Unit 2: Chapters 5-8 Chapter 5: Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

A Mingling of the Races

 Diversity?  Who was the least loyal to the Crown?  Racial make-up of regions?  Is this the beginning of becoming “American?”

The Structure of Colonial Society  Social mobility easier to obtain in colonies than in England/Europe.  Disparity between the “have and have not's” continue to show/grow= growth of charities  Land scarcity increasing throughout colonies but still easier to obtain relative to England  Land of the “jayle birds”  Slavery thriving in the South

Workaday America  Varied depending on region Tobacco, grains in middle colonies Cotton in the south Fishing, shipbuilding, in NE Household manufacturing by women  Trade with Caribbean islands was profitable  Cash crops and lumber biggest income maker irrespective of region  Trade imbalance with England = increase trade with foreign nations  Molasses Act intended to curtail trade with French West Indies = colonial problems with the Crown

Horsepower and Sailpower  Poor road conditions = slow trade  Waterways more efficient  Businesses spotted along travel routes  Taverns the place to get the 411!  Postal system developed by mid 1700’s

Decline in Religious Devotion… 1. Half-way covenant (1662) a. Addresses decreasing membership b. Mostly in New England 2. Arminianism a. God all-loving; good deeds and faith = salvation b. Supported Enlightenment c. Countered spiritual conversion needed for church membership

…leads to The Great Awakening 1. The 1730s a. Emotionally charged b. Religious power in the hand of the individual c. George Whitfield 2. Revivals a. Jonathan Edwards b. In the South, revivals introduced Christianity to slaves.

The Great Awakening 3. Allowed for questioning religious, as well as, political leadership. 4. Supported by young and poor. 5. First spontaneous mass movement of the American people! United irrespective of denomination. 6. Education valued: Princeton, Brown, Rutgers, Dartmouth

The “New Lights” Jonathan Edwards (Ma) “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” George Whitfield (Eng) Mesopotamia!

The “Old Lights”  Clergy skeptical of emotionalism and theatrical antics

Schools and Colleges  English perspective For the aristocratic For leaders, not citizens For males  Puritans Read the bible = Good Christians Mostly boys  New England Primary and secondary schools early on School time varies  Middle & South More reluctant Tax supported Wealthy = private tutors  Focus Doctrine & dogma Not reason/logic Physical punishment!  College Most to churn out ministers Wealthy = study abroad

Pioneer Presses  Libraries uncommon  Ben Franklin supported first library in Pa  By 1776, about 50 public libraries 40 newspapers  News slow to travel = new news is really old news

1. Newspaper medium for communication 2. Zenger Case (1733) a. exposed corruption of Royal Gov. b. Sued Zenger for libel c. Found not guilty. Why?

The Great Game of Politics  Two-house legislature Upper-house  Appointed or elected Lower-house  Elected (qualified voters)  Taxes for gov’t  Did not care for royal appointed Governors  Withheld Gov. salaries as a way to manipulate  Salaries paid by colonist, not crown = problematic later  Local level politics Town meetings: direct democracy functioned Religious and/or property qualifiers Land fairly easy to come, but many did not exercise rights to vote Trusted in the leadership of their “betters” True democracy still a work in progress but better than in England and Europe

Colonial Folkway  Work usually laborious  Plenty of food, esp. meat, but a bit boring  Heating hard to come by; poor craftsmanship, relatively speaking  No running water or plumbing = hard living  Waste management of the day were hogs and buzzards  Amusement Militia drilling Funerals Weddings Lotteries Plays in some colonies Thanksgiving

Commonalities throughout the colonies by mid-1750  English in language and customs  Protestant  Ethnic and religious toleration  Enterprising for social mobility  Some self-government  All away from the crown by 3000 miles of Atlantic