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The article presents a response to critiques of the author's article "Patriot Royalism: The Stuart Monarchy in American Political Thought, 1769-75," which appeared elsewhere in the issue. It examines the article's argument concerning American patriots' defenses of Great Britain's Stuart monarchs. The author addresses the power of the British Parliament and royal prerogative in the American colonies' governance. Topics include the pamphlet "Remarks on the Review of the Controversy Between Great Britain and Her Colonies," by Edward Bancroft, the dominion theory of empire, and the influence of the Stuart monarchy on the American presidency.

An essay that offers an economic interpretation of the American independence movement and American Revolutionary War is presented. It comments on taxation, slavery, and trade. The authors consider arguments set forth in various British pamphlets. They also examine the First Continental Congress, the Second Continental Congress, and the views of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, especially those set forth in his pamphlet "A Summary View of the Rights of British America."

An essay is presented in response to the article "Patriot Royalism: The Stuart Monarchy in American Political Thought, 1769-75," by Eric Nelson, published elsewhere in the issue. It analyzes Nelson's treatment of defenses of the British Stuart monarchy by American patriots. The author examines the dominion theory of the British Empire, exploring the power of the British monarchy and Parliament in the colonies. He also discusses the power of the executive in the U.S.

An essay is presented in response to the article "Patriot Royalism: The Stuart Monarchy in American Political Thought, 1769-75," by Eric Nelson, which appeared elsewhere in the issue. It comments on the concept of sovereignty and the dominion theory or commonwealth theory of the British Empire. The author explores the power of the British Parliament to tax American colonists. Pamphlets by British subcabinet official William Knox and American physician Edward Bancroft are considered.

An essay on American patriots' defenses of Great Britain's Stuart monarchs, including James I and Charles I, is presented, focusing on the period 1769 to 1775. It examines colonists' views of colonial governance, considering the power of the British Parliament and rule by royal prerogative. The author notes matters of taxation and commerce. The views of several individuals, including physician Edward Bancroft, politician John Dickinson, and Massachusetts governor Thomas Pownall, are considered.

An essay is presented in response to the article "Patriot Royalism: The Stuart Monarchy in American Political Thought, 1769-75," by Eric Nelson, published elsewhere in the issue. It examines Nelson's arguments concerning American patriots' defenses of the British Stuart monarchs, specifically James I and Charles I. The author comments on the powers of the British crown and the British Parliament in terms of colonial policy. The dominion theory of the British Empire is also considered.

Compared with other North American colonies, little scholarship exists on slave-holding in early Georgia. In this article, the author augments this historiography by examining a remarkable and little-used collection of sources. Data gleaned from analyzing more than 400 wills written by eighteenth-century white settlers reveal that roughly 39 percent of early Georgians owned slaves and that slave distribution was pyramidal, as most slaveholders owned but a few slaves, although some elites held many. While these findings support existing research, data from the wills suggest that early Georgia slaveholders owned, on average, about half as many slaves as other scholars contend. Besides informing an understanding of slavery in the colony, this article provides an overview of the early Georgia wills themselves, which, as sources, are highly accessible and contain a wealth of information for future scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents responses to critiques and evaluations of the authors' essays "The Phases of Conversion: A New Chronology for the Rise of Slavery in Early Virginia" and "The Visible Fist: The Chesapeake Tobacco Trade in War and the Purpose of Empire, 1690-1715," which appeared elsewhere in the issue. It considers the authors' academic collaboration and responds to omissions in their essays, which focus on slavery in colonial Virginia and British protection of the Chesapeake Bay region's tobacco trade. Scholars addressed include Peter A. Coclanis, Lorena S. Walsh, and April Lee Hatfield.

The article presents a response to the articles "The Phases of Conversion: A New Chronology for the Rise of Slavery in Early Virginia," by John C. Coombs and "The Visible Fist: The Chesapeake Tobacco Trade in War and the Purpose of Empire, 1690-1715," by Douglas Bradburn, which appear in the issue. It considers the scholars' response to the book "The Economy of British America," by historians John J. McCusker and Russell R. Menard. Topics include transatlantic politics, slavery, and the tobacco trade in colonial Virginia.

An essay is presented in response to the articles "The Phases of Conversion: A New Chronology for the Rise of Slavery in Early Virginia," by John C. Coombs and "The Visible Fist: The Chesapeake Tobacco Trade in War and the Purpose of Empire, 1690-1715," by Douglas Bradburn, which appear in the issue. It focuses on Virginia's colonial governing body the Council of State, commenting on its role in introducing slavery and in establishing British protection for Virginia's tobacco trade.

The article presents a response to the articles "The Phases of Conversion: A New Chronology for the Rise of Slavery in Early Virginia," by John C. Coombs and "The Visible Fist: The Chesapeake Tobacco Trade in War and the Purpose of Empire, 1690-1715," by Douglas Bradburn, published elsewhere in the issue. It examines Coombs' argument concerning slavery in seventeenth century Virginia and Blackburn's argument concerning British state power in the Chesapeake Bay region's colonial tobacco trade. The work of the group of historians known as the Chesapeake School is also considered.

The article presents a response to the articles "The Phases of Conversion: A New Chronology for the Rise of Slavery in Early Virginia," by John C. Coombs and "The Visible Fist: The Chesapeake Tobacco Trade in War and the Purpose of Empire, 1690-1715," by Douglas Bradburn, which appear elsewhere in the issue. It examines these historians' analysis of the Chesapeake Bay region's tobacco trade and slave labor. Topics considered include Virginia's political economy, Virginia planters, and the approach of Atlantic history.

The article presents a response to the articles "The Phases of Conversion: A New Chronology for the Rise of Slavery in Early Virginia," by John C. Coombs and "The Visible Fist: The Chesapeake Tobacco Trade in War and the Purpose of Empire, 1690-1715," by Douglas Bradburn, published in the issue. It examines the historiography of the Chesapeake Bay region, commenting on historians known as the Chesapeake School. Bradburn and Coombs' focus on elites and subregional issues within their studies on slavery and the tobacco trade is considered.

An introduction is presented which discusses articles in the issue, including one on slavery in Virginia in the seventeenth century, one on the role of the English state in the tobacco trade of the Chesapeake Bay region, and one on the Council of State, colonial Virginia's governing body.

An essay on the development of slavery in seventeenth century Virginia is presented, focusing on chronology. The author examines the spread of slave ownership among the Virginia gentry, particularly among members of the governing body the Council of State. Other topics considered include English trade with Africa, Virginians' ties to English merchants, and the accessibility of Virginians to slaves through Dutch trade.

The article focuses on the 18th-century religious disputations in the Baptist Church over the doctrine of Universalism, or universal salvation, espoused by Baptist minister Elhanan Winchester of the Baptist Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It considers the parallel growth of Universalism in New England compared to Universalists in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic states, the impact of the Great Awakening on American religious practices, the use of pamphlets to sway public religious opinion, and Baptist church governance practices.

This work presents a review of ethnohistorical writings and ethnographic studies (some by the author) in search of Maya deities as they appear in the religious life of the Maya people of Yucatán. This introductory survey spans more than four centuries, from the 1560s to the 1980s. Many of the gods of the early Colonial Period continue living today in the indigenous communities of the Peninsula, while others have disappeared completely. This article traces their presence or absence over time and proposes that their disappearance or survival is a reflection of their role in Maya society. The patron gods of social/civic groups have disappeared while the agricultural gods of the forest and the sky survive today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To gain greater insight into the color semantic field, it is important to consult various Mayance language dictionaries, in order to assemble a preliminary chromatic vocabulary, composed of five basic color terms which in Yucatec Maya are sak, ek', chak, k'an and ya'ax, or "white", "black", "red", "yellow" and "green-blue", respectively. The very vocabulary addresses certain extra-linguistic categories that language is capable of accumulating, reflecting, and communicating. These categories depend on a particular culture; consequently this study is amplified with greater information from different sources written during the colonial period in order to shed light on the many uses that the colors had in the aspects of human life which, at the same time, can be seen in conceptualizations articulated in pairs of opposition or tripartite groupings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hitherto neither historians nor Americanists have paid much attention to Franklin's 1766 journey to Germany. Yet his trip to the Holy Roman Empire was of the utmost importance for him as he sought to learn as much as possible about the constitutional structure of this old European body politic. He planned his tour months ahead, making sure to meet Johann Stephan Pütter, the leading authority on German constitutional law. It was Pütter's understanding of the Empire as a federation that attracted Franklin's interest at a time when he was looking for a model for a union of the American colonies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1690 and the end of the American Revolution, colonial newspaper printers developed a fairly standardized writing style in trying to provide readers useful, informative, and entertaining news in as little space as possible. A long history of newsletters, government publications, English newspapers, apprenticeships, and news clipping, as well as shortages of supplies and a fear of censorship, helped shape this style. Printers recognized that readers wanted to know at minimum the basic information--who, what, when, where, why, and how--of a news story, and when space permitted, a few longer pieces, usually written in chronological order, included more details, background information, and dramatic introductory sentences. Overall, however, writers based their newswriting on fundamental storytelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflecting on developments in Native American history over the past generation and on my own work, this article considers the limitations of trying to "fit" Indian history into American history. Instead, it suggests placing the history of the United States in a longer and larger continental history and viewing Indian history as a part of global history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English people were fascinated, disgusted, and frightened by the new American habit of tarring and feathering officials. Eighteenth-century England experienced more riots than America, but English rioters never sought to change the status of upper-class targets with theatrical disfigurements. Polite English folk feared the spread of tar and feathering to England’s underclass and, thus, became convinced that Americans had to be violently transformed or allowed to leave the Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article brings land systems into dialogue to explain the successful coexistence of the Wangunks, a native community of central Connecticut, and their English neighbors during the colonial period. Using the interpretive research focus of likeness, structurally similar aspects of Wangunk and English land tenure are compared, including diversified landholdings extending from a village center, cooperation of individual and common rights, and a gendered proprietorship. This discourse suggests that the character of Wangunk ethnicity resonates from the values that motivated their land system more than from its structures. Furthermore, distinctive elements of the Wangunk Reservation land system, as hereby reconstructed, contribute to an emerging sense that articulations of native and English land systems are not only dynamic but locally distinct across New England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an examination into the connections between slavery and Muslims in the United States during the colonial period. Details are given highlighting the presence of Muslim slaves in the American colonies during the 18th century. The experience of the first Muslim slave in the nation, Senegalese slave Job Ben Solomon, is described along with several other typical examples. Comments are given discussing the extent to which their religious practices were public and influential in their lives.

This article discusses research wherein records of environmental history were analyzed to create a modeled recreation of hydrological processes within the colonial U.S. The study intended to elucidate how water resources historically shaped patterns of human settlement and networks of economic and biological exchange, as well as how present generations may best prepare for future hydrological changes. Researchers hosted by the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) analyzed historical data from the Northeastern U.S. hydrologic system between Chesapeake Bay and the St. John River in Maine. The study incorporates a conceptual model as well as a methodological model to establish variables such as land cover change and climate change.

The use of the consumer boycott as a political tool is commonly associated with pre-revolutionary colonial America and has been identified by historians as an important means through which American women were politicized. This article argues that from the late seventeenth century, Irish political discourse advocated the non-consumption of imported goods and support for home manufactures by women in ways that were strikingly similar to those used later in North America. In Ireland and, subsequently in the American colonies, the virtuous woman consumer was given an active public role by political and social commentators. Rather than being a "brilliantly original American invention," as T. H. Breen has argued, the political exploitation of a consumer boycott and the promotion of local industry were among what Bernard Bailyn has described as the "set of ideas, already in scattered ways familiar" to the revolutionary leaders through the Irish experience. The article also argues that a shared colonial environment gave Irish and American women a public patriotic role in the period, c. 1700-1780 that they did not have in the home countries of England and Scotland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the origins of slavery and antislavery movements in Great Britain and the British colonies in America in the 17th century. Though abolitionism is commonly studied by historians as a phenomenon of the late 18th century that arose in response to the race-based perpetual bondage of Africans, the article expands the definition of slavery to include British indentured servants, described as "bond slaves," brought to the New World against their will. These developments are discussed against the background of the mid-17th-century political upheavals in Great Britain, including the English Revolution, Commonwealth, and Protectorate.

The article discusses spelling bees as a folk institution in the U.S. The etymology of the word "spell" is examined. The author looks at previous examinations of spelling bees, including the documentary film "Spellbound," directed by Jeffrey Blitz. The author argues that one reason spelling bees are American is that they were not held in England during the colonial period. The importance put on spelling and pronunciation in England is talked about. The role of lexicographer Noah Webster in spelling reform in the U.S. is also discussed.

The article discusses the community of Akan speakers from Africa's Gold Coast in colonial New York City, including the Coromantee and Amina peoples. It examines the Dutch West India Company, England's Royal African Company, and the importation of slaves to New York. Topics include Akan cultural identity, Obeah religious practices, and loyalty oaths. The author comments on the trials of slaves Will Ward and Quack Roosevelt for their involvement in series of fires in New York City in 1741, alleged to be a slave conspiracy. Ward's purported involvement in another slave conspiracy in Antigua and a slave rebellion in St. John in the Danish Virgin Islands is also discussed.

The U.S. Constitution removed real and monetary trade barriers between the states. By contrast, these states when they were British colonies exercised considerable real and monetary sovereignty over their borders. Purchasing power parity is used to measure how much economic integration between the states was gained in the decades after the Constitution's adoption compared with what existed among the same locations during the late colonial period. Using this measure, the short-run effect of the Constitution on economic integration was minimal. This may have been because the Constitution did not eliminate all the institutional barriers to interstate trade before 1812. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The story of African Americans is usually absent from the mainstream textbook study of homeless people. This research begins to address this absence. It provides an overview by using eight distinct historic experiences—the colonial period, Civil War period, cowboys of the west, the tramping years, the Black migration north, the depression years and New Deal, urban renewal, and deindustrialization of the American economy—to begin the process of more fully describing the experience of Black homelessness in America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author examines the influence exerted by the ancient empire of Carthage on political science in revolutionary America. Carthage, as perceived by American 18th century political thinkers, is contrasted with the Roman empire and ancient Greece and its civilization. The most problematic feature of Carthage for American revolutionaries was its commercialism, according to the article. Presented is a brief history of Carthage as it was perceived by the historians and thinkers of 18th century America.

The origins of American demonisation of Islam and the Arabic World has roots in seventeenth century Puritanism and the nascent imperialist attitude of the new settlers. The objectivisation of the Muslim Arab in what the Europeans called 'Barbary', and the Native American occurred in tandem and underscored the supposed superiority of English and Puritan values and culture. This article explains how racial and religious biases in the New World worked in tandem with politics and expressed themselves in literature which was used for propagandistic purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the history, themes, and social aspects of American Quaker literature, focusing on the 1771 book "The Life and Spiritual Sufferings of That Faithful Servant of Christ, Jane Hoskens, a Public Preacher among the People Called Quakers" by Jane Fenn Hoskens. The article describes the era of the Quaker Reformation in Pennsylvania, the socioeconomic influence of Quakers and its political consequences, and the working-class characteristics of Hoskens' narrative. Subjects under discussion include the role of women in Quaker society, the influence of literature on the Society of Friends, and Quaker theology.

In the summer of 1748, authorities in colonial America issued a warrant for the arrest and imprisonment of a baker named Peter Johnson. Acting on these orders, the sheriff apprehended and detained Johnson 'a negro man' also known as Primus, for refusing to serve as the slave of George Massey. Massey claimed that he owned Johnson, swearing under oath that Johnson was a 'slave for life' and as such had no right to refuse to work for him. Having purchased Johnson for £43 from a man named Joseph Hicks, Massey argued that the slave's 'stubborn and rebellious' attitude was criminal. Johnson had to choose between submitting to Massey or remaining incarcerated until he could plead his case in court. He preferred the latter. Despite sworn affidavits and testimony to the contrary, Johnson maintained that he had never been a slave and was not obliged to submit to Massey or anyone else. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the significance of masks in colonial portraits such as that of John Wollaston's portrait of Charlestonian Ann Gibbes, in which she holds a mask of Venetian style. It notes that masked balls were highly popular before the American Revolution as a way for colonials to establish their British heritage. An English engraving from 1772 by Carington Bowles is cited, showing Lady Betty Bustle and her maid preparing for a masquerade in which the lady holds a mask similar to that held by Ann Gibbes. It notes that the colonial portraits served to define status but also to question the possibility of maintaining a civilized society in the North American context.

Since Carl Bridenbaugh published The Colonial Craftsman in 1950, historians have asserted that artisans supported the pre-Revolutionary nonimportation movements largely because these trade stoppages benefited artisans economically. This article summarizes the historiography of this argument, highlights weaknesses in it, and offers evidence which demonstrates that most artisans were negatively impacted by the boycotts. Finally, it highlights the need for further research into the transition that urban artisans faced as they moved from their early dual roles as husbandmen and artisans to a near-exclusive reliance on their trades for sustenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented discussing the origins of colonial slavery in the colonial South and how historians are developing alternate approaches to addressing these questions. The idea that race itself was a product of slavery posited in historian Ira Berlin's book "Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America" is examined. The view that early colonial slaves were treated like indentured servants and varying timelines for the transition to chattel slavery is examined.

The article presents an exploration into the work and philosophy of the American historian Charles McLean Andrews. Details are given outlining Andrews' career as a scholar of the U.S. colonial era and the particular philosophical and methodological challenges he confronted as a historian. Questions are raised highlighting the dichotomy between the objective and emotional components of historiography. The need to establish authoritative readings of historical events is contrasted with the work of authors concerning an engaging and interesting narrative. Andrews' efforts towards this end are discussed along with the broader implications to all historians.

The article examines the book "Histoire philosophique at politique des établissements et du commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes," written by a group 18th century French historians and philosophers but primarily attributed to Guillaume-Thomas-Francois Raynal and Denis Diderot, first published in 1770, and revised and expanded in 1780. The book was considered the leading examination of European colonization in the Western and Eastern Hemispheres of its time. The influence of the book on French opinion towards the colonies which went on to form the United States and of the Revolutionary War is considered. The sections of the book dealing with the U.S. and its colonial history were an exception to its general theme of the barbarity of European imperialism elsewhere.

The article focuses on William De Brahm (c1717-1799), 18th century German cartographer who was notable for his work mapping the Southeastern portion of the British colonies in North America. The author considers De Brahms' mysticism which he embraced in his later life, his criticism of imperialism and the treatment of the Indians of North America, and his scientific writings associated with his cartographic studies. The author seeks to reconcile De Brahm's scientific innovations, religious thoughts, and social commentary during the period of the Enlightenment as well as the religious revivals within the U.S.

This article discusses the development of slavery in the agricultural settlement of colonial New York State. Conflicts between the English and the Dutch as settlers of the state are considered. The support for colonization and the development of large estates that depended on African and Native American laborers is described. The importation of slaves by the Dutch West Indies Corporation and the British Royal African Company is noted. Comparisons of regional approaches to slaveholding and economic exploitation of the hinterland are described. The relationship between masters and slaves on these plantations is explored

The possibility and reality of captivity was one of many parts of the American experience that added to a developing Anglo-American identity. Using the 1754 captivity of the Johnson family of Charlestown, New Hampshire as the focal point, this article explores the ways in which the fear and insecurity associated with captivity and with captivity stories had an impact on American identity. Individual settlers along the borders of Anglo settlement obtained land and lived with the hope of personal improvement and better lives for their families. But opportunity came at the price of constant insecurity, fear and, occasionally, captivity by Native Americans. Captives discovered that their individual identities were lost and their children were abandoned in bureaucratic efforts caught up in the imperial struggles between Britain and France. Imperial or provincial government authorities seemed powerless to free them. Insecurity inspired adaptability. Many captives became cultural mediators as they negotiated between cultures and created useful networks to assist in obtaining freedom. They were willing to try a range of tactics to mould themselves to the needs of the moment. Captivity narratives and news explicitly exposed the increasingly divergent paths of colonies and metropole. Captivity forged the links of distrust of government, cultural adaptability and greater individual agency with a familial focus and added them to the chain of American identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sociologists have shown that religious groups can be ranked in terms of their access to power, privilege, and prestige. However, the interpretation of this ranking is in dispute. I raise three questions. (1) Under what conditions does religious stratification arise? (2) How does it persist and change over time? (3) How does it affect society? I approach these questions in much the same way sociologists have studied the origins, persistence, and consequences of stratification based on race, class, and gender. Framing the issues in terms of conflict theory, I summarize what colleagues and I are learning about the development of religious stratification in America's colonial period, how it has persisted and changed since then, and its destabilizing impact on our society. I also discuss the implications our analyses have for future research, including research at the meso- and micro-levels. Given the theme of the 2007 annual meeting, I conclude with a few thoughts about the implications my analysis Ms for building a better society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how Jamestown, Virginia, celebrated its 400th anniversary and the historical issues raised by the events. Queen Elizabeth of England attended the celebrations and notions of democracy, empire, nation and history were debated. The authors analyzes notions of empire and nation in early America through the lens of cultural history. The interconnectedness of peoples during this era undermines the conventional, simplistic notions of history celebrated at the Jamestown event. A brief overviews of the historiography of early America is also presented.

The article examines the religious motive in the English colonization of the U.S. with a focus on the colonial settlement of New England. The presence of missionary or religious statements found in the documents, charters, and plans related to migration to the New World is discussed. Statements of religious purpose in the charters of Rhode Island, Providence Plantation, Virginia and Plymouth Company dating from the early 1600s are cited. The meaning of the phrase "liberty of conscience" in early colonial America is explained. The punishment of religious dissenters in Massachusetts is discussed.

In this article the author discusses aspects of educator John W. Shepard, Jr.'s article "The European Background of American Freedom," that appeared in this issue. The author discusses Shepard's assessments of the background of political freedom that was developed in the American colonies of Great Britain and was also the reason for the U.S.'s foundation after the American Revolution. Also investigated was Radical Reformation's idea that church and state should be separate.

Exploring the relationship between Benjamin Franklin and his father, Josiah, within the broader context of the colonies' rejection of paternal authority in the form of monarchy, this essay argues that Franklin's Autobiography reinvests paternal power in textual figuration. In the guise of modest philosopher and autobiographical model, Franklin accedes to discursive mastery and, thus, assumes a paternalistic function through the realization that rhetoric is not simply something that the self might master. For Franklin, the self itself is rhetorical, and paternal authority finds legitimacy not simply in the republican ideal of representative impersonality but in the performative ability to impersonate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the influence that the Spanish legal tradition of the asiento de negros, which gave permission from the Spanish government to other countries to sell slaves to the Spanish colonies between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries, had on international law. As part of a peace treaty between Spain and Great Britain signed in 1713, the Spanish colonies were assured a number of African slaves supplied by Great Britain for a period of thirty years.

This article presents an examination of deism in the U.S. in the years following the the American Revolution. The author relates the story of merchant and deist William Beadle who murdered his wife and children in 1782 and the reaction this crime had on public opinion towards deism in the U.S. The author explores how deism challenged Americans' religious views and the role deism played in shaping American religious common sense. The author discusses the religious atmosphere of the U.S. in the years following the Revolutionary War and the popularity that Christianity and Evangelicalism experienced during those years.