1. Characteristics of 18th century British Colonial America
Enormous population growth
1700= less than 300,000 people to 2.5million by 1775 (20% were black people)
The demographic changes resulted in a shift in the balance of power between the colonies & England
Biggest colonies: VA, MA, PA, NC, & MD
Biggest cities: Philadelphia, NY, Boston, Charleston
Melting Pot
English & Welsh (66%)
African (20%)
Scots-Irish (5.6%)
German (4.5%)
Dutch (2%)
Irish (1.6%)
French (.4%)
All Other Whites .3%

2. Structure of Colonial Society
Small Upper Class:
South: Aristocratic plantation owners dominated wealth and influence.
North: Merchants, lawyers, officials, & Clergy men
Yeoman farmers: Majority of the population (they owned land)
Lesser tradesman, manual workers, hired hands (many did not own land)
Indentured Servants, Ex-Convicts, Convicts (limited/no influence)
Slaves (20% of the population)

3. Commerce & Trade Triangle Trade
Land Speculation (made many investors wealthy)
Manufacture (Secondary in Importance to farming)
Small Industries: tailoring, shoemaking, baking, metalworking, furniture making
Lumber VERY important  Shipbuilding
Women: Cottage Industries
Other: Naval Stores, Beaver Hats, Rum Carpentry
Growth of American population created increased demand for British goods.
As the Economy grew they needed more markets for their goods
French
West Indies
Land speculation refers to the buying of undeveloped land in the hope that it will rise in value, notes Investopedia. Most land speculators buy land in areas where they expect to see a building boom.
Naval Stores: articles or materials used in shipping.

4. Religion
Education
New England was dedicated to education
Stressed Bible reading by community members
Primary and secondary schools established early (Massachusetts School of Law)
Literacy much higher in New England than the Chesapeake region or deep South where only the privileged enjoyed the benefit of education.
Middle colonies
Also had primary and secondary education
Some tax-supported, some privately owned
Spread-out population made creation of good school systems difficult
Many wealthy families sent their sons to colleges in England
South
Educational opportunities limited for most people except the privileged.
Wealthy planters hired tutors to teach their children.
Population highly dispersed; ineffective educational system for common folks
 Higher education
Primary focus on the training of new clergy, not academics
Emphasis placed on religion and on the classical languages, Latin and Greek
Higher education improved with establishment of University of Pennsylvania
Benjamin Franklin helped establish it
First American college free from denominational control
More modern curriculum: modern languages, experimentation, reason
Nine important colleges emerged during colonial period (others existed as well)
Harvard, William & Mary, Yale, Princeton, Pennsylvania, Columbia, Brown, Rutgers, and Dartmouth
Anglican Church: official faith in VA, MD, N&S Carolina, GA, & NY
Church was the branch of royal authority
Congregational Church (Came out of Puritan Church)
Presbyterian Church
Quakers (PA, NJ, DE, RI)
Anti-Slavery
Jews