Colonial Society on the Eve of the Revolution 1700 – 1775

Population Growth F ,000 colonists –20,000 Africans F ,500,000 –500,000 Africans –2/3 of pop born here

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

F The rest of the growth was by natural increase. F Population was doubling every 25 years. F The average age in 1775 was 16.

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

F most settlers are still east of the Alleghenies F A few pioneers had begun crossing into the Kentucky and Tennessee wilderness.

F Largest colonies by population: –Virginia –Massachusetts –Pennsylvania –North Carolina –Maryland

F Only 4 major cities –Philadelphia (34,000) –New York –Boston –Charleston F America was 90% Rural.

Colonial Population Density, 1775

Ethnic Composition F the population was still predominantly English (~65%) F 6% German F Also, Scots Highlanders, Dutch, French Huguenots, Swiss, Jews, & Africans

Scots-Irish F 7% of Pop. = Scots Lowlanders F transported from Scotland to Northern Ireland F 1700’s many immigrated to America

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

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

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

Ethnic Patterns F Most ethnically diverse place in world F New England was the least diverse F Middle Colonies were the most diverse

F The Southern colonies early on developed the black-white ethnic divisions –90% of African- Americans were in the South

F 1775 – half of the population outside of New England was non- English

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

F High level of social mobility - “rags to riches” F Society became more stratified in the 18 th Century

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

F Upper Classes –Plantation Owners, Merchants –50% of wealth –Held political power F Middle Classes –Craftsmen,lawyers, royal officials

F Lower-Middle Classes –“the meaner sort” –Small farmers & unskilled labor F Indentured Servants F African Slaves

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

F New England farms got smaller –many young men turned to manual labor or headed west

F In the South, land was increasingly concentrated into large plantations –Wealth was measured by the amount of land and slaves one owned

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

Occupational America F Clergy were the most highly esteemed members of the community F 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

F Lawyers were considered the lowest sort –Their prestige increased over time F Farmers were the backbone of society –The Planter gentlemen were the ideal

F Other Colonial Industries: –Fishing & Whaling –Shipbuilding –Lumbering –Naval Stores (tar, pitch) –Iron –Some Manufacturing Household industriesHousehold industries

F Problem: –More & more Americans desired more & more English products –English population did not need American goods –Americans seek other countries to trade with

Colonial Trade Patterns F The “Triangular” trade system –Molasses –Rum –Slaves –VERY PROFITABLE!

Trade Enumerated Commodities LumberLumber TobaccoTobacco RiceRice IndigoIndigo FursFurs To England

F 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.

F Britain tries to control trade in colonies with the Molasses Act 1733 –Americans become smugglers / bribers –Foreshadowing event to come

Transportation F Few roads F Waterways were most important F Taverns

Churches F Established churches: –NE = Congregationalist –South & NY = Anglican F No single dominant religion = toleration

Great Awakening F 1730s – 1740s F First Mass Social Movement in America F “Arminianism”

F Jonathan Edwards – denounced salvation through good works –God’s grace

F George Whitefield – toured the colonies & preached at tent revivals –Brilliant orator –Emotional appeals for salvation

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

GA Results: F Denominational splits F Brought religion to people who had lost touch with it F Undermined older clergy F Sparked missionary work

F Anti-intellectualism foundations F Democratic component F Resistance to authority F “New Light” universities: –Dartmouth, Brown, Rutgers and Princeton founded to train evangelist preachers

Education F New England very dedicated F South had limited opportunities

F Higher Education –Focused on religion not academics –Franklin starts Penn 1 st non-religious university in America1 st non-religious university in America

Culture & the Press F Most people too busy for art F John Copley – painter F Philis Wheatley – poet

F Ben Franklin –Poor Richard’s Almanack –Only real first rate American scientist

F Printing presses ran off pamphlets, leaflets etc. F Zenger Case (1735) –Paved way for freedom of expression

Colonial Politics F Royal, Propreitory & Charter Colonies F Governors –power of the purse strings F Bicameral Assemblies

F More direct democracy than England F Local level administration F Voting restrictions prevalent F “cradles of democracy”

Democratic Ideals F Tolerance F Education F Equality of opportunity F Freedom of speech F Freedom of assembly F Representative government