Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

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Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution
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Why did these 13 colonies revolt?
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Structures of the Colonies

• Huge population growth
• Americans doubled population every 25 years
• Average age was 16
• 31 English to colonists
• Biggest colonies VA, MA, PA, NC, and MD
• Cities Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and
  Charleston

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Structures of the Colonies

• Melting pot most mixed of any place in the
  world
• Germans
• Scots-Irish
• English
• Africans
• Irish
• Dutch
• Other Europeans
• Indians

Most numerous white ethnic groups
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Equality and Opportunity?

• Possible to go from indentured servant to wealthy
  planter
• Some stratification
• Merchants gained ground because of war
• Numbers of poor grew
• Available land dwindled
• Slave ownership caused increase in divide between
  rich and poor

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Working in the Colonies

• Most respected job in colonies was the clergy
• Doctors were poorly trained and were viewed
  negatively
• Bloodletting used for treatment
• Smallpox occurred often (30 mortality)
  inoculation began (2 mortality)
• John Adams inoculation scene

• Lawyers were seen as troublemakers
• John Adams wasnt seen as a proper match for
  Abigail

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Workdays

• Agriculture biggest industry
• Tobacco MD and VA
• Grain NY
• Fishing New England
• Triangular trade
• Household manufacturing
• Lumber
• Naval stores

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Cod fishing on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland
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Colonial Trade Patterns, c. 1770
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Transportation

• Roads were terrible and dangerous
• Waterways were more reliable
• Taverns important rest, information, mixture of
  various groups

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Colonial Tavern
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Religion and Worship

• Two established churches
• Anglican
• Congregational
• Pulpit became location for talk of sedition
• Anglican clergy supported the king

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Schools and Colleges

• Many thought education only for the wealthy
• Puritan NE had most education for religious
  reasons
• Primarily for boys
• Schools varied in length of year and quality
• South - wealthy used private tutors
• Atmosphere
• Grim and gloomy
• No independent thought
• Switching
• Colleges
• Ben Franklin first college free from church
  control (University of Pennsylvania)

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Culture

• Art influenced heavily by Europe
• Many artists had to go abroad to get training and
  subjects
• Architecture
• Log cabin Swedish
• Red bricked Georgian
• Literature
• Phillis Wheatley slave girl who became a poet
• Ben Franklin Poor Richards Almanack
• Science
• Most influential was Ben Franklin
• Electricity
• Bifocals
• Franklin stove

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John Trumbull
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Charles Willson Peale
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Architecture
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On Being Brought From Africa To America
'Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land,Taught
my beknighted soul to understandThat there's a
God, that there's a Savior tooOnce I redemption
neither sought nor knew.Some view our sable race
with scornful eye,"Their color is a diabolic
dye."Remember Christians Negroes, black as
Cain,May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.

----Phillis Wheatley
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Ben Franklins Contributions