Chapter+5-+Colonies+Society+on+the+Eve+of+Revolution

Chapter 5- Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

Pennsylvania Dutch- referred to Germans Doctor Samuel Johnson- growled that the Americans were multiplying like their own rattlesnakes; from England Michel-Guillaume de Crevecoeur- French settler; saw America in the 1700s as “a strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country;” posed his question, “What then is the American, this new man?” “Poor whites”- most likely to become tenant farmers “jayle birds”- (as a whole) robbers, convicts, rapists, and murderers that London sent to the American colonies so they would not have to deal with them in England. Gentry- Landowners of substantial property, social standing, and leisure, but not titled nobility.

**Molasses Act**- 1733, aimed at the North American trade with the West Indies; Americans responded by bribing and smuggling their way around the law Thomas Jefferson- slave holder but wanted to get rid of slavery, but had to withdraw the proposal (in the early draft of the Declaration of Independence) because of a protest from Southern slave holders Ben Franklin- traveled nine days from Boston to Philadelphia to tell everyone about the Declaration of Independence; often called the first civilized American; Poor Richard’s Almanac (1732)
 * Melting Pot || The mingling of diverse ethnic groups in America, including the idea that these groups are or should be "melting" into a single culture or people. ||
 * Sect || A small religious group that has broken away from some larger mainstream church, often claiming superior or exclusive possession of religious truth. ||
 * Agitators || Those who seek to excite or persuade the public on an issue. ||
 * Stratification || The visible arrangement of society into a hierarchical pattern, with distinct social groups layered one on top of the other. ||
 * Mobility || The capacity to pass readily from one social or economic condition to another. ||
 * Elite || The smaller group at the top of a society or institution, usually possessing wealth, power, or special privileges. ||
 * Almshouse || A home for the poor, supported by charity or public funds. ||
 * <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Gentry || <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Landowners of substantial property, social standing, and leisure, but not titled nobility. ||
 * <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Tenant farmer || <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">One who rents rather than owns land. ||
 * <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Penal Code || <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The body of criminal laws specifying offenses and prescribing punishments. ||
 * <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Veto || <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The executive power to prevent acts passed by the legislature from becoming law. ||
 * <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Apprentice || <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">A person who works under a master to acquire instruction in a trade or profession. ||
 * <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Speculation || <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Buying land or anything else in the hope of profiting by an expected rise in price. ||
 * <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Revival || <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In religion, a movement of renewed enthusiasm and commitment, often accompanied by special meetings or evangelical activity. ||
 * <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Secular || <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Belonging to the worldly sphere rather than to the specifically sacred or churchly. ||


 * Anglicans**- official faith in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and a part of New York; served in America as a major prop of kingly authority.


 * The College of William and Mary**- founded in 1693 to train a better class of clerks to make the churches better.

Congregational Church- formally established in all the New England colonies (except RI) Great Awakening- rousing religious revival in the 1730s and 1740s

Jonathan Edwards- North Hampton, MA; one of the first to ignite the Great Awakening; encouraged people to depend on God’s grace and salvation through good works

George Whitefield- Great Awakening in a different way than Edwards; toured the colonies for his sermons; more fiery than Edwards

“Old Lights”- orthodox clergymen who were skeptical of the revivalists

“New light” ministers- defended the Great Awakening; argued that it revitalized the American religion

University of Pennsylvania – started by Ben Franklin; became the first American college free from denominational control.

John Trumbull- painter from Connecticut; forced to travel to London to pursue his ambitions because his father discouraged painting

Charles Willson Peale- known for portraits of George Washington; ran a museum, stuffed birds, and practiced dentistry

Benjamin West and John Singleton Copley- both went to England to complete their training; Copley was regarded as a Loyalist during Revolutionary War; West was a friend of George III and an official court painter- buried in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral Phillis Wheatly- precocious poet; a slave girl brought to Boston at the age of eight and never formally educated; wrote about the influence of Alexander Pope;

John Peter Zenger- newspaper printer; wrote about the corrupt royal governor; charged with slander; went to court and was defended by Andrew Hamilton

-In the year of 1775, the most populated colonies were Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. -About 90% lived in rural areas.
 * Conquest by the Cradle**

-In 1775, there was a total of **6% of** **Germans**. Many settled in Pennsylvania, fleeing Europe from religious persecution, economic oppression, and war. -In the same year, there were **7% of** **Scots-Irish** who had settlements along the great wagon road which laid along the east Appalachian foothills from Pennsylvania to Georgia. -The Scots-Irish led the **March of the Paxton Boys in Philadelphia in 1764** to protest the Quaker's policy toward the Indians. A few years later, they started the **Regulator movement** in North Carolina against eastern domination of the colonies affairs. -About 5% of the population consisted of French-Huguenots, Dutch, Swedes, Jews, Irish, Swiss, Welsh, and Scots Highlanders.
 * A Mingling of the Races**

-The richest **10% of Bostians and Philadelphians owned 2/3** of the taxable wealth in their cities. -In 1750, Boston had a large number of homeless people who were forced to wear a red "P" on their clothing. -The black slaves were the lowest in society.
 * The Structure of Colonial Society**

-The most honored profession was found in the Christian ministry. -Physicians were poorly trained. The first medical school was established in 1765. Epidemics such as smallpox and diphtheria killed many.
 * Clerics, Physicians, and Jurists**

-90% were involved in **agriculture, the leading industry** in America at that time. -Tobacco was the staple crop in Maryland and Virginia. The middle colonies were also known as the bread colonies for the large amount of grain they produced. -Trade was popular in New England. -Lumbering was the most important manufacturing activity. -By 1770, over 400 vessels were produced. -Because Americans began to reproduce so quickly, they demanded more and more British products. However, the British population was not growing quite as fast. Therefore, there was a trade imbalance and America looked for different foreign markets to trade with. -Parliment passed the **Molasses Act of 1773**, which was intended to crush North American trade with the West Indies. This prompted smuggling.
 * Workday America**

-An intercolonial postal sysytem was established in the mid-1700s. -The roads in the colonies were in bad condition.
 * Horse Power and Sailpower**

-The **Anglican and Congregational churches** were established in 1775. These churches were tax-supported. -The official faith of Georgia, North and South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and New York was **The Church of England**, also known as the **Anglican Church.** -The College of William and Mary was founded in 1693 to train a better class of clerics for the Anglican church. -The Puritan church later evoloved into the Congregational church and was formally established in all New England colonies except Rhode Island. -More people practiced religious tolerance.
 * Dominant Denomination**

-**Jacobus Arminius** was a Dutch theologist who preached that individual free will determined a person's fate. -The **Great Awakening** was from the 1730s-1740s. It began in Northampton, Massachusetts by **Jonathan Edwards**. -One could attain salvation by believing in God. -**George Whitefield** was an enthusiastic and fiery preacher. -The Great Awakening started new denominations and greatly increased the competition of churches.
 * The Great Awakening**

-Education was extremely important in Puritan New England. Because it was dominated by the Congregational Church, it required worshipers to read The Bible. -Nine colleges were established during this colonial era. -Colleges were looked very highly upon in New England.
 * Schools and Colleges**

-Art and architecture were popular in the colonies. -Red-bricked Georgian style was introduced in 1720. -**Benjamin Franklin** was considered the only first-rank scientist in the colonies.
 * A Provincial Culture**

-**John Peter Zenger**, a newspaper printer, paved the way for freedom of the press. Between 1734-1735, he was charged with printing items that attacked the governor of New York, but he was found not guilty.
 * Pioneer Presses**

-By 1775, eight of the colonies had royal governors, who were chosen by the King of England. Maryland, Deleware, and Pennsylvania were under the control of proprietors who chose the governors for those colonies. Connecticut and Rhode Island elected their own governors under self-governing characters. -Most colonies used a two-house legislative body. The upper house, known as the council, was chosen by the king in the royal colonies or the proprietor in the proprietary colonies. The lower house, also known as the popular branch, was elected by the people. -**Lord Combury** was the governor of New York and New Jersey in 1702. He was an alcoholic and a spendthrift. <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: Helvetica; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">
 * The Great Game of Politics**