Ch 5 PPT

Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

Population Growth• Huge population growth caused shift in

balance of power between colonies and England (mother country)

• Population: 1700 = 300,000, but by 1775 = 2.5 million

• 1775 Average age = 16

• Only 4 major cities: Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Charleston

Philadelphia (largest in the 1750’s)

Urban Population GrowthUrban Population Growth1650 - 17751650 - 1775

Urban Population GrowthUrban Population Growth1650 - 17751650 - 1775

Ethnic GroupsEthnic GroupsEthnic GroupsEthnic Groups

Other Races• New societies created out of diverse ethnic groups:

English, Africans, Scots-Irish, Germans, French.• Scots-Irish didn’t like British government.• Out of 56 signers of Declaration of Independence -

18 = non-English and 8 weren’t born in the colonies.

• Which non-English group was the largest?

Ethnic & Racial Composition of American People: 1790

• British 49%• African 19%• German 7%• Scottish 7%• Scots Irish 5%• Dutch 3%• Irish 3%• French .4%• Swedes, Jews, Swiss .3%

Scots-Irish• Not really Irish, but Scottish Lowlanders

• Were Presbyterians (hated by Catholics)

• Early 1700’s – tens of thousands came to America.

• Most went to Pennsylvania - settled in frontier areas.

• Also spread to back country of Maryland and parts of Virginia and Carolinas

Government Attempts to Control Trade• Map Pg 92: What are 2 products the colonies

produced and at what location?

• 1651 Navigation Acts: passed to guarantee England alone would profit from trade with colonies

• English government tried to inhibit colonial trade to French West Indies by passing 1733 Molasses Act

• Colonists ignored it/smuggled (triangular trade)

Molasses Act 1733• British law imposed tax on molasses,

sugar, rum imported from non-British foreign colonies (French W. Indies) into N. American colonies.

• Aimed at creating a monopoly of American sugar market

• Smuggling occurred

Colonial Trade (Pg 93)• Triangular Trade: Rum traded to Gold

Coast of Africa in exchange for African slaves. Slaves traded to West Indies for Molasses. Molasses taken back to New England and made into rum. (rum taken to Coast of Africa, etc.)

• Other items traded: food, forest products (timber/lumber), tobacco, indigo, furs, meat, grains.

Mercantilism• AKA: English Trade System• Goal - Mother country wants to:

• Be self-sufficient• Expand trade to increase gold reserves to

become rich• To limit foreign imports and to encourage a

favorable balance of trade• Policy in which colonies existed for the

benefit of the mother country, exchanging raw materials for manufactured goods

Mercantilism – How did it work?• Export raw materials from America• Make finished product in England• Make colonists buy products only from England• Export more products from England than England

imports• Enumerated goods: Goods that England needed, but

didn’t have the natural resources to produce: Sugar, Tobacco, cotton, indigo, rice.

Too Many Products• Colonies produced too many products for

England so they started selling to other countries

• English govt “turned a blind eye” to colonies trading outside of England = Salutary neglect: Didn’t enforce Navigation Acts

But after French & Indian War

• French and Indian War is also known as:.

• Changed economic policy….

• From Salutary Neglect to strict enforcement of Navigation Acts1660 and 1663– All products must be sold through England,

no direct sales to other countries

Getting Around • 1700’s: roads built to connect major cities• Roads poor (dirt roads) - transportation

slow• First “Holiday Inns” were called taverns:

sprang up along the main travel routes.• Taverns = information exchanged, rumors

spread, public opinions discussed, agitation for revolution stirred, all classes were accepted.

• For amusement – pool tables, bowling, gambling

TMWK CH 5

• 1. chart Pg 95: What sect of protestants had the greatest # of followers in 1775 and where were they located?

• 2. Which colonies were mostly Anglican?

• 3. Which colonies had no tax supported churches in 1775?

1775 Denominations • Congregational Church – Puritans, Congregationalists • Anglicans - Church of England• Presbyterians- Scots Irish• German churches- Lutherans• Dutch Reformed• Quakers - Society of Friends

First Great Awakening: 1730s & 1740s• Religious revivals in the English colonies spreading

evangelistic fervor. Challenged the control of traditional clerics over their congregations.

• Pastor Jonathan Edwards: salvation isn’t given by doing good, but by the grace of God.

• George Whitefield: Gifted preacher – stirred emotions of the audience.

• “Old Light” preachers: opposed the emotionalism of the revivalists

• “New Light” preachers: New type of ministers upset the Orthodox clergy. Had intensely emotional sermons in order to revitalize American religion.

First Great Awakening Cont.• Challenged patterns of traditional religion• Individual can choose their religion• 1st genuine united movement in the colonies• Helped nurture seeds of independence as people

felt united by a common history and shared experiences.

Results of Great Awakening• Undermined prestige of the learned clergy in the

colonies• Congregationalists and Presbyterians split:

many became Baptists and other sects who were more accepting of emotion in religion.

• Led to founding of Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, and Rutgers colleges – “new light” centers.

• Encouraged a wave of missionary work among Native Americans and Black slaves.

Schools and Colleges• Education: mainly for boys - most zealously

promoted in New England colonies• New England - Education for religious reasons:

Reading the Bible, learn doctrine, preparing men for ministry

• Classical languages: Latin and Greek• Middle Colonies had some tax-supported

schools

Today’s Ivy League Schools• 1636 Harvard: Cambridge, Mass.

Congregational • 1693 College of William and Mary: VA –

Anglican• 1701 Yale: Connecticut - Congregational• 1746 Princeton: NJ – Presbyterian• 1751 University of Pennsylvania: PA –

nonsectarian• 1754 Columbia: NY – Anglican• 1764 Brown: RI – Baptist• 1766 Rutgers: NJ – Dutch Reformed• 1769 Dartmouth: NH – Congregational

Deism• Lord Edward Herbert: founder of Deism• God set universe in motion and left it to natural law

without intervening again• Deists believed in God, but rejected organized

religion• Most famous Deist was Benjamin Franklin• Morality could be achieved by following reason

rather than teachings of the church

Ben Franklin: “First Civilized American”1754 Political Cartoon

Franklin’s Political Cartoon Impacted History

• Urged colonies to join together to support Albany Plan of Union during French and Indian War

• 1754 cartoon published in Pennsylvania Gazette showed disunity of the colonies

• Later used as a symbol of colonial freedom during the Revolution

Ben Franklin – “First Civilized American”

Ben Franklin–“First Civilized American”• Apprenticed as a printer• Lived in Philadelphia (London-2 years)• Started Univ. of Pennsylvania: 1st American

college not controlled by a denomination• Established 1st privately supported lending

library in Philadelphia• Improved the post office - became 1st

Postmaster General• Organized 1st fire dept• Reformed the police dept

Ben Franklin – Inventor/Scientist• Invented bifocals, Franklin Stove,

Glass Harmonica, Lightning rod• Discovered electricity • Built 1st electric battery

Founding Father and “First Civilized American”

• Signed Declaration of Independence,

1783 Treaty of Paris, U.S. Constitution

• Published Pennsylvania Gazette

• Wrote “The Autobiography of Ben Franklin” and “Poor Richard’s Almanac”: has many pithy sayings - “Honesty is the best policy”

Pioneer Presses• John Peter Zenger – newspaper printer• Jail for 9 months for printing article that was

critical of Royal Gov. of NY.• Charged with seditious libel. • Zenger argued he had printed the truth. Jury

found him innocent.• Important case for freedom of press - helped

establish the doctrine that true statements about public officials couldn’t be prosecuted as libel.

• Encouraged editors to be more critical of public officials.

Politics of 1775• 8 colonies: had royal governors appointed by king.

1) Two-house legislator: Upper house appointed by the crown in the royal colonies. 2) Lower house: elected by property owners.

• 3 colonies: proprietary – proprietors chose governors (MD, PA, DE) Two-house legislature: voted for in the proprietary colonies

• 2 Self governing colonies - elected their own governors (CT, RI)

• Had religious or property qualifications to vote• Taxes: voted on for necessary expenses of colonial

govts.• 1775: Colonies not yet a true democracy

Structure of Colonial Society• Gentry Class

– South = Plantation Owners: wealthy, educated– North = Lawyers (had a lot of power), Officials, Clergymen (most honored profession), Merchants

• Middle Class– Yeomen Farmers: small, family owned farms– Physicians (least honored and not highly trained)– Tradesmen/Artisan: blacksmith, tinsmith, printer– Merchants: shop owner

• Poor Class– Indentured servants, free laborers, lesser tradesmen, poor

farmers• Slaves: lowest class