Maturation of North American Colonies in the 18th Century

The maturation of North American colonies in the 18th century set the stage for future conflicts between Britain, France, and Spain.

### The Development of North American Colonies: 1700-1750
* 🗺 In 1700, English settlements were marked in red on a map of North America, with a population of **251,000** in the English colonies under King William III, following the death of his wife, **Mary II**, in 1694.
* 🏛 By 1701, Yale was founded in Connecticut, joining Harvard and William and Mary as the **three colleges in the future United States**, while French explorer Cadillac established Fort Detroit to **enhance French trade with Native nations**.
* 📰 In 1704, the Boston newsletter began publication as the **first regular newspaper** in the future United States, reflecting New England's **literacy culture**, while the French and Abenaki attacked Deerfield, Massachusetts, igniting **Queen Anne's War** between England and France.
* 📜 The Act of Union in 1707 united England and Scotland, leading to the terminology shift from **English colonies to British colonies**, and by 1710, British forces captured Port Royal, renaming it **Annapolis Royal**, amidst ongoing conflicts for territorial control.
* 👥 By 1720, the British colonial population surged to **466,000**, almost double the figure from 1700, and a smallpox epidemic in Boston prompted innovative inoculation methods from Cotton Mather, showcasing **early medical advancements**.
* 🌾 The introduction of **indigo as a cash crop** in South Carolina in 1741 marked a significant agricultural development, while the Great Awakening, fueled by figures like **Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield**, began transforming the **religious landscape of the colonies**.
* ⚔ The War of Jenkins' Ear in 1740 and King George's War in 1744 highlighted ongoing British and French tensions, culminating in the **capture and subsequent return of Fortress Louisburg to France in 1748**, further intensifying colonial rivalries.
* 🌍 By 1750, the British colonies had developed **robust economies** based on timber, fishing, and agriculture, while France maintained a lightly populated but **strategically allied presence** with Native Americans, setting the stage for **impending conflicts over North America**.

foreign. The following presentation outlines the maturation of the colonies in North America during the first half of the 18th century. This map shows North America in the year 1700. English settlements, which we will define as British after 1707, are in red. French settlements are in blue. Spanish settlements are in yellow. The English monarch and the date are shown in the bottom right corner. In the year 1700, King William III is on the throne. His wife, Mary II, with whom he had jointly reigned, had passed in 1694. The husband and wife joint monarchy is the namesake of William and Mary University in Williamsburg, Virginia, which was founded in 1693. In the year 1700, England and France have been active in North America for about 100 years, and Spain has been active in North America for two centuries. At the dawn of the 18th century, there are some 251,000 people living in the English colonies. Let's shift the map westward. In the year 1700, the Spanish Jesuit Father Eusebio.

Kino establishes a mission at San Javier Del Bach in modern Tucson, Arizona. The Tohono O'odham nation is in this area. We will slide the map back to the east. 1701, Yale is founded in Connecticut. There are now three colleges in the future United States at the dawn of the 18th century: Harvard in Massachusetts, William and Mary in Virginia, and Yale in Connecticut. Also in 1701, the French explorer Cadillac establishes Fort Detroit. This post provides further French access into the Huron lands of Canada, as well as the Ottawa of Michigan and the Miami and Northern Ohio. These French forts serve as trading posts with the local native nations. These fur trading posts receive beaver pelts from the natives, and in return, the French give metal pots, tools, and muskets to the natives. The French will successfully integrate with Native communities. The Jesuits become skilled in Algonquin and Iroquois languages. 1702, the Protestant majority in Maryland establishes the Church of England as the official Church in the colony, which essentially overturns the colony's

original intent as a Haven for Catholics. Nevertheless, Maryland will remain religiously diverse. In 1704, the Boston newsletter begins publication, the first continuous regular newspaper in the future United States. New England's tradition of literacy, derived from its Puritan past, has produced a culture of writing, recording, and, as we will see, scientific ingenuity. Also in 1704, the French and Abenaki, in response to attacks on the natives in the Northeast, strike Deerfield, Massachusetts. Dozens are killed. Massachusetts retaliates unsuccessfully against the French at Port Royal in Acadia, Canada. This series of battles is called Queen Anne's War, one of multiple struggles between England and France for North America in the 18th century. An interesting difference between France and England at this time is that the French have adopted the Gregorian or new style calendar, while England was still on the Julian or old style calendar. The two nations thus used calendars that were 11 days different from each other, and you may see dates that specify old style or new style for this period.

referring to the calendar system that is being utilized. Let's zoom out 1707 across the Atlantic Ocean. The Act of Union united England and Scotland into Great Britain. Thus, from this point forward, we will refer to the English-speaking colonies as the British colonies, as opposed to the English colonies, as the term British includes both England and Scotland. 1708. Due to Charleston, South Carolina's heavy importation of slave labor, South Carolina has a majority African population. Within slave quarters, African architecture, cooking, and even fishing techniques will be present in South Carolina. Let's zoom back into the colonies. In 1710, French Port Royal falls to the British during clashes in Queen Anne's War. The British renamed Port Royal Annapolis Royal. The 18th century will see ever-increasing clashes between France and Britain for possession of the continent. Both Annapolis Royal and Nova Scotia, Canada, and Annapolis, Maryland, which had received a charter in 1708, were both named for Queen Anne. In 1711, expanding British encroachment into native lands in North Carolina.

leads to the Tuscarora War. Also, in 1711, the French established a new fort at Mobile, Alabama, just west of Spanish Florida. The Choctaw, Appalachia, and Creek nations are in this region. In 1713, Queen Anne's War comes to an end at the Treaty of Utrecht. The French are required to cede the region of Acadia, with captured Port Royal, which is now British Annapolis Royal, to Britain. French Acadia becomes British Nova Scotia. However, Cape Breton Island remains in French possession, which will play a critical role later in the century. Zooming out, we can see that Hudson Bay and Newfoundland are also given over from France to Britain in 1713 as a consequence of the Treaty of Utrecht, which closed this round of British and French conflict over North America. Also in 1713, but across the Atlantic, the play Cato, a tragedy by English writer Joseph Addison, is performed at Theater Royal Drury Lane in London. This very popular play was based on the ancient Roman Senator Cato, a defender of the

Roman Republic against Julius Caesar. The play contains important discussions of liberty and freedom, including a line that invokes Liberty or death. Across the Atlantic, a great admirer of Joseph Addison's writings is a youth in Boston named Benjamin Franklin. We will zoom back into North America. Meanwhile, the French expansion continues down the Mississippi River in the region known as Louisiana, named after King Louis of France. French Louisiana in the 18th century spreads up the Mississippi River and into her tributaries, not to be confused with the borders of the modern state of Louisiana. In 1715, the French built Fort Michilimackinac, or Mackinac for short, situated at the junction of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, a strategic position within the Great Lakes region. Michilimackinac might also be shortened to Mackinac, the latter spelling used as a city's name today. The Ottawa and Ojibwa are native to this area. In 1716, the French built Fort Rosalie in modern Natchez, Mississippi, here in the Lower Mississippi River.

territory. The French are interacting with Natchez and Choctaw Nations, among others. Also, in 1716, the first theater in America is established at Williamsburg, Virginia, by Charles and Mary Stagg. In 1717, the French established Fort Toulouse near present-day Montgomery, Alabama. Fort Toulouse serves multiple functions, providing an outpost in East Louisiana, keeping British expansion in check, and developing alliances with the regional native nations. The Creek Confederacy is local to this area. One of the Creek Nations is the Alabama People, the namesake of the state of Alabama. In 1718, the French found New Orleans. The French presence in the Lower Mississippi region adopts a tobacco plantation economy with slave labor, very different than the French presence in the fur trading North. With New Orleans established near the mouth of the Mississippi River, the French have an Intercontinental water Empire that extends from Canada through the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi River to the Caribbean. While this area is incredibly huge, the number of Frenchmen in North America can be measured in the tens of thousands.

very light population density that likely represented a limited threat to the natives and helped aid in promoting friendly relations between the French and many of the native nations. In comparison, there are hundreds of thousands of British colonists on the Atlantic coast at this time, which was likely perceived as more threatening to the native nations. Also, in 1718, the Spanish found the Mission San Antonio in modern Texas, and the mission will later take on the name Alamo, meaning Cottonwood in Spanish. In 1720, there are some 466,000 people in the British colonies, almost double the number from a generation before in the year 1700. 1721 smallpox erupts in Boston. However, the Puritan Minister Cotton Mather encourages doctors Abdiel Boylston to inoculate the population using a method developed in Turkey. Mather himself had heard of this technique from his West African slave Onisimus. Boylston, against the advice of other doctors, successfully inoculates hundreds from smallpox in Boston. Also in Boston in 1721, James Franklin.

founds a Weekly News newspaper. The New England current ly's younger brother Benjamin serves as his teenage Apprentice. 1722. The French improved their reach into the Algonquian Midwest, building Fort Miami at modern Fort Wayne, Indiana. As the name implies, the Miami nation is local to this area. Also in 1722, the Tuscarora in North Carolina, following years of struggle against British colonists, migrate northward to join their brothers and sisters in the Iroquois Confederacy in modern New York State, becoming the sixth nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. 1723. The French expand their fur trading empire beyond the Mississippi River, building Fort Orleans on the Missouri River, located in modern DeWitt, Missouri. The Missouri nation is in this area. Although Fort Orleans will be abandoned in a few years, it is claimed that this is the first European bastion on the Missouri River. 1725. The New York Gazette begins publication. In 1726, the French build Fort Niagara, securing the river as it flows into Lake Ontario. Fort Niagara is actually on the eastern

side of the Niagara River in modern Youngstown, New York. 1727. The British also expand their holdings on Lake Ontario. Fort Oswego forms a trade route that chains from Lake Ontario across the Mohawk Valley and to the Hudson River, allowing goods to flow from New York City to Lake Ontario and back again. The Iroquois Confederacy in the Mohawk Valley is caught between the British and New York and the French and Canada. 1729. Baltimore is chartered in Maryland. Also in 1729, Jonathan Edwards begins preaching at a church in Northampton, Massachusetts. His enthusiastic sermons are unique and become popular in the secularizing New England that has lost much of its Puritan zeal. The Great Awakening is underway. In 1731, Benjamin Franklin, once a Bostonian but now in Philadelphia, helps to found the first subscription library in the colonies. Members pay a subscription fee to borrow books. The next year, 1732, Benjamin Franklin publishes Poor Richard's Almanac. Also in 1732, Fort Vincennes on the

Wabash River in modern Indiana provides the French with trade and outreach to the Illinois nation and other Algonquins in the western woodlands. French settlements in modern Indiana and Illinois will provide the French with the fertile lands to produce grain for their North American holdings, just as this region provides agriculture today for the United States. Georgia is chartered in 1732 by James Oglethorpe. There are now 13 British colonies in North America. Oglethorpe is a philanthropist who envisions a haven for the poor and a second chance for reformed prisoners. Although Thorpe also forbids slavery in this colony, so the British colony that was the furthest south in North America was also founded without slavery. This, of course, will change after Oglethorpe's influence fades, but for a time, Georgia has no slaves. Georgia also functions as a buffer between South Carolina and Spanish Florida. In 1733, Oglethorpe founds Savannah, Georgia, and in 1735, Oglethorpe invites John

Wesley, the founder of Methodism, to Georgia 1736. Students from William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, performed the first stone College play at a theater in Williamsburg. The play is Joseph Addison's Cato, and the phrase Liberty or death is spoken on stage in Williamsburg. Let's zoom out for a wider view. 1738. Fort Rouge is built in future Winnipeg, Canada. This post is but one of multiple French forts that extend the French fur trade Northwest Beyond Lake Superior into the Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba region. The Assiniboine, Cree, and Sioux are some of the nation's local to this region. We will zoom back in. Also in 1738, the Reverend George Whitefield arrives in Savannah, and during the year, he travels all the way north to Philadelphia. Whitefield would often speak in fields because his crowds were too large for church buildings. As we approached the mid-18th century, it is important to see how the diversity of American religion grew. In 1700, the landscape was dominated in the South by

the Anglicans and in New England by the Puritans, who themselves are actually technically Anglicans but in a low Church setting. William Penn's tolerance in Pennsylvania brought Quakers, German Mennonites, and German Lutherans into the middle colonies, and Maryland's tradition as a Catholic Haven resulted in a Catholic population there. Dutch Reformed communities remained in New York from that State's Dutch heritage. However, the Great Awakening in the first half of the 1700s brings new diversity, adding the new Presbyterian and Methodist communities to the Spectrum shown here in Orange, with the Presbyterians and Methodists at this time sharing the kind of Evangelical fervor that was exhibited in previous generations among New England's Puritans. So, there's actually a large spectrum of church experience in 18th century America, ranging from the high liturgical Traditions, which emphasized tradition and sacraments such as the Catholics, Lutherans, and high church Anglicans, across the Spectrum to the Evangelical

new light. Great Awakening communities that emphasized direct communion with the Divine, such as those among the Methodists, Presbyterians, Reformed, and low Church Anglicans. Outside the British colonies, the French and the Spanish are Roman Catholic. 1739, a major slave uprising occurs at Stono near Charleston. The Spanish in Florida were offering emancipation to fugitive slaves from the British colonies, but the uprising is nevertheless brutally stamped out. 1740, Savannah is caught in the middle of a back-and-forth border conflict between Spanish Florida and British South Carolina. This conflict is the uniquely named War of Jenkins' Ear, named after a sailor who lost his ear during a raid. Oglethorpe responds from Georgia, besieging Saint Augustine, but the Spanish hold off the attackers. Also in 1740, George Whitefield has an orphanage built in Savannah. That year, Whitefield preached in New England, went all the way from the south to the north. A very large percentage of the British colonists in all 13 colonies are going to hear Reverend Whitefield preach.

In 1740, there are some 906,000 people living in British North America, approaching 1 million people in those British colonies, almost double the figure from a generation before in 1720, and almost four times as many as there were living in the British colonies in 1700. In 1741, indigo is introduced to South Carolina, adding another cash crop to the southern plantation system. Rice and indigo are grown in South Carolina, while tobacco is grown in Virginia and in Maryland. At this early stage, North Carolina has many fewer slaves than South Carolina and Virginia. All three of these cash crops are grown through slave labor. It's important to note that cotton is not yet one of these cash crops. Cotton as a cash crop in the South will come generations later. Also in 1741, Jonathan Edwards in Enfield, Massachusetts, delivers his famous Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God sermon. The high emotional tone induced by these sermons is a good example of the preaching style of New Light ministers.

In 1742, the Spanish in Florida counter-attacked Georgia, striking near Fort Frederica south of Savannah. However, the British repulsed the Spanish at the Battle of Bloody Marsh. While the war for Jenkins' ear is occurring in the South, another conflict begins in the North. In 1744, King George's War, a spillover from Europe's War of Austrian Succession, is yet another conflict between Britain and France, with ramifications between the British colonies and French Canada in North America. The Nova Scotia and Cape Breton islands are at the center of King George's War. On Cape Breton Island, the French Fortress of Louisburg falls in 1745. New Englanders take Fortress Louisburg on Cape Breton Island, which severely cripples France's control of the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, the northern inlet into their lake and river empire. But the British colonies suffer a setback that same year in the conflict. The French and their native allies attacked Saratoga in New York, south of Lake Champlain. Dozens are killed.

also in 1745, a widow with the last name of Roberts opens a coffee house in Philadelphia, an example of the widening business opportunities for women in colonial America. 1746 Princeton, originally called the College of New Jersey, is founded, the fourth institution of Higher Learning in the future United States. Princeton was a new light School founded in the fervor of the Great Awakening. In 1748, the peace terms between France and Britain following the war of Austrian succession, also known as King George's War, are made. Britain yields Fortress Louisburg on Cape Breton Island back to France. Francis hold on Lower Canada is largely restored. New Englanders are angered that their capture of Louisburg has been forfeited. 1749, the British established Halifax on Nova Scotia to counter the French Fortress Louisburg on Cape Breton Island. We can see The Tinderbox that is festering between Britain and France and Canada as we approach mid-century. The extent of the settlements in the 13 British colonies are shown in red here, and by 1750, these colonies are nearly

150 years old, going back to Jamestown with the population extending to the Appalachian Mountains, and their economies have matured from the early settlements in the 17th century. In the north, timber is harvested from the great forests there. North Carolina is another source of timber. The colonial period is often called the age of wood because in Europe, wood was scarce for centuries due to deforestation. So, a major raw material from America that goes back to Europe is wood. Off the coast of New England, a substantial fishing and shipping industry thrives. The middle colonies produce timber, iron, and ships. Wheat is cultivated from New England through New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and into North Carolina. Tobacco plantations exist from Maryland through Virginia and into Northern North Carolina. Indigo is cultivated in the Carolinas, while rice is produced in the Carolinas and in Georgia. In the backcountry, up and down the Appalachian Mountains, British colonists on the edge of the Empire are engaged with the fur trade with Native Americans. These goods and wares are traded between

the colonies themselves, as well as with some other country. North America produces the raw goods like timber and furs, while mother Britain produces finished products like textiles. Now remember, in the mercantilist system which was being enforced by the British government, you were not to be trading. If you were a British colonist, you were not to be trading with the French or with the Spanish. You had to be trading with the British. Most trade is bartering one set of goods for another. At 1750, we see a robust populous and economically powerful British colonial system, while France has secured the trust of Native American nations in a wide but lightly populated colonial system. Spain has been settled in Florida for almost two centuries, and their Western missions have expanded in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The next decade, the 1750s, will see a collision course between these civilizations, and the fate of the North American continent will be determined. [Music]

Thirteen Colonies, 1700-1750 | Britain, France & Spain | North American colonies | US history

Jeffrey the Librarian

The Maturation of North American Colonies (1700-1711)

In 1700, English, French, and Spanish settlements are established in North America, with King William III on the throne.

The first half of the 18th century sees the founding of Yale and the publication of the first regular newspaper in the future U.

The period is marked by conflicts between England and France, the establishment of the Church of England in Maryland, and the expansion of the African population in South Carolina due to slave labor.

French Expansion and Key Events in North America (1711-1718)

The French established a fort in Mobile, Alabama in 1711 and expanded down the Mississippi River, naming the region Louisiana.

The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 resulted in France ceding Acadia, Hudson Bay, and Newfoundland to Britain.

The French built several forts in the Great Lakes and Lower Mississippi regions, including Fort Michilimackinac and Fort Rosalie, while also founding New Orleans in 1718 and adopting a tobacco plantation economy with slave labor.

Population Dynamics and Colonial Expansion (1718-1732)

The French had a light population density, promoting friendly relations with native nations, while the British colonies' rapid growth was perceived as more threatening.

The Spanish established the Mission San Antonio in 1718, and by 1720, the British colonies' population had doubled to 466,000.

Key events during this period included the smallpox outbreak in Boston, the French expanding their fur trading empire, and the Iroquois Confederacy's migration, all contributing to the dynamic colonial landscape.

The French Influence and Religious Diversity in 18th Century America

The Wabash River in modern Indiana was crucial for French trade and settlement, providing fertile lands for grain production.

Georgia, chartered by James Oglethorpe in 1732, was unique for its temporary ban on slavery and served as a buffer between South Carolina and Spanish Florida.

The mid-18th century saw a growing diversity of American religion, with the Great Awakening introducing new Presbyterian and Methodist communities to the existing spectrum of church experiences.

Key Events in the British North American Colonies (1739-1745)

A major slave uprising occurred in 1739 at Stono, South Carolina, in response to Spanish emancipation offers.

The War of Jenkins' Ear (1739-1744) sparked a border conflict between British South Carolina and Spanish Florida, while George Whitefield's preaching tour in 1740 significantly impacted British colonists.

The introduction of indigo in South Carolina in 1741 added to the plantation system, and King George's War (1744-1748) further intensified conflicts between Britain and France, with New Englanders capturing Fortress Louisburg in 1745.

Women's Business Opportunities and Colonial Expansion (1745-1750)

In 1745, a widow named Roberts opens a coffee house in Philadelphia, highlighting women's growing business opportunities in colonial America.

Princeton, founded in 1746, becomes the fourth institution of higher learning in the future United States, driven by the Great Awakening.

By 1750, the 13 British colonies have matured economically, with a diverse range of industries and a robust population, setting the stage for a collision course with France and Spain in the coming decade.