The American NationThe American Nation

Chapter 4 – Section 5 – Life in the Colonies

The Thirteen English Colonies, 1630–1750

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Chapter 4, Section 5

Life in the ColoniesLife in the Colonies

Objectives to learn:• What class differences existed in colonial

society?• How did the Great Awakening affect the

colonies?• How did the colonists educate their

children?• How were the colonies affected by the

spread of new ideas?

Chapter 4, Section 5

What was life like in the colonies?What was life like in the colonies?

Colonial Society Social Classes • Gentry - wealthy planters, merchants,

ministers, lawyers, royal officials• Middle Class - farmers, craftsworkers,

trades people; ¾ of white colonists• Lower Class - farmhands, indentured

servants (people who signed contracts to work without wages for 4 to 7 in return for their ocean passage) and slaves

What was life like for women in Colonial Society?What was life like for women in Colonial Society?

• Job was to take care of household, husband, and children

• In Backcountry – worked in fields with husbands.• In cities- worked outside the home (ex. maids,

cooks, nurses, midwives, seamstresses) • Some inherited trades and businesses from their

fathers (ex. Butchers, shoemakers, silversmiths, printers)

• Did not have formal education• Dame schools = private schools run by women in

their own homes

What was life like for Africans in Colonial Society?What was life like for Africans in Colonial Society?

• Enslaved on rice, tobacco, and indigo plantations • Language was influenced by African culture –

Gullah = language enslaved Africans spoke that included a distinctive combination of English and African languages

• Along the coasts – enslaved in shipbuilding industry

• Some were enslaved, skilled craftsmen• Some bought freedom • 1700s – African population increased

Life on Colonial Farms (2:32)Life on Colonial Farms (2:32)

Changes in Population with the Colonies (3:03)Changes in Population with the Colonies (3:03)

Colonial Life (3:20)Colonial Life (3:20)

Chapter 4, Section 5

What was the Great Awakening?What was the Great Awakening?

• Religious movement of the 1730s and 1740s• Began with powerful ministers:

• Jonathon Edwards • George Whitefield

• Caused many people to split from their old churches and start new ones

• Growth of so many churches = people became more tolerant of different religious beliefs

• New religions focused less on formal training and more on the holy spirit

• Impact = Encouraged a spirit of independence. • Independence with government???• Influenced leaders in the American

Revolution???

The Great Awakening (1:22)****The Great Awakening (1:22)****

Chapter 4, Section 5

What was education like in the colonies?What was education like in the colonies?

New England • Focus on religion• Public schools = schools supported by taxes.• One-room school house

Middle Colonies

Southern Colonies

Apprenticeships

• Private schools• Education only for the wealthy.

• Tutors = private teachers. • Wealthy sons went to schools in England.• Education illegal for slaves.

• Boys learned a trade/craft by living with a master and working for free in return for training.

Education in the Colonies (3:22)Education in the Colonies (3:22)

Chapter 4, Section 5

What new ideas spread in the colonies in the 1700s?What new ideas spread in the colonies in the 1700s?

• Enlightenment:• Movement started in Europe • Applied reason and logic instead of superstition to understand

the world• John Locke = English philosopher wrote people could gain

knowledge by observing and experimenting• Benjamin Franklin = Enlightenment thinker who used reason to

invent useful devices to improve his world• Colonial Cities

• Growth of cultural events (ex. Theater)• 1st weekly newspaper = John Campbell’s Boston News-Letter

(in 1704)• Growth of colonial newspapers = example of freedom of the press

= John Peter Zenger’s trial for libel (the act of publishing a statement that may unjustly damage a person’s reputation).

Ben Franklin – An Enlightened Thinker (3:48)***Ben Franklin – An Enlightened Thinker (3:48)***

Successes of Ben Franklin (1:05)Successes of Ben Franklin (1:05)

Ben Franklin and Electricity (2:24)Ben Franklin and Electricity (2:24)

Franklin’s Successes with Communication ((:43)Franklin’s Successes with Communication ((:43)

Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac (:44)

Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac (:44)

Diversity in Philadelphia and Impact of Ben Franklin on the City (1:10)

Diversity in Philadelphia and Impact of Ben Franklin on the City (1:10)

The Colonies at the Turn of the 18th Century (:54)

The Colonies at the Turn of the 18th Century (:54)

Chapter 4, Section 5

Section 5 AssessmentSection 5 Assessment

The Great Awakening encouraged people toa) remain in the churches they had grown up with.b) worship in a calm, quiet atmosphere.c) separate religion and politics.d) think more independently about their political rights and governments.

Benjamin Franklin is a good example of the Enlightenment spirit because hea) used reason to invent practical devices and create public services.b) used reason to argue that John Peter Zenger had not committed libel.c) rose from the lower class to the middle class.d) published the first regular weekly newspaper in the English colonies.

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Chapter 4, Section 5

Section 5 AssessmentSection 5 Assessment

The Great Awakening encouraged people toa) remain in the churches they had grown up with.b) worship in a calm, quiet atmosphere.c) separate religion and politics.d) think more independently about their political rights and governments.

Benjamin Franklin is a good example of the Enlightenment spirit because hea) used reason to invent practical devices and create public services.b) used reason to argue that John Peter Zenger had not committed libel.c) rose from the lower class to the middle class.d) published the first regular weekly newspaper in the English colonies.

Want to connect to the American History link for this section? Click here.