2.6 Colonial Society A. Society in Colonial Times 1. At the top of society stood the gentry, wealthy planters, merchants, ministers, successful lawyers, and royal officials. 2. Below the gentry was the middle class, farmers, skilled craft workers, and some tradespeople. a) ¾ of all colonists belonged to the middle class. b) Skilled work was in high demand. 3. The lower social classes included hired farmhands and indentured servants. a) The lowest social class were the slaves.

2.6 Colonial Society b) After serving their time, indentured servants would receive “freedom dues”: a set of clothes, tools, and 50 acres of land. c) Because there were so few women in the colonies, women could shorten their indentured term of service by marrying. 4. From NH to GA, most colonists survived by farming. 5. Men did the farming while women worked in the home. a) Women did the household chores and they milked the cows, fed the chickens, and made candles, cheese, and clothes. 6. Life was different in the backcountry. a) Men and women worked side by side in the fields. 7. In cities, sometimes women worked outside the home maybe as a maid, cook, or a nurse. 8. Men worked in trades for example as coopers (barrel making), blacksmiths, and silversmiths.

2.6 Colonial Society 9. Some educated men became politicians. a) Most large towns in the colonies were seaports where a lot of trading happened. b) As trade grew, more colonists became bankers, lawyers, and businessmen. 9. Some educated men became politicians. a) Some were pamphleteers (distributors of information), while others became doctors. b) A doctor and a barber might be the same person (SCARY). 10. Language had African influences. a) In some coastal areas of the South, English was combined with West African languages to form a derivative language known as Gullah. 11. In Charleston and other SC port towns, some Africans worked along the dock, making rope or barrels or helping to build ships.

2.6 Colonial Society B. Colonial Art, Literature, and Music 1. Colonists brought with them the artistic traditions of their homelands. a) Paintings that celebrated important people of the time were especially popular works of art. b) The wealthy had family portraits painted. c) Prints were also popular in colonial families. 2. Many artists were self taught. 3. Literature also developed in the colonies. a) The first colonial printing press was built in MA in 1640. b) Colonists read reprints of European books and books by American writers. c) White captivity tales were extremely popular.

2.6 Colonial Society C. A New Religious Movement 4. Music was another popular art form in the colonies. a) They sang and danced at weddings and other celebrations. b) Enslaved Africans brought over their musical traditions to the Americans. c) Music was closely tied to religious life for many colonists. C. A New Religious Movement 1. In the 1730s and 1740s, a religious movement or revival known as the Great Awakening swept through the colonies. a) Its drama touched the hearts of men and women of all races throughout the colonies. 2. A New England preacher, Jonathan Edwards, helped set off the Great Awakening. a) It called upon all people to examine their lives.

2.6 Colonial Society 3. He preached of the sweetness and beauty of God. a) He warned that people should pay attention to the teachings of the Bible or they would be “sinners in the hands of an angry God.” 4. In 1739, when an English minister named George Whitefield arrived in the colonies, the movement spread like wildfire. a) He called on sinners to repent. 5. The colonies were made of many different religious groups. a) The Great Awakening created bitter debate. b) Opponents warned that the movement was too emotional. c) The Great Awakening brought the colonists of many beliefs together.

2.6 Colonial Society D. Colonial Schools and Colleges. 6. In the colonies, members of most churches controlled their parishes. a) This led to the feeling of self-rule, a key factor in the development of American democracy. b) A lot of the preachers of the Great Awakening were not well educated and they argued that one just needs his or her heart filled with the holy spirit. c) This led to a feeling of independence. D. Colonial Schools and Colleges. 1. New Englanders were most concerned about education. a) In 1642, the MA Assembly passed a law ordering all parents to teach their children “to read and understand the principles of religion.” b) Towns of 50 or more had to hire a school teacher. c) Towns of 100 or more had to set up a grammar school for boys.

2.6 Colonial Society 2. In this way, MA set up the first public schools, or schools supported by taxes. a) This allowed both rich and poor children to receive an education. 3. In the Middle Colonies the wealthy families set up private schools. 4. The Southern Colonies hired tutors or sent their children to England to be educated. 5. Boys whose parents wished them to learn a trade or craft served as apprentices under a master. 6. In New England, most schools accepted only boys, but some girls attended dame schools, or private schools run by women in their own homes. a) Most girls learned their skills from their mothers.

2.6 Colonial Society E. A New World of Ideas 7. Harvard College opened in 1638 with 10 students. E. A New World of Ideas 1. During the 1600s, European scientists began to use reason and logic instead of superstition to understand the world. a) The scientific method was established. b) Sir Isaac Newton of England explained the law of gravity. 2. European thinkers of the late 1600s and 1700s believed that reason and scientific methods could be applied to the study of society. a) The belief in the light of human reason is known as Enlightenment.

2.6 Colonial Society 3. In the English colonies, the Enlightenment spread among better educated colonists. 4. The best example of the Enlightenment spirit in the English colonies was Benjamin Franklin. a) He was born in 1706 and only had 2 formal years of schooling. b) At the age of 17, Franklin made his way to Philadelphia and set up a successful printing business. c) His most popular publication was Poor Richard’s Almanac, full of useful information and clever quotes. d) Franklin invented practical devices that helped improve daily life.

2.6 Colonial Society 5. Franklin persuaded Philadelphia officials to pave streets, organize a fire company, and set up the first lending library in the Americas. 6. Culture and business flourished in the cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. 7. The growth of newspapers led to a dispute over freedom of the press. a) In 1734, Peter Zenger was arrested for printing stories in the Weekly Journal in New York City criticizing the governor. b) Zenger was put on trial for libel, or the act of publishing a statement that may unjustly damage a person’s reputation. c) He was later acquitted.