Colonial Society on the Eve of RevolutionChapter 5

Mingling of Races• 1775

▫ 2.5 million people ½ African American

▫ Doubling numbers every 25 yrs.

▫ English Advantage = 3 to 1 Shift in balance of power

▫ Most populous colonies Virginia, Mass, Penn, N.C.,

Maryland

▫ 4 big cities Philadelphia, N.Y., Boston,

Charleston

Cont.•Germans

▫6%▫150,000 by 1775▫Pennsylvania

Protestant sect / Lutheran Pennsylvania Dutch 1/3 of colony No deep loyalty to crown

Cont.• Scots-Irish

▫ 7 %

▫ 175,000 by 1775

▫ Not prosperous in Northern Ireland Fighting with Irish

Catholics

▫ Pennsylvania

▫ Land taken – pushed to frontier

▫ First settler of the West Squatters

▫ Rickety settlements Floorless, flimsy log

cabins

▫ Exhausted soil = moved on

▫ Pugnacious, lawless, individualistic

▫ Whisky

Cont.

•African Americans▫Largest, single, non-English group▫20% by 1775▫Concentrated in South

90% of the slaves

Cont.• New England colonies

▫Puritans▫Least ethnic diversity

• Middle colonies▫Variety of peoples▫White immigrants

• 1775▫½ population non English

• “Strange mixture of Blood”

Society Structure

•Equal opportunity•Small farmers

▫Modest holdings•Cities

▫Skilled artisans / shopkeepers / trades people

•Social ladder = open•Paupers and Convicts

▫“Jayle Birds”

Jobs

•Christian Ministry = honored profession•Physicians

▫Poorly trained▫Bleeding▫Epidemics

Inoculation = 1721•Lawyers

▫Noisy windbags

Trade• Agriculture = leading

industry▫ 90%▫ Staple crops▫ Wheat

Chesapeake N.Y. = 1759

80,000 barrels of flour

• Fishing▫ New England▫ Whaling

• Lumber▫ Shipbuilding▫ Most important

manufacturing activity▫ Masts = King

Triangular Trade Route

Horsepower / Sailpower

•Roads were horrible▫Death sentence

•Used rivers and waterways

•Taverns▫Sam Adams

•Intercolonial Postal System

Denominations• Church of England

▫ Anglicans▫ Georgia, N.C, S.C, Virginia, Maryland, and part of N.Y.▫ College of William and Mary 1693 = train clerics

• Congregational Church▫ Grown out of Puritan Church▫ All New England colonies

Except R.I.

• Roman Catholics = discriminated against

• Tolerance??

Great Awakening

• 1730’s – 1740’s▫Religious Revival▫“Dead Dogs”▫Arminianism

Individual free will determined person’s eternal fate

• Jonathan Edwards▫Salvation through good works = folly

• George Whitefield▫New style of preaching = great orator

Schools

• Bible Reading▫ Make good Christians

rather than good citizens

• Education = Boys

• Cambridge = New England▫ Puritanism▫ Preparing for ministry

• Wealthy families = tutors

• Discipline severe▫ “Birched”

Politics• 1775

▫8 colonies Royal Governors

▫Maryland, Penn, and Delaware Proprietors

▫Conn, R.I. Self-governing

• 2 house legislative body▫Upper house = crown▫Lower house = elected by people

Cont.• Used sneaky ways to control authorities

• South▫County government

• New England▫Town meetings

• Middle▫Modification of the two

• Colonies not true democracy▫Far more democratic than England

Culture• Enthralled to Europeans taste

• Poor Richard’s Almanack▫ “Honesty is the best Policy”▫ “Penny saved is a penny earned”

• Science▫ Benjamin Franklin

• Printing Press = Zenger Trial▫ Pamphlets▫ News papers▫ Few libraries

Folkways• Ate better = meat

• Churches not heated▫ Inefficient fireplaces

• No running water

• Pleasure combined with work▫ Barn raisings

• Stage Plays

• Lotteries

• North = Winter sports

• South = Card playing, horse racing etc.

• Thanksgiving

• Christmas