Colonial Society and Culture in the

18th c

APUSH – Unit 1C(covers Ch. 3)

Mrs. Kray

Colonial Population

Diverse society

Distinct American regions (New England, Middle, Southern)

Still strongly influenced by England Tastes, styles, and customs Modeled political, social, and

educational institutions modeled on English equivalents

A Heterogeneous Society

High Birthrate**

Immigration Push Factors: escape religious

persecution and wars Pull Factors: economic

opportunity

Most settled in Middle colonies or along western frontier of the Southern colonies

Population Explosion

Immigration from Europe

English• Continued to come but

in smaller numbers

German• 6% of the pop.• Settled on farmland

west of Philly• Showed little interest in

English politics

Scotch-Irish• 7% of the pop.• Settled along the

frontier• Didn’t respect British

gov’t

Other Europeans• 5% of the pop.• Huguenots (Fr.

Protestants)• Swedes• Dutch

Most 17th century immigrants came as indentured

servants

Origins of Indentured Servitude Existing practice in England Labor shortage in Chesapeake Headright System

Realities of Servitude Served fixed term 5-7 years Some became successful but most found themselves

without land, family, or prospects when service ended Became a source of social unrest (ex. Bacon’s Rebellion)

From Servitude to Slavery

Africans = largest non-

European immigrant group 20% of the colonial

population 90% lived in the South as

slaves

Slavery was not common in the 17th c 1620: Dutch bring first

Africans to the colonies Original status similar to

indentured servant

From Servitude to Slavery

Slavery increased dramatically in the 18th

c, why? Reduced migration from England Dependable workforce

Planters had grown tired of political demands and social unrest caused by freed indentured servants

Cheap source of labor As tobacco prices fell, rice & indigo became

the profitable crops, require large, cheap labor supply

Slave codes passed by colonial assemblies

Slavery legal in ALL 13 colonies

From Servitude to Slavery

Slave trade originally

controlled by Portuguese, then Dutch, then English

Triangular Trade Middle Passage

The Slave Trade:Asiento System

The Colonial Economies

Mercantilism was the rule.Commerce was the primary goal of most colonies.

However, agriculture dominated all sections.

New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island)• Climate and geography made large-scale farming

difficult, small farms common• Limited manufacturing. • Economy based on trade: shipbuilding, logging, fishing

Middle (New York, Pennsylvania)• Bread basket of the colonies (wheat, corn)• Some manufacturing, some farming, some trading

Southern (Virginia, Maryland, Carolinas)• Climate and geography lent itself to agriculture• Large-scale farming of cash crops (tobacco, indigo,

rice)• Labor intensive cash crop farming led to slavery

Comparing Colonial Economies

Mercantilism made colonial needs subservient to those of the

mother country A major English strategy in controlling the colonial economy was to

limit the use of money. Colonies faced currency shortage – forced to use much of the limited

hard currency to pay for the imports from England. Many of the colonies issued paper money but this led to inflation. Parliament vetoed all colonial laws that might harm English merchants.

Fragmented commercial world made it difficult to find markets to sell goods

Fierce competition

Despite obstacles, trade managed to stabilize & thrive by 18th c

Obstacles to Colonial Commerce

Concentrated in port cities (Boston,

New York, Philadelphia)

Disliked limitations mercantilism imposed on trade (ex. Navigation Acts) Led to smuggling English government ignored illegal

smuggling (salutary neglect)

When English try to end salutary neglect, colonial trading cities like Boston become centers of revolutionary thought

An Emerging Merchant Class

Patterns of Society

Abundant land and a relatively small population meant that their was great social mobility in America.

General Characteristics

Rural society – 90% of colonists were farmers

Importance of the family Center of social and

economic life

Elements of democracy and self-government Each colony had a

representative assembly elected by eligible voters

Connecticut and Rhode Island even let the people vote for the governor

Religious toleration Rhode Island and

Pennsylvania most tolerant

Massachusetts least tolerant

No hereditary aristocracy

Social mobility Higher standard of

living than in Europe

Southern Society

White Society Highly stratified society

Very few lived on large plantations but these large plantation owners dominated society and politics (planter elite/planter aristocracy)

Dispersed settlements

Slave Society Developed a strong

independent culture that mixed elements of African and European cultures Gullah, mulatto children

Treatment varied greatly

Responses to slavery varied Slave rebellions, like the

Stono Rebellion in SC, uncommon

Women in the Colonies

Chesapeake Unbalanced gender ratio

in the 17th c undermined male authority

High mortality rate led to: Blended families Flexible standards of sexual

behavior (30% of brides pregnant)

Male authority re-established in 18th c

New England More balanced gender ratio

created and more stable family structure = less independence

Family relationships and status of women based on religious beliefs Father = absolute ruler of family Married women had no separate

legal identity from their husbands Wife expected to devote herself to

needs of the family

Still a theocracy

Town = basic social unit Town meeting of adult males ran the affairs of

the community Compact settlements provided each family a

home lot in the village with outlying farm lots A family’s land distribution depended upon its

size, wealth, and social standing. Primogeniture was practiced

As land within towns became scare, younger sons moved west to areas of more plentiful land Weakened the authority of the father and the

town

Puritan Communities in NE

Example of the effects of community cohesion eroding and the precarious position of women in Puritan society

Salem Witch Trials, 1680s – 1690s

•Most

progressive

•1647 law required all towns to have a public school

New England

•Schools were either church-sponsored or private

Middle

•Parents gave children whatever education they could

•Planter elites hired private tutors

Southern

Education in the Colonies

Awakenings and Enlightenments

Traditional emphasis on God vied with the Enlightenment’s emphasis on science and reason as a force in

individuals’ lives, and these created tension throughout the 18th c.

Established churches = tax-supported

churches

Established Churches

Anglican Church

• Supported by prosperous farmers and merchants in Middle Colonies

• Supported by planter elites in the South

• Symbol of English control of the colonies

Congregationalist Church

• Successor to Puritan Church in New England

• Critics complained the minister were too domineering and doctrines were overly complex • Predestination, the

elect

Religious revival and reaction to the

religious decline of the early 18th c Emphasized human sinfulness and

the perils of damnation Broke away from traditional

constraints of the past and urged people to form a new relationship with God (new light vs. old light preaching)

Swept through ALL the colonies Particularly popular with women and

younger sons

The Great Awakening, 1730s-1740s

His series of sermons started the Great Awakening

Jonathan Edwards“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry

God”

He and other itinerant preachers helped spread the Great Awakening throughout the colonies Preached to audiences as large at 10,000

George Whitefield

Significance of the Great Awakening

Challenged traditional authority If you could make your

own religious decisions, could you make your own political decisions too?

Divided many congregations new lights vs. old lights Led to the formation of

new churches & more religious diversity

Calls for separation of church and state

New colleges created to train new light ministers

First shared American experience

Intellectual movement of the 18th c. that argued reason

and scientific inquiry led to progress

Led to a heightened interest in politics and government

Undermined traditional authorities and encouraged education

As tension w/Britain grew, colonists looked for an explanation & justification for this changing relationship Found their answers in the philosophies of the

Enlightenment

The Enlightenment

Enlightenment Philosophers

Jean-Jacques Rousseau• Argued gov’t was a social contract

between the leaders & the people. People therefore held the ultimate authority (popular sovereignty)

John Locke’s Two Treatises on Government• Argued people were born w/natural rights

(life, liberty, & property). If gov’t didn’t protect your rights you could overthrow itBaron Montesquieu

• Argued there must be a separation of powers to protect citizens from government abuse of power

American Philosophes

John Adams

Ben Franklin

Thomas Jefferson

Enlightenment influenced the English political and legal

systems transplanted to the colonies

A time of salutary neglect Because British gov’t was far away, colonists had to take on a lot

of responsibilities for self-government Grew accustomed to running their own affairs Colonial assemblies exercised many of the same powers as

Parliament Came to view these privileges as rights

The Problem with Royal Governors On paper had broad powers but their salary was controlled by

colonial assemblies Many were not familiar with the colonies they were governing

and were either inept or corrupt

Colonial Governments

John Peter Zenger was a NY newspaper

publisher charged with libel for criticizing the royal governor of NY

Colonial jury found him not guilty because his criticism were true – ignored actual British libel law

Established freedom of the press in the colonies Encouraged papers to take greater risks

in criticizing colonial government

The Zenger Trial, 1735

Religious restrictions were removed

White women, poor white men, slaves & most freed blacks barred from voting

Property requirements for voting & holding office

Did the representative assemblies represent the privileged elites or the larger society of plain citizens?

Georgian style on east coast

One-room log cabin on the frontier

John Hancock

Paul Revere

Watson & the Shark by John Copley (currently hanging in Museum of

Art in Balboa Park)

Colonists’ motives for leaving Europe, the political heritage of the English majority, & the

influence of the natural environment in America

combined to bring about a distinctly American viewpoint

& way of life

restlessenterp

risi

ng

practical

Forever seeking to improve their

situation

Used to

certain liberti

es

Fairly tolerant

Describe some of the patterns of immigration and their effect on colonial development.

What impact did the emergence of the new plantation system have on southern society?

What were the causes and effects of the Great Awakening?