Slavery, Freedom, and the Struggle for Empire to 1763
This chapter concerns the simultaneous growth of slavery and freedom in British North America up to the immediate aftermath of the Seven Years’ War. It opens with an account of OlaudahEquiano, who experienced both freedom and slavery; “Voices of Freedom” features an excerpt from his autobiography. Following treatment of how slavery functioned as the engine of the Atlantic world’s economy, the chapter considers the different slave systems of the Chesapeake, the rice kingdom of South Carolina and Georgia, and the northern colonies. African-American culture and slave resistance are also highlighted. The next section, on British freedoms, explains the rights of Englishmen, the rise of republicanism and liberalism, and the limitations of freedom of speech and the press. It also focuses on how American colonists exercised their rights as Englishmen in colonial politics. Next, two eighteenth-century movements—the intellectual Enlightenment and the religious Great Awakening—are explored, with special emphasis on how both served to expand the public sphere and to encourage colonists to use the language of liberty. Next, this chapter examines the weaker Spanish and French empires in North America and the clash of imperial interests that led to the Seven Years’ War (or the French and Indian War or the Great War for Empire or the First World War). The chapter concludes with consideration of the war’s impact on Anglo-Indian relations, with special attention to Pontiac’s Rebellion (the subject of another “Voices of Freedom”), as well as on the colonists’ sense of identity.
Points for Discussion
1. Explain what one historian meant by this statement: “The growth andprosperity of the emerging society of a free colonial British America . . .were achieved as a result of slave labor.”
2. The slave experience was diverse in British America. Describe how slavery evolved in the various regions of British America. What liberties, if any, were extended to slaves in the northern colonies, the Chesapeake region, and the rice kingdom of South Carolina and Georgia? What was the impact of the Stono Rebellion?
3. While slavery was expanding in British America, so too was freedom. Compare the simultaneous expansion of freedom and slavery. How was the concept of race increasingly important in this process?
4. The eighteenth century witnessed a considerable expansion of the public sphere. Define what is meant by “public sphere,” and describe the various ways in which the colonists participated in it. Be sure to include in your discussion not only who was participating but also who was excluded.
5. In Cato’s Letters, the authors declare that “Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech.” To what extent did freedom of thought and freedom of speech exist in eighteenth-century British America?
6. Compare and contrast 18th century republicanism and liberalism.
7. Discuss the ways in which the colonists became increasingly integrated into the British empire from roughly 1700 to 1763. From a British perspective, why was a reorganization of the empire necessary after 1763?
8. How did Indians cope with the increasing settlement of whites during the eighteenth century and the subsequent removal of the French after the French and Indian War? Discuss how the ideas of freedom and liberty expressed by the English were never intended to be extended to the Indians.
9. How did the French and Indian War alter Britain’s relations with both its North American colonies and Native American peoples? (This question will be back after next chapter.)
10. What impact did the new political, religious, economic, and cultural ideas of the late eighteenth century have on colonial governments throughout the Atlantic world?
11. How did the Great Awakening inspire ordinary citizens to assert their right to independent judgment? Did the movement expand freedoms? Why or why not?
Key Terms
Seven Years’ WarRepublicanismLiberalismsalutary neglectmiddle passage Stono Rebellion Pontiac’s Rebellion task system seditious libel middle ground
Rights of EnglishmenBen FranklinOlaudahEquianoJohn Peter Zengersocial contract
Proclamation Line of 1763Civic virtueIroquois ConfederacyWilliam PittAlbany Plan
MercantilismBritish libertypublic sphereGreat AwakeningEnlightenment
Key Concept 3.1: British attempts to assert tighter control over its North American colonies and the colonial resolve to pursue self-government led to a colonial independence movement and the Revolutionary War.
Key Concept 3.3: Migration within North America and competition over resources, boundaries, and trade intensified conflicts among peoples and nations.