After the restoration of the Stuart Monarchy in England, English authorities sought to expand the nation's overseas trade.

Navigation Acts: Passed by Parliament designed to increase England's commercial interests. Barred merchants in the colonies from exporting sugar and tobacco anywhere except to England, and from importing goods in non-English ships.

Royal Centralization: Royal intentions of extending direct political control to North America.

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Plymouth into a single administrative unit, the Dominion of New England.

Following the Glorious Revolution, Massachusetts, New York, and Maryland all rose up against the Stuart governments installed.

Leisler's Rebellion: Took over NY's colonial government, denied entry to royal troops, when Royal troops entered, they arrested, and killed Leisler, a captain of the colonial militia.

Revolutionary events following the Glorious Revolution between the years 1688-1689, changed the political atmosphere of the colonies, by reestablishing legislative governments and ensuring religious freedom for Protestants.

Colonial elites reasserted their control over local affairs. This created a sense in Americana that they remained with the English Empire not because they had to, but because they wanted to, out of their own free will. 

War of the League of Augsburg (1690-1697) (King William's War): 1 of 4 struggles fought in the colonies as a second theatre to European conflict. New Yorkers and Yankees launched an invasion of Canada (New France). Lack of supplies prevented victory, war turned into inconclusive border raids against civilians on both sides of the conflict.

"Grand Settlement" of 1701: Five Nations of the Iroquois made peace with France and its Indian allies; in exchange for furs .

War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) (Queen Anne's War): Showed American's military weakness.

Conclusion of the Wars: Instilled Dependence on the British..

Most Enduring Aspect of this Epoch: Salutary Neglect, also called Benign Neglect: The British Empire had minimal interference with colonial affairs.

Mercantilism was still in place in the colonies. Mercantilism was the antithesis of the capitalist system as shown by Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations. 

Impacts of the Navigation Acts: I) Laws limited all imperial trade to British ships, defined as those with British ownership and whose crews were 75% British. Great Britain rose as Europe's foremost shipping nation, but also laid foundations for American merchant marine. II) Barred exports of "enumerated goods" to foreign nations, unless passed first through England or Scotland. III) Encourage economic diversification in America. IV) Forbade Americans from competing with British manufacturers.

After 1700 Colonial Women had an average of 8 children and 42 grand-children.

Between 1700 and 1740 350,000 new immigrants came to the States, out of that 140,000 (40%) were slaves. Most immigrants came from Ireland, and a number were "Scots-Irish" Most immigrants were poor. Also many began to settle more westward than before.

Between 1700 and 1770 colonial living standards rose ten-fold. In the Chesapeake 30% of all White families owned slaves. Poverty was mainly a characteristic of slaves and of a small underclass of whites. Standard of Living surpassed that of Scotland or Ireland and resembled that of England and Wales. Americans were able to consume a vast array of British products. British exports went from 5% to 40% between 1700 and -60. 

Landownership came quickest to those farmers who could find seasonal or part-time work The more isolated a community, or less productive the farmland, the more self-sufficient and bartering its people would be. 

4% of all colonists lived in the cities. Poverty was rampant in Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. At the same time, NY's wealthiest 10% owned 45% of the property, similar patterns in the other major cities. 

Slave rebellion, such as the Stono Rebellion occurred.  

The richest 2% held 15% of the property. The second wealthiest 2-10% held 25% of the property. They showed their "Grand Style" These gentlemen also made up the political arena of the colonies. They sat as judges and councils on the highest courts. Most representatives in the legislative bodies, and officer rankings in militia also came from the Gentry class. Outside New England, only 20% of the population could run for office. 

Europeans competed for land in the continent of America. France had land between Louisiana and Canada, but only attempted to settle in parts of that land. Most notably in Missouri and Illinois. The British began to settle Georgia in the South, and consolidating its colonies. Spain on the other hand, took to the West, yet had a difficult time in securing their prowess in the area.

The colonies were probably the most literate area in the world. 90% of New England white males, and 40% of the women could read and write. 

Enlightenment: Combination of confidence in human reason with skepticism towards belief not founded on science or strict logic. Ben Franklin fully embodied the Enlightenment.

Great Awakening: Religious fervor that swept the colonies in the mid-1730's. The Great Awakening represented an unleashing of anxiety and longing among ordinary people. New Lights: revivalists. Old Lights: Rationalist clergy.

Effects: I) Revival started the decline in the influence of the Quakers, Anglicans, and Congregationalists. Number of Presbyterians and Baptists increased, and so did that of Methodists. II) Stimulated founding of new colleges such as Princeton, Columbia, Brown, and Rutgers. III) Revival crossed social and racial lines and attracted African-Americans and Native-Americans.