Colonial Colonial Society on Society on the Eve of the Eve of

the the RevolutionRevolution

Factors leading to an “American” Identity

Population Boom! By 1775 2.5 million, population doubling every 25 years (Franklin’s prediction was right!) due to high birthrate and immigration

Young population with average age of 16, mostly rural

Diversity- Population of America is not majority British born subjects, they are outnumbered 3 to 1

Groups are increasingly anti-British, German, Scot-Irish, Swedes, Dutch, Scots, French, etc. Middle colonies were most diverse.

Inter-marriage prevalent, America is melting pot from the beginning

Factors leading to an “American”

Identity

Civil Unrest: The Paxton Boys

The Regulators The PA frontier area populated by many rough-and-

tumble Scots-Irish immigrants - weary of the colonial assembly’s inattention to Indian attacks and requests for soldiers, guns, powder and lead. Many in the assembly were pacifist Quakers.

A group of Paxton men took matters into their own hands in December 1763 - raided a small settlement of Conestoga Indians in Lancaster County, PA. Those natives had actually long lived in peace with their neighbors but 6 Indians were killed in the attack and 14 taken captive; all were later murdered.

PA Governor John Penn issued warrants for the arrest of the perpetrators, but sympathetic frontiersmen refused to assist in bringing the Paxton Boys to justice.

The Paxton Boys later marched on Philadelphia in 1764 to protest the Quakers’ lenient Indian policies & were later part of spearheading a similar “Regulator Movement” in North Carolina protesting the same issues.

Colonial Class Structure Ability to move up, except for

slavery Much different than Europe

b/c no titled aristocracy and not a large lot of landless poor

Most Americans were small farmers, in cities, artisans, shopkeepers, trades people, & laborers

In some places large gaps between rich/poor but really very few poor

Bottom was poor laborers, widows, orphans, slaves, convicts shipped from England

Working America

Agriculture was leading industry, tobacco in the south and bread basket in the middle

Ministry was most honored profession Physicians and Barbers=don’t get sick! Americans enjoyed one of highest

standards of living in the world at the time

Other economic activities?

Triangular Trade

Very profitable! More and more Americans demand more British supplies…British population is at a saturation point…don’t need more American goods disrupting balance of trade

B/C of mercantilist policies, Americans have to go through Britain for buying and selling of goods, means more $$$, leads to illegal smuggling with other nation’s colonies

Colonial Social Networking

Social, political life revolved around the taverns which served as place to stay for travelers and place to meet for locals.

Roads hard to travel and news slow to travel

Churches very important for social networking too

Many laws regulating moral behavior, colonial punishments are a little different from today

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Great Awakening Church not as “hard core” as when

Puritans first landed Too much prosperity Problems with doctrines &

half-way covenant Too many denominations

1730s-40s - First Great Awakening is a religious revival that rocked the colonies!

Starts in Middle Colonies – PA & NJ George Whitefield-English born

revivalist: evangelical revivalist preaching that could move

anyone very gifted orator moved people to become saved and fill up collection

dishes Scaled theology down to comprehension of 12 yr. olds Even preaches that God IS responsive to good

intentions

More Awakening In MA - AmericanAmerican minister, Jonathan

Edwards Intellectual Fire and brimstone sermons “Sinners in the Hands of a Angry God”

God holding the unconverted over the pit of hell!!

Faith alone, not good works, will save you Attack on increasing materialism

Impact of Great Awakening: FIRST SPONTANEOUS MASS MOVEMENT OF THE FIRST SPONTANEOUS MASS MOVEMENT OF THE

AMERICAN PEOPLE!AMERICAN PEOPLE! – more sense of being American, unity

More direct relationship with God undermining old clergy

Many new denominations spring up/split in Congregational and Presbyterian churches between Old Lights / New Lights

Fostered religious toleration; missionary work with natives

People begin to believe disobedience to authority does NOT equal eternal damnation

New colleges founded (Princeton, William & Mary)

Education

Harvard first college in America For Puritan clergy William and Mary for better clergy in

South Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, &

Rutgers after the Great Awakening New England – major focus on

education Only area to provide for public education Important only for boys though and school

is very strict

American Culture

Ben Franklin first famous American in both America and in Europe - multi-talented with many scientific & cultural achievements…..such as?

Colonial Press -important for spread of info & has more freedom than in Europe John Peter Zenger Case over libel over

corrupt governor; found not guilty – truth is absolute defense to libel

Arts: John Trumbull and Willson Peale

Colonial Political Structure

Religious and/or property qualifications exist in all the colonies

Colonists did recognize BR sovereignty but BR inefficiency & distance allowed them much freedom BR allowed colonists to make their own laws on local

matters & collect local taxes, BUT reserved right to veto actions if they were deemed against the national interest

Known as? ORGANIZATION OF COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS:ORGANIZATION OF COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS:

Governor – appointed by King or proprietor Legislature – 2 houses in all but PA Lower houseLower house chosen by the voters

Had “power of the purse”“power of the purse” (local taxes - paid Governor’s salary!)

Upper house – appointed by King to be advisors to Governor

Colonial Political Structure

King-Privy Council-Parliament (House of Lords and commoners), Royal Governors (appointed)

Elected colonial assemblies (House of Burgesses) could be dissolved by the governor

Colonial legislatures could pass local laws and collect local taxes all of which could be overturned, but also held power of purse (paid the governor)

Voting restricted to land-holders

KING

(Advisors: Privy Council)

Parliament

(PM, House of Lords & Commons)

Colonial Assemblies $$$

(House of Burgess, NE Town Hall Meetings)

Land-owning white men can vote

Colonial Political Structure

Judges were appointed by the King but chosen from leaders of the colonial communities

By late 17th century, all colonies being transformed from proprietary/charter colonies to royal colonies

British failure to establish an effective, centralized government in the colonies actually led to our current federal system of government

Colonial Pastimes

Hard-working with little luxuries

Streets were dirty, not many baths

Card playing, horse racing, fox hunting, dances, funerals, marriages

Depended on religion and region as to what was socially acceptable

Marriage & Family

Marriage ages: Girls preparing for it by age 13 –

unmarried by age 21 = “old maids” Many men didn’t take the plunge until

30’s! Marriages usually at home, not church LARGE FAMILIES – WHY?

No real birth control Need as many hands as possible for all

the work Disease killed off many kids (& moms) Paul Revere – 17 kids! Record: SC woman who had 34 children!

ColonialMedicine

Chief surgical technique = bloodletting (barbers)

Smallpox was great killer of the time – those who survived had pockmarks (Washington)

Outbreaks of typhoid fever from lack of public sanitation; dysentery from foul drink & uncooked food

Childhood diseases – measles, mumps, diphtheria, whooping cough – family with 10 kids could expect 5 to make it

Medical remedies were bizarre!