1. Enlightenment, Consumption and Religious Revival in the 18th Century
Making Modern America
Enlightenment, Consumption and Religious Revival in the 18th Century

2. Benjamin Franklin as Emblem of 18th Century Change:
Working with his autobiography as a primary source:
Authored parts in 1771, 1783, and 1788
Covers
Thus, interpretive problems:
Memory
Reshaping of reminiscences . . .

3. Franklin, a master of reinvention: 1785, Charles Wilson Peale portrait

4. Franklin, a master of reinvention: 1746, Feke portrait

5. Franklin, a master of reinvention: 1766, David Martin portrait (British artist)

6. Franklin as Emblem of Change:
Stories:
Franklin’s Childhood and Apprenticeship
Franklin’s Rise to Wealth
Franklin and the 18th century Evangelical Minister, George Whitefield
Illustrates:
The Enlightenment
Economic Change: Commercialization and Consumer Society
Religious Revivals: The Great Awakening

7. Franklin’s childhood
Education: Grammar school, then writing school – ends by age 10
Apprenticed to brother James, a printer
Writes columns, anonymously
Chafes under brothers’ authority
Runs away, age 17

8. Conclusions: Most 18th century Americans not free
Patriarchy and social order
Thus, A story about resistance to arbitrary authority
Yet Franklin uneasy with this “first errata of my life”
Franklin as Enlightenment figure
Brilliance and self-governance excuses his resistance to authority –

9. The Enlightenment: God as a Divine Clockmaker
Mankind can make sense of rational rules of the universe through observation and experimentation
John Locke: children as tabula rasa (blank slates)
must cultivate capacity to reason through education
Some Thoughts Concerning Education, 1692

10. Franklin’s Rise to Wealth:
Key Virtues he emphasizes:
temperance
silence
order
resolution
frugality
industry
sincerity
justice
moderation
cleanliness
tranquility
chastity
humility
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
God helps them that help themselves.
Well done is better than well said.
A penny saved is a penny earned.

11. Rise to Wealth (The REAL Story): PATRONAGE!
Recommendation from NY printer secures job in Philadelphia
Cultivates relationship with PA governor, who promises him position in London (oops!)
Cultivates friendship with London merchant who hires him as a clerk to pay passage back to PA
Partners with wealthy friend to establish his own newspaper
Ultimate wealth – commission from governor to print all public documents (and the paper money!)

12. The REAL Story II: Economic growth
Shift from subsistence farming towards desire for profit
Requires agricultural specialization
Accompanied by diversification of occupations in economy:
In shipping goods
In making goods for consumption
A Transformation in American Material Culture

13. Why does material culture change?
Desire to demonstrate status amid economic and social flux
Relies on an older, British aristocratic set of ideals:
“Anglicization” of culture

14. Houses: 17th Century elite home, Plymouth

15. 17th century furniture: a “Great Chair”

16. Carter’s Grove, 1750-55 Virginia

17. Westover, 1730 Virginia (William Byrd estate)

18. Longfellow House, Cambridge Massachusetts

20. 18th century gunsmith’s home, Williamsburg, VA

21. Susanna Truax, 1730

25. Franklin – a man of science/Enlightenment
Pre-modern: knowledge comes from relationship with God
Enlightenment: through observation/experimentation, can understand universe and thus comprehend God

26. Reason vs. Faith? The Great Awakening George Whitefield Preaching

27. The Great Awakening Origins: Prussia, 1680s
renewed spiritual vitality through “new birth”
Spreads to British North America:
Jonathan Edwards preaches in Connecticut river Valley, 1730s
George Whitefield’s preaching tour
Gilbert Tennent leads Presbyterian revivals, NY, NJ and PA
New denominations begin to evangelize in South: Baptists and Methodists

28. Great Awakening: Significance?
Christianizing American landscape
A new religious pluralism
CHOICE –
in what to believe