+ Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

+ Conquest by Cradle By 1775 colonial population was dramatically increasing 2.5 million people in 13 colonies…most people East of Allegany Mountains Average age was 16 Rural society…90% were farmers By 1775 Great Britain ruled 32 North American colonies Territorial Expansion 1775

+ A Mingling of Races Mostly English people 6 % German (Lutheran / named erroneously Pennsylvania Dutch) 7% Scots-Irish, many were squatters past the Allegany mountains Scots-Irish became revolutionaries Paxton Boys led a march on Philadelphia to protest “fair” treatment of Indians Regulators led a march in North Carolina to protest certain North Carolina “geographic powers” Ethnic DiversityPaxton Boys and Regulators

+ “Americans were multicultural and multicolored” As mentioned, English, Scot-Irish, French Huguenots, Welsh, Dutch, Swedes, Jews, Irish, Swiss and Scots-Highlanders. African Slaves and Native Americans also part of new “American” Many mixed peoples In contrast to Europe, America was a land of opportunity Rags to riches could happen The Ultimate Rags to Riches Man

+ Southern Colonial Structure Plantation owners Yeoman farmers Landless whites Free blacks Slaves Indians Rich plantation owners / many slaves Yeoman farmers / owned own farms with some slaves Landless whites who owned no land or were tenant farmers (some had been indentures servants) Black and Indian Slaves

+ Clerics, Physicians, and Jurist Clergy were honored in colonial days Physicians were not highly trained but still wielded a great amount of authority Bleeding was the most famous remedy Smallpox was rampant (inoculations began in 1721) ClergyColonial Physicians

+ Lawyers At first lawyers were not well liked. Many were self trained. By 1750 this perception began to change. Business contracts grew so did respect for those that could interpret legal documents. Many lawyers, like John Adams, defended high profile accused people John Adams defended those British accused in Boston Massacre

+ Workaday America Agriculture was the biggest activity Fishing and whaling Triangular Trade Manufacturing and secondary industries Skilled craftsmen Lumbering for Britain’s navy was a big industry

+ Triangular Trade New England  Africa = Rum Africa  West Indies = Slave Trade (Middle Passage) West Indies  New England = Molasses

+ New England and England Trade 1730s – America’s booming population v. England’s slow- growing population = America needed to trade with other countries Americans traded with other countries but all trade had to go through British ports = British took part of the profit Molasses Act – aimed at stopping American trade with French West Indies Colonists bribed and smuggled their way around the law

+ Horsepower and Sail Power Along with town meetings, “the cradle of democracy” Roads were poor and connected only cities Travel by canals and river boats also occurred Inefficient mail system Taverns sprang up near roads to serve weary travelers and were great places of gossip and news Early taverns

+ Dominant Denominations Anglican Church (Church of England) William and Mary established to train Anglican ministers Congregationalist churches evolved from Puritan belief Less religious fervor in colonies set stage for The First Great Awakening Fiery preachers like John Edwards and George Whitefield gave “fire and brimstone speeches” to win new converts to religion First religious experience shared by “Americans” as a collective whole Two established churches of Anglican and Congregationalist The Great Awakening

+ New Lights v. Old Light Ministers Orthodox clergymen who did not want to dilute their churches Great Awakening led to the founding of “new light” centers like Brown and Rutgers. Traveling preachers, like Jonathon Edwards, with emotional sermons appealing to human behavior and God’s fury Old LightsNew Lights

+ Schools and Colleges Primarily centered in New England towns In dimly lighted one room school houses children learned reading, writing, arithmetic, rhetoric and classical languages Early colleges focused on training of ministers First non-denominational college was the University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania

+ Idle Hands were the Devil’s Hands There was little time for recreation Few great artist emerged until after the War of 1812 Perhaps most influential colonial work was Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac Ben Franklin also advanced Science Architecture ran from log cabin to red-bricked Georgian style and later clapboard style homes

+ Pioneer presses An early seditious libel case of John Peter Zenger who had written against a royal colonial governor Defended by lawyer Alexander Hamilton Established the precedent of a free press with a right to report on political actions (true statements are not libelous)

+ Great game of Politics Mostly white land owning males exercised suffrage…acquiring land easier in America than elsewhere Town meeting in New England By 1775 most colonies had royal governors and utilized a two house legislative body (upper and lower house) The right to self-taxation with representation was quickly becoming a cherished belief

+ Colonial Folkways Few home amenities Lotteries funded towns, groups and churches Amusements existed with quilting bees, barn raisings, horse racing, cock fighting, fox hunting “Yuletide was fooltide” in New England Sun Up to Sun Down work was the way of the colonist