1. “Colonial Society on the Eve of the Revolution” ~ 1700 – 1775 ~

2. Colonial Society on the Eve of the Revolution
Conquest by the Cradle:
By 1775, Great Britain ruled 32 colonies in North America
Only 13 revolted (by the way, Canada and Jamaica generated more wealth than the 13)
All colonies were growing by leaps and bounds…
By 1775, population in the 13 colonies numbered 2.5 million
The average age was 16 years
Most of the population was east of the Alleghenies, though by 1775, some had slowly trickled into Tennessee and Kentucky
About 90% of the people lived in rural areas…

4. Colonial Society on the Eve of the Revolution (cont.)
Clerics, Physicians, and Jurists:
The most honored profession during colonial times was the clergy. By 1775, the clergy was losing clout, but still wielded a great amount of influence…
Physicians were not that highly esteemed…
Bleeding was often a favorite (and deadly) solution to illnesses
Plagues were a nightmare!!!
Smallpox (afflicting 1 of 5 people, including George Washington) was rampant, though a crude form of inoculation was introduced by 1721
Some clergy and physicians didn’t like it however, preferring not to tamper with the “will of God”
At first, lawyers weren’t liked, being regarded as “noisy scumbags”
Criminals often represented themselves in court
However, by 1750, lawyers were recognized as useful; many defended high-profile cases; and were great orators (like John Adams). Many played important roles during the Revolution (again, like John Adams)

5. Workday in America
Agriculture was the leading industry (by a huge margin), since farmers were able to grow almost anything throughout the colonies:
In Maryland and Virginia, tobacco was the staple crop
By 1759, New York was exporting 80,000 barrels of flour a year
Fishing could be rewarding and was pursued in all American colonies, especially in New England…

6. Workday in America (cont.)
Trading was also popular and prevalent. Much commerce occurred throughout the colonies…
The “triangular trade” was common: For example, a ship would leave New England with rum and go to the Gold Coast of Africa and trade it for African slaves. Then, it would go to the West Indies and exchange the slaves for sugar and molasses, which it would sell in New England once it returned there

7. Workday in America (cont.)
In 1733, Parliament passed the Molasses Act, which, if successful, would have struck a crippling blow to American international trade by hindering its trade with the French West Indies…
The result was disagreement, and colonists got around it through smuggling

8. Transportation
Roads during the 1700s were in poor condition, and they didn’t even connect large cities until the 19th century…
It took a young Ben Franklin 9 days to get from Boston to Philadelphia
Roads were so bad, they were dangerous…
People who would venture these roads would often sign wills and pray with family members before embarking
As a result, towns seemed to cluster around slow, navigable water sources, like gentle rivers, or by the ocean…

9. Early Press in Colonial America
Pioneer Presses:
Few libraries existed in early America, and few Americans were wealthy enough to purchase books
On the eve of the Revolution, many hand-operated presses cranked out leaflets, pamphlets, and journals signed with pseudonyms

10. John Peter Zenger and “Freedom of the Press”
In one famous case, John Peter Zenger, a New York newspaper printer, was taken to court and charged with seditious libel…
The judge urged the jury to consider that the mere fact of publishing derogatory subject matter was a crime
Zenger won after his lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, excellently defended his case
Afterwards, freedom of the press was pretty much assured in America

11. Colonial Literature
A slave girl, Phillis Wheatley, was taught English by her Quaker slave owners, but never formally educated. She went to Britain and published a book of verse…
She subsequently wrote other polished poems that revealed the influence of Alexander Pope!!!
Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac was very influential, containing many common sayings and phrases, and was more widely read in America and Europe than anything except for the Bible!!!

12. Phillis Wheatley, Colonial Poet

13. Benjamin Franklin “The First Civilized American”
A man of many talents, who invented the American Dream, Ben Franklin’s experiments and sheer power of observation helped advance the sciences. He was elected to the Royal Society in 1756 and honored with membership into the French Academy of Sciences in 1772.

14. Culture in the Backwoods
Though there was little time for recreation (farm work, fear of Indians, etc. dominated people’s schedules), what little spare time there was went to religion, not art…
Painters were frowned upon:
John Trumbull of Connecticut was discouraged as a youth by his father
Charles Willson Peale, best know for his portraits of George Washington, also ran a museum, stuffed birds, and practiced dentistry in addition to his art
Benjamin West and John Singleton Copley had to leave to England to complete their ambitious careers…

15. John Trumbull, Early American Artist

16. Charles Wilson Peale, Early American Artist

17. Dominant Denominations
There were two “established” (tax-supported) churches by 1775, the Anglican and the Congregational
A great majority of people didn’t worship in churches
The Church of England (Anglican) was official in Georgia, both Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and a part of New York
Anglican sermons were shorter, descriptions of hell were less frightening, and in general, amusements were less scorned
The College of William and Mary was founded in 1693 to train young clergy members
The Congregational church had grown from the Puritan church and was established in all New England colonies except for Rhode Island
There was worry people weren’t devout enough…

18. The Great Awakening
Due to diminishing religious fervor and worry that many people would not be saved, the stage was set for a revival…
This revival became known as the Great Awakening

19. Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards was a very emotional minister with fiery preaching methods, moving many listeners to tears while talking of the eternal damnation that nonbelievers would face after death…
He began preaching in 1734 and his methods ultimately sparked debate among his peers
Eventually, even his own congregation thought him too strict, rejecting him. He finished his life’s work performing missionary work among Native Americans

20. George Whitefield
George Whitefield may have been even better in terms of technique than Jonathan Edwards…
An orator of rare gifts, he succeeded in making Edwards weep. Once, he even persuaded Benjamin Franklin to empty his pockets into the collection plate!!!
Many “orator imitators” copied his emotional shaking-voice-sermons and his heaping of blame on sinners…

21. “Old Lights” and “New Lights”
These new preachers were met with skepticism by the “old lights,” or the orthodox clergymen
But the Great Awakening led to the founding of “new light” centers like Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Rutgers, and Dartmouth
The Great Awakening was historically the first religious experience shared by all Americans…

22. Politics
By 1775, eight of the thirteen colonies had royal governors who were appointed by the King
Three had governors chosen by proprietors
Practically every colony utilized a two-house legislative body:
The upper house was appointed by royal officials or proprietors
The lower house was elected by the people
Self-taxation with representation came to be a cherished privilege that Americans started to value above most other rights…

23. “The Colonies Come of Age” Chapter 3 Goals:
Students will be able to describe the economic relationship between Great Britain and its American colonies
Students will be able to explain how salutary neglect planted the seeds of self government
Students will be able to identify similarities and differences between the agricultural South and commercial North
Students will be able to summarize the significance of the Enlightenment and Great Awakening
Students will understand the reasons for increased tension between Great Britain and the thirteen colonies after the French and Indian War

24. Chapter 3 Vocabulary Mercantilism * Parliament Navigation Acts *
Salutary Neglect *
Triangular Trade *
Middle Passage *
Stono Rebellion
Enlightenment *
Bejamin Franklin *
10) Jonathan Edwards *
11) Great Awakening *
12) George Washington
13) French and Indian War
14) Proclamation of 1763
15) George Grenville
16) Sugar Act of 1764