Colonial Society On The Eve Of Revolution

Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution
1. Conquest by the Cradle
1. In 1775, there were 32 British colonies in North America.
1. Only 13 of these colonies revolted in the “American Revolution.”
2. Canada and Jamaica were wealthier than the “original 13.”
3. All of the colonies were growing like weeds.
2. In 1775, there were 2.5 million people inthe 13 colonies.
3. Their average age was about 16 (due mainly to having several children).
4. The vast majority (95%) of the Americans were crammed east of the Allegheny Mountains. By 1775, a few had settled in Tennessee and Kentucky.
5. 90% of the Americans lived in rural areas and were therefore mostly farmers.
2. A Mingling of the Races
6. Colonial America wasmostly English by origin, but other ethnicities were also present.
7. Germans made up 6% of the population (150,000 in number by 1775).
4. The Germans were mostly Protestant (usually Lutheran).
5. They were called “Pennsylvania Dutch”…a perversion of “Deutsch” or “German.”
8. Scots-Irish made up 7% of the population (175,000 in number).
6. Back across theocean, these strong-willed folks had been transplanted into Northern Ireland. But, they banged heads with the Catholic Irish there and never felt at home. So, they emigrated to America.
7. They typically moved inland in America up to the Appalachian foothills. They squatted on the land and bickered with Indians and whites over ownership.
8. The “Paxton Boys” led amarch/revolt in 1764. Like Nathaniel Bacon of 100 years prior, they were frustrated over not being able to get land.
9. The Scots-Irish were a hot-headed, but hardy people.
10. When the War for Independence began, many became revolutionaries.
9. 5% were from various European ethnicities: French Huguenots, Welsh, Dutch, Swedes, Jews, Irish, the Swiss, or Scots-Highlanders.11. Even early on, the Americans were taking on a mosaic of races and ethnicities. Therefore, other nations had a hard time pinning down exactly what it meant to be “an American.”
3. The Structure of the Colonial Society
10. Unlike Europe, where the classes were locked, America was a land of opportunity.
12. Hard work might see anyone rise from “rags to riches.”
13.Despite opportunity in America, class differences did emerge with wealthy planter-farmers, clergymen, government officials, and merchants wielding most of the authority.
11. Wars brought more riches to merchants.
14. As well as creating riches, these wars created widows and orphans who eventually turned to charity for support.
12. In the South, a firm social pyramid emergedcontaining…
15. The immensely rich plantation owners (“planters”) had many slaves (though these were few).
16. “Yeoman” farmers, or small farmers, owned their land and, maybe, a few slaves.
17. Landless whites who owned no land and either worked for a landowner or rented land to farm.
18. Indentured servants of America were the paupers and the criminals sentto the New World. Some of them were actually unfortunate victims of Britain’s unfair laws and did become respectable citizens. This group was dwindling though by the 1700s, thanks to Bacon’s Rebellion and the move away from indentured servant labor and toward slavery.
19. Black slaves were at the bottom of the social ladder with no rights or hopes up moving up or even gaining freedom.Slavery became a divisive issue because some colonies didn’t want slaves while others needed them, and therefore vetoed any bill banning the importation of slaves.
4. Clerics, Physicians, and Jurists
13. The clergy (or priests) were the most respected group in colonial days. They had less power in 1775 than in earlier days, but still held high esteem.
14. Physicians (or...