Chap. 5: Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

Transcription

1 Chap. 5: Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

2 Early Years By 1775, Great Britain ruled 32 colonies in North America (Only 13 revolted! :0 ) 1775 population: 2.5 million Avg. Age= 16 90% people lived in rural areas B001_13Colonies.jpg

3 Structure of Colonial Society Land of opportunity Work hard=rags to riches Class differences Small group of aristocrats had a lot of power People below indentured servants: paupers and criminals sent to the New World

4 Slavery Even less fortunate were slaves Little to no hope for freedom Divisive issue between colonies Colonies vetoed any bill banning the importation of slaves

5 Clerics, Physicians, Jurists Most honored profession was the clergy. They held less power than previous, but still quite a bit Physicians not well respected Bleeding was a favorite (Often deadly) Plagues Small pox (1 of 5 persons) Small clergy and doctors wanted Will of God

6 At first lawyers were not liked- noisy scumbags Criminals often represented themselves in court By 1750 recognized as useful Great orators Played important roles in history (high-profile cases)

7 Workday in America Agriculture was a major leading industry Farmers could seem to grow anything In Maryland and Virginia tobacco was a staple crop By 1759 New York was exporting 80,000 barrels of flour a year Fishing was rewarding. Done in all colonies, especially New England Trading was HUGE Triangular Trade: Goes from New England with rum > Gulf Coast of Africa for slaves >West Indies and exchange for slaves, molasses which would sell back to New England

8 Manufacturing was less important Strong-backed laborers and skilled craftspeople were scare and highly prized Single most-important manufacturing activity was lumbering Britain would mark the tallest trees for their navy. Colonists resented it.! What is the Molasses Act? 1733 Parliament passed it If successful would have crippled American trade. Result: disagreement. Colonists smuggled

9 Horse and Sail Power Roads in 1700 were bad. Did not connect large cities. 9 days to move from Boston to Philadelphia Very dangerous As a result, towns clustered around slow, navigable water sources. Inter-colonial mail system was established. Mailmen often read private letters.

10 Dominant Religions 2 established (tax-supported) churches by The Anglican and the Congregational Great majority did not worship in churches

11 Anglican Anglican= Church of England Official in Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and parts of New York Sermons were shorter, descriptions of hell less frightening, and amusements were less scorned. William and Mary (the college) was founded in 1693 to train young clergy members.

12 Congregational Congregational Church had grown from the Puritan Church. Established in ALL the New England colonies, except for Rhode Island. Worry that people were not devout enough

13 The Great Awakening Occurs because: 1.) Less religious fervor than before. 2.) Worry that many people would not be saved. > Stage was set for revival, which turned into the Great Awakening. Jonathan Edwards:! Preacher with fiery preaching methods. Emotional. Moved listeners to tears talking about eternal damnation nonbelievers would face after death. Began preaching in 1734 and methods sparked debate among peers. George Whitefield:! Better than Edwards- started 4 years later Great orator. Made John Edwards weep and Ben Franklin empty his pockets into the collection plate. Imitators copied his emotional shaking sermons and his heaping of blame on sinners.

14 New preachers were met with skepticism from the old lights or orthodox clergymen. Great Awakening led to the founding of new light centers like: Princeton Brown Rutgers Dartmouth Great Awakening was the first religious experience shared by all Americans as a history.

15 Schools and Colleges Education was most valued in New England. Used to educate young future clergymen. Other parts of America: farm labor used up most of the time that would have been spent in schools. Fairly adequate primary and secondary schools throughout America. Biggest emphasis was on religion (in bad way: ex: sinners, hell, etc.) Also on classical languages and doctrine and orthodoxy Discipline was severe. Child was cut by piece from birch tree. In New England (mostly) college education was viewed more highly than the ABCs. EVENTUALLY: Some changes in emphasis on curriculum from dead languages to live ones. Ben Franklin helps by launching school later to become Univ. of Pennsylvania.

16 Culture in the Backwoods Very little free time. Any had was spent with religion. Painters were frowned upon. John Trumbull Charles Willson Peale (portrait of George Washington) Benjamin West John Singleton Architecture was largely imported from the Old World and modified to meet American needs. Log cabin borrowed from Sweden Red bricked Georgian style was introduced in

17 Colonial Literature For the most part it was undistinguished. Slave girl Phillis Wheatley (never formally educated) went to Britain and published a book of verse and several other poems. Ben Franklin s Poor Richard s Almanac was very influential. Contained many common sayings and phrases More widely read in America and Britain than anything except the Bible.! Franklin s experiments with science, and power of observation helped advance science of the time.

18 The Presses Few libraries in early America Few Americans rich enough to buy books On the eve of the Revolution there were many handoperated presses produced leaflets, pamphlets, and journals. They were signed with pseudonyms. Famous Case: John Peter Zenger- New York newspaper printer taken to court and charged with seditious libel Judge urged jury to consider the fact of publishing was a crime, no matter whether the content was derogatory or not. Zenger won after his lawyer (Andrew Hamilton) defended his case. Following, freedom of the press became a thing in America.

19 Politics By 1775, 8 of the colonies had royal governors who were appointed by the king 3 had governors chosen by proprietors Almost every colony had a 2-house legislative body Upper house was appointed by royal officials or proprietors Lower house was elected by the people Self taxation with representation was a cherished privilege. Most important of all rights.

20 Politics Most governors did a good job. Some were corrupt. Lord Cornbury, first cousin of Queen Anne was made governor of NY and NJ in He was a drunkard, spendthrift, embezzler, religious bigot, and a vain fool. Right to vote was not given to anyone (only white land-owning men). However, fairly easy to acquire land. Easier for people to vote.

21 Colonial Folkways Americans had many hardships (things we have today not available) Churches were not heated AT ALL! No running water in houses No indoor plumbing Garbage disposal was primitive Fun actives included: house raising, apple parings, quilting, etc. In the South: card playing, horse racing, cockfighting, and fox hunting. Lotteries were universal. Even approved by the clergy because helped raise money for churches and colleges. Holidays celebrated throughout the colonies America in 1775 was like a quilt. Each part was different and individual in its own way, but all came together to form one single unified piece.

22 Makers of America: Scots-Irish Life for the Scots was miserable in England. Many were poor, they were taxed until their last cents were squeezed from them. Migrated to Ulster (Ireland), and still felt unwelcome. Eventually came to America. Constantly tried to further themselves from Britain. Most went to Pennsylvania, where tolerance was high. Scots-Irish were America s pioneers. Cleared the way! Largely independent, bonded through religion. Hatred for England made them great allies and supporters of the U.S. during the Revolution.

23 Now that you know what you know, why are we fighting for a revolution at this point?