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Chapter 5: Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution (1700-1775)

Page history last edited by PBworks 15 years, 5 months ago

 

Chapter 5: Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution (1700-1775)

 

Conquest by the Cradle

  • colonists doubled their numbers every 25 years-300,000 in 1700 and 2.5 million in 1775

  • Most of the increase in population was due to natural reproduction, but imported slaves and immigration also contributed

  • 90% of people lived in rural areas

A Mingling of the Races

  • Germans:

    • 6% of population in 1775

    • settled mostly in Pennsylvania

  • Scots-Irish:

    • 7% of population in 1775

    • they were Scottish Highlanders who went to Ireland, then America

    • Pennsylvania was full, so they ended up in the Eastern Appalachian foothills from Pennsylvania to Georgia

  • Other European groups:

    • 5% of population

    • French Huguenots, Welsh, Dutch, Swedes, Jews, Irish, Swiss, and Scots Highlanders

  • African

    • 20% of population

The Structure of Colonial Society

  • most white Americans were small farmers

  • some merchants made lots of money as military suppliers

  • there were almshouses to care for the poor in some cities

  • as families grew and people ran out of land, the size of farms started to shrink

  • 50,000 convicts from England were sent to America

  • southerners were worried about slave rebellions, so some tried to stop slave importation, but England didn't go for it

Clerics, Physicians, and Jurists

  • ministers had a very prestigious job

  • Physicians:

    • not well-trained

    • bleeding was done frequently and was often fatal

  • smallpox and diphtheria epidemics killed many

  • inoculation was developed in 1721

  • Being a lawyer was frowned upon

Workaday America

  • agriculture (tobacco and wheat) involved 90% of people

  • triangular trade: 

    • American colonies send rum to Africa

    • Africa sends slaves to the West Indies

    • West Indies send molasses to the colonies

  • The colonies' population was growing and needed more stuff from England, but Britain could only take so much stuff from America, so we traded with non-British markets

  • Parliament said the colonist couldn't trade with the French West Indies, so the colonists started smuggling

Horsepower and Sailpower

  • roads were really, really bad in the colonies

  • people relied on the rivers for transportation

  • taverns were for amusement, gossip, and political talk

Dominant Denominations

  • Church of England, also known as Anglican, was official church in some middle and southern colonies

  • Congretional Church was the official church in all of New England, except Rhode Island

 

The Great Awakening -1730's and 1740's

  • more and more people were starting to say that predestination was wrong and what you do on earth determines your eternal fate

  • Jonathan Edwards: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

  • George Whitefield: loud and emotional minister

  • many, many people converted

Schools and Colleges

  • New England had several primary and secondary schools, but it was harder to have schools in the south where the population was spread out

  • emphasis was on religion, Greek, and Latin

  • New England colleges prepared men for the ministry

A Provincial Culture

  • most American artists had to go to Europe to find rich people to paint

  • Phillis Wheatly—slave girl—never formally educated—wrote poetry

  • Poor Richard's Almanack—by Benjamin Franklin

Pioneer Presses

  • Most Americans were too poor for books, but there were some public and private libraries

  • about 40 weekly newspapers in 1770's

  • Peter Zenger was accused of printing libel about the royal governor, but the jury said not guilty

The Great Game of Politics

  • By 1775: eight colonies had royal governors appointed by the King, three had proprietors who chose the governor, and two elected their own governors

  • each colony had a two-house legislature—council was appointed by the crown, proprietor, or people, and the popular branch was elected by the people

  • New England town meetings allowed men who met religious or property qualifications to vote

Colonial Folkways

  • plenty of food/meat compared to England

  • stage plays and dancing were popular in the south, but were frowned on by Quakers and Puritans

  • holidays were celebrated, but the Puritans were against Christmas

     

     

     

     

     

    By Carolyn Johnson

 

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