Colonial Society on the Eve of the Revolution

 Population Growth  ,000 colonists (20,000 Blacks)  ,500,000 (500,000 Blacks)

 400,000 had come as immigrants  400,000 brought as slaves

 The rest of the growth was by natural increase.  Population was doubling every 25 years.

 The Average age in 1775 was 16.

 English to American ratio was 20:1  English to American ratio was 3:1

 most settlers are still east of the Alleghenies

 A few pioneers had begun crossing into the Kentucky and Tennessee wilderness.

 Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap

 Largest colonies by population were Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Maryland.

 Only 4 major cities - Philadelphia (34,000) New York, Boston and Charleston.

 America was 90% Rural.

 Ethnic Composition.  the population was still predominantly English.  6% German, 7% Scotch Lowlanders

 Scots - Irish  transported from Scotland to Northern Ireland  1700’s many immigrated to America

 Most initially settled in Pennsylvania but found the best land taken by Quakers and Germans.

 The Scots-Irish moved out onto the frontier and down the east face of the Appalachians.

 They brought the art of whisky making and strong sense of rebellion.  Paxton Boys and the Regulators.

 Ethnic Patterns  New England was the least diverse  Middle Colonies were the most diverse.

 The Southern colonies early on developed the black - white ethnic division.  90% of African-Americans were in the South.

 half of the population outside of New England was non-English.

 Social Structure  Less stratified than European society.  Few if any nobility.  Few impoverished paupers.

 High level of social mobility - “rags to riches”  Society became more stratified over time.

 A few merchants made great fortunes during the imperial wars of the late 17th and early 18th century.

 Rise of cities saw a coincident rise in the number of poor and destitute urban under- class.

 New England farms got smaller - many young men turned to manual labor or headed west.

 In the south, land was increasingly concentrated into large plantations.  wealth was measured by the amount of land and slaves one owned.

 Social stratification increased - landless, indentured servants, ex- convicts and black slaves making up the bottom of the social order.

 Occupational Order  Clergy were the most highly esteemed members of the community.  Doctors were mostly unskilled and ignorant.

 Diseases were rampant and there was little that doctors at the time could do. Bleeding was still a common practice.

 Smallpox vaccination was being tested in the early 1700’s.

 Lawyers were considered the lowest sort.  Their prestige increased over time.

 Farmers were the backbone of society and the Planter gentlemen were the ideal.

 Mercantilism  Wealth was limited.  One nation’s gain was another’s loss.  Goal was to export more than you import.

 Favorable Balance of Trade.  Bring in gold and silver to your country.

 Economic activity should be regulated by the government.  Colonies should provide staple crops and raw materials to the mother country.

 Trade rivalries with the Dutch led the Navigation Acts of 1651, 1660, 1663 and  Colonial trade had to be on British or American ships.

 Enumerated goods had to go only to an English or another American port.  All imports had to go through Britain first.

 Smugglers got around the Acts which were not strongly enforced.  The Acts helped New England ship builders.

 They hurt the tobacco farmers of the Chesapeake.

 Colonial Trade Patterns  The “Triangular” trade system.

 Molasses from the Indies would become rum in New England which would be traded for slaves to make the Middle Passage to the New World.

 Transportation  Few roads - waterways were important for transportation

 Churches  Established churches  New England= Congregationalist  Virginia = Anglican  Most were not members

 Great Awakening  Jonathan Edwards denounced salvation through good works.  George Whitefield - toured the colonies and preached at tent revivals.

 Old Lights vs. New Lights  Conservatives disliked the emotionalism of Whitefield.  New lights defended the revitalization.

 New Light Universities  Dartmouth, Brown, Rutgers and Princeton founded to train evangelist preachers.