1. Who Fought in the Seven Years’ War? What was the outcome?

The two main combatants of the Seven Years War were the French and the English.
They, alongside the different Native American tribes that chose sides, battled over the Ohio
territory from 1756-1763, although most of the fighting had stopped by around 1760, the Treaty
of Paris was not signed until 1763. The outcome of the Seven Years’ War was that the English
gained the Ohio territory, the French also had to give Louisiana to the Spanish as compensation
for the land that they lost in Florida. Even though the French lost the war they gained some
valuable cash crops in the Caribbean, effectively making them a victor financially.

2.What were the three types of government or colonies (English) colonies of North America in
1776? Describe the basics of each government type.

The first type of government/colony was called a royal colony, or a provincial colony.
These colonies were under direct rule from the King and Parliament, as well as Royal Governor
who represented mainland England directly. Second, proprietary colonies that were owned by a
person or a family. These colonies were always owned by a white male. These colonies had
more freedom from British colonial rule and could do things such as appoint their own officials,
as well as create their own legislature. Third, charter colonies which were also known as
corporate or joint stock colonies. The King in this case would appoint officials in a colonial
government, who were allowed after that point to do as they pleased.

3. Describe the Atlantic Trade route. Which three locations did the trade route meet? What was
traded along the route? What was the middle passage?

The Atlantic trade route was the main way of trading between Africa, The Americas, and
England. The route followed a triangular pattern between these three destinations. Many items
were traded along this route including spices, indigo, tobacco, and slaves. The route often
brought slaves to the Americas from Africa using the middle passage, a journey that many
slaves did not survive due to the harsh conditions of early sea travel and the poor treatment of
the ‘property’ that these unfortunate souls had come to be known as. This route became very
profitable for the upper class of New England and others in the colonies who took these
opportunities to bolster their wealth and power.

4. Describe slavery in early America. State how slaves were brought to the new continent and
how they were treated. Describe the differences in treatment in the Northern and Southern
colonies. What role did slaves play in building the foundation of the United States?
 Slaves started as war prisoners in Africa who were traded for English made firearms for
war. After purchase they were transported to slave camps on the coast and waited to board
ships ready to take the middle passage to the Americas. During this journey, many slaves died,
either to disease, poor treatment, or suicide. Those who made it to the new world were then
sold to their new masters. If they were sold to someone in the north of the colonies they would
work on the tobacco plantations for a short period of time each year and the rest of the year
they would tend to household duties, much like an indentured servant. The southern colonies
however had much better farming rotations and this led to non-stop farming work year-round.
This caused problems for the slaves, because of how cheap their labor was it was most cost
effective to buy a new slave after one had passed, rather than taking care of the original one.
This led to an extremely low survival rate among slaves. Slaves, although mistreated and
misused, were a significant player in the building of the foundation of the United States, being
that for the first few years of the colonies and for years after that they were the main source of
labor for many industries, especially farming and manual labor. Without the contributions of
slaves back then the United States would be a quite different place and may not even have ever
come to be. Their labor enabled many people to make a steep profit off of crops etc. and
although this was wrong it played a key part in stabilizing income to at least some of the
colonists, making a semi-stable and nearly self-sufficient colony a very possible idea.

5. Compare the cultures of the Northern and Southern colonies. Describe the difference in
economy and classes.

In the northern colonies the upper class consisted of governors and merchants who had
climbed to the top of the social and economic ladder early on. The middle class contained
peoples such as artisans and craft workers such as carpenters and blacksmiths, who’s crafts
were highly sought after during that time. The lower class was made up of manual laborer’s,
indentured servants, and slaves who had not been able to obtain their freedom yet. Meanwhile,
the southern colonies had a different social structure, the highest members being plantation
owners who owned large plots of land and the many slaves that tended to them. The middle
class was similar to the upper class, but their farming operations had not reached the scale that
plantations had become known for, although they still did quite well and owned a considerable
number of slaves. The lowest class in the south was made up of again manual laborer’s without
land and slaves, as well as a few indentured servants.