Colonial Culture

1
Colonial Culture
2
A vast Melting Pot

• Colonies of the new world a melting pot of
  nationalities
• More diverse than any other country on Earth
• A strange mixture of blood, which you will find
  in no other country. Michel-Guillame de
  Crevecoeur

3
English

• Largest minority in colonies in 1775(Over 50 )
• Immigrants moved mainly to escape religious
  prosecution (Puritans) and economic hardship
• First immigrants to new world

4
Germans

• 6 of total population of colonies in 1775
  (150,000 people)
• Moved mostly to Pennsylvania backwoods where land
  was plentiful and soil was fertile
• Made up 1/3 of colony of Pennsylvania in 1775
• Not loyal to crown because of German heritage
• Fleed religious prosecution, economic oppression,
  and war
• Religion was Protestantism (most were of the
  Lutheran sect)

5
Scots-Irish

• 7 of population in 1775 (175,000 people)
• Important group of Non-English settlers
• Not really Irish- they were trouble-prone Scots
  who were transplanted into Ireland by British
• Presbyterian Scots quarreled with Catholic Irish
• Made decision to move because of discrimination
  in society and economics by British crown
• Moved to Appalachia (Kentucky, Tennessee, West
  Virginia, Pennsylvania frontier) because all
  other land in tolerant Pennsylvania was taken
• Although excellent frontiersmen, they illegally
  squatted on Indian frontier, causing many fights
• Brought secrets of whiskey distilling to colonies
• Formed Paxton Boys in Philadelphia to protest
  Quaker governments easy treatment of Indians

6
African Americans

• 20 of population in 1790 (760,000)
• 90 of black population was nestled in the South
  on plantations
• Brought to the colonies as slaves
• No freedom unless granted it by masters (seldom
  done)

7
Others

• About 5 of population of the colonies consisted
  of French Huguenots, Welsh, Dutch, Swedes, Jews,
  Irish, Swiss, and Scots Highlanders
• These hodge-podge group of nationalities felt
  little loyalty to British crown

8
Summation

• Of all colonies, Pennsylvania held most diversity
  throughout 18th because of its governments
  tolerant views on religion and nationalities
• Of all the colonies, New England held the least
  (mostly English Puritans)
• As these different groups of people intermingled
  and married, though, they began the creation of a
  distinctly new nationality American