I. Introduction:
• Britain controlled 32 colonies in North America but only 13 get the distinction of rebelling
• Distinct social, economic and political structures played a major role
II. Conquest by Cradle
• The colonists doubled their numbers every 25 years
• In 1700 there were 20 English subjects to every one American subject; by 1775 that advantage had fallen to 3 to 1
• Most of the population settled east of the Alleghenies while only a few pioneers ventured into Kentucky and Tennessee
• The most populous states were Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Maryland
• The only cities were Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Charleston
III. A Mingling of Races
• America had the reputation of a ‘melting pot’ from the outset
• Germans made up 6% of the population and settled largely in Pennsylvania
• Scots-Irish made up 7% of the population, settling in Pennsylvania and pushing west into the frontier
• Numerous European groups made up another 5%
• African accounted for 20%
• All of these groups mingled and intermarried creating a national identity not found anywhere in Europe
IV. The Structure of Colonial Society
• While seventeenth century America was marked by general equality with a lack of a noble class, eighteenth century America began to “Europeanize”
• Merchant elites were class, as were widows and orphans, wage laborers, and public charity cases
• A lower class of paupers and criminals formed
• The lowest class were slaves
V. Clerics, Physicians, and Jurists
• Christian ministry was the most honored profession
• Physicians and doctors were not held in high esteem; remedies were bizarre
• Lawyers were not held in high esteem
VI. Workaday America
• Agriculture was the leading industry, involving 90% of the population
• Fishing and whaling were profitable ventures
• Triangular trade developed between America, Europe, and the Caribbean
• Manufacturing took a backseat to agriculture and trading
• Lumbering was most important among manufacturing fields
• The American colonies built up so many overseas trading partners that Britain began to take notice and become involved
VII. Horsepower and Sailpower
• Roads were horrible and land travel took immense amounts of time
• To avoid roads, people tried to rely on rivers for transport
• Establishments such as halls and taverns sprang up along major routes
VIII. Dominant Denominations
• The Church of England , or Anglican Church, was the official faith of Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and part of New York
• The Congregational Church, which had grown out of the Puritan Church, was established in the New England colonies
• Churches were hurt by not having a resident bishop but were wary of strengthening the king’s hand in America
IX. The Great Awakening
• The Puritan churches had two burdens: their elaborate theological doctrines and their compromising efforts to liberalize membership
• Many followers began to loosen up on the Calvinist idea of predestination
• Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were masterful orators who spread messages of baptism, human helplessness, and the need for divine omnipotence
• Many effects = emotive spirituality undermined older clergy, increased competitiveness between churches, encouraged missionary work, led to founding of colleges
X. Schools and Colleges
• Harvard, William and Mary, Yale, Princeton, Pennsylvania, Columbia, Brown, Rutgers, Dartmouth
• Education focused on making good Christians before good citizens
• Colonial schools emphasized religion, classical languages, doctrine and dogma
• Colleges were needed to produce new ministers
XI. A Provincial Culture
• Art and culture was still modeled after European tastes
• Architecture was all modeled after the Old World
• Literature and art was undistinguished
• Ben Franklin made strides as the first “civilized” American
XII. Pioneer Presses
• Hand-operated printing presses cranked out pamphlets, leaflets, and journals
• Around 40 newspapers were in circulation in the late 1700’s
• News lagged weeks behind
• The Zenger Trial paved the way for freedom of the press after John Peter Zenger criticized New York’s governor
XIII. The Great Game of Politics
• Colonial governments took various forms
• Some were royal governors, proprietors, and elected governors
• Every colony used a two-house legislative body
• Voting was done by men that owned property
XIV. Colonial Folkways
• Food was plentiful although plain
• Churches were not heated, homes were drafty, there was no running water
• Amusement and social gatherings were sought after and welcomed in many forms
• Despite differences, the colonies bore striking similarities in language, customs, religion
