Characteristics of 18th century British Colonial America Enormous population growth 1700= less than 300,000 people to 2.5million by 1775 (20% were black people) The demographic changes resulted in a shift in the balance of power between the colonies & England Biggest colonies: VA, MA, PA, NC, & MD Biggest cities: Philadelphia, NY, Boston, Charleston Melting Pot English & Welsh (66%) African (20%) Scots-Irish (5.6%) German (4.5%) Dutch (2%) Irish (1.6%) French (.4%) All Other Whites .3%

Structure of Colonial Society Small Upper Class: South: Aristocratic plantation owners dominated wealth and influence. North: Merchants, lawyers, officials, & Clergy men Yeoman farmers: Majority of the population (they owned land) Lesser tradesman, manual workers, hired hands (many did not own land) Indentured Servants, Ex-Convicts, Convicts (limited/no influence) Slaves (20% of the population)

Commerce & Trade Triangle Trade Land Speculation (made many investors wealthy) Manufacture (Secondary in Importance to farming) Small Industries: tailoring, shoemaking, baking, metalworking, furniture making Lumber VERY important  Shipbuilding Women: Cottage Industries Other: Naval Stores, Beaver Hats, Rum Carpentry Growth of American population created increased demand for British goods. As the Economy grew they needed more markets for their goods French West Indies Land speculation refers to the buying of undeveloped land in the hope that it will rise in value, notes Investopedia. Most land speculators buy land in areas where they expect to see a building boom. Naval Stores: articles or materials used in shipping.

Religion Education New England was dedicated to education Stressed Bible reading by community members Primary and secondary schools established early (Massachusetts School of Law) Literacy much higher in New England than the Chesapeake region or deep South where only the privileged enjoyed the benefit of education. Middle colonies Also had primary and secondary education Some tax-supported, some privately owned Spread-out population made creation of good school systems difficult Many wealthy families sent their sons to colleges in England South Educational opportunities limited for most people except the privileged. Wealthy planters hired tutors to teach their children. Population highly dispersed; ineffective educational system for common folks  Higher education Primary focus on the training of new clergy, not academics Emphasis placed on religion and on the classical languages, Latin and Greek Higher education improved with establishment of University of Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin helped establish it First American college free from denominational control More modern curriculum: modern languages, experimentation, reason Nine important colleges emerged during colonial period (others existed as well) Harvard, William & Mary, Yale, Princeton, Pennsylvania, Columbia, Brown, Rutgers, and Dartmouth Anglican Church: official faith in VA, MD, N&S Carolina, GA, & NY Church was the branch of royal authority Congregational Church (Came out of Puritan Church) Presbyterian Church Quakers (PA, NJ, DE, RI) Anti-Slavery Jews