africa to the New World.
“The Terrible Transformation: People & Events: Olaudah Equiano, 1745–1797.” Public Broadcasting Service. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p276.html>. This site contains the story of a boy who was captured and sold into slavery at the age of 11 and lived to write his autobiography.
Virginia Historical Society. <http://www.vahistorical.org/>. This site contains multiple resources pertaining to Virginia history for use by teachers.
VirginiaMuseum of Fine Arts. <http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/>. This site contains samples of American art.
The World Factbook 2002. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. <https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html>. This site contains searchable information on all countries.
Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning: History and Social Science Released Items for Virginia and United States History. Virginia Department of Education 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/Release2003/History/VA-RIBs_g11vush-1.pdf>.
Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning. Virginia and United States History. Test Blueprint. Virginia Department of Education, 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/HistoryBlueprints03/2002Blueprint10VUS.pdf>. This site provides assessment information for the course in Virginia and United States History.
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