What events illustrate the racial, class, and religious tensions in the chesapeake?

From the religious point of view, the conflicts began because of the enmity between Catholic and Protestants. In 1649, at the insistence of Baltimore, the colonial assembly approved the Act of Religious Tolerance, the first law in the colonies granting freedom of worship, though only for Christians. In 1654, however, with the Protestants of Maryland in the majority, the act was revoked. The almost civil war broke out and order was not restored until 1658, when Lord Baltimore was returned to power.

On the issue of class conflict, the Chesapeake region offered few economic opportunities to contract employees who had served their term of obligation. Even with the small amount of capital needed to grow tobacco, former hired servants at best became subsistence farmers, a mature class for those called to rebellion, such as those proposed by Nathaniel Bacon. As the number of new hired workers declined because of limited chances of progress and reports of severe treatment, they were replaced by African slaves.

From the racial point of view, after 1660, the Chesapeake colonies imposed laws that defined slavery as a lifelong and hereditary condition based on race. This made slaves profitable because planters could rely not only on their work but also on their children. The slave population, which numbered four thousand in Virginia and Maryland in 1675, grew significantly by the end of the century.

on december 1, 1774, the continental association was created to boycott all contact with british goods. by reversing the economic sanctions placed on the colonists, the delegates hoped britain would repeal its intolerable acts.

the anti federalists was a movement that was opposed to the creation of a us federal government. although they were not as organized as the federalists, they also had a large group of leaders, especially in state politics.

the statement "now, in a large extended country, it is impossible to have a representation, possessing the sentiments, and of integrity, to declare the minds of the people” represents the concerns of the anti federalists.

they strongly believed that the federalists were representing the interests of aristocratic elements of society at the expense of the majority of ordinary people, who lived in a rural society.

their fear for the creation of a strong federal government and the president’s power of veto in their opinion would create a tyrannical rule that would dominate the people. they defended the importance of restraining the government’s power towards people at any cost.