Notes Ch 5 Part 1 – Colonial Society on the Eve of the Revolution (1700 – 1775)
Quote Samuel Adams – E Pluribus Unum… LOVE THIS QUOTE-Intro
Britain possessed 32 colonies in North America in 1775. ONLY 13 Rebel…WHY do some and others not…
Part of the Answer is in the DISTINCTIVE SOCAL, ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL STRUCTURES OF THE
13…AND GRADUAL APPEARANCE OF A RECOGNIZABLE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE.
Conquest by the Cradle
All 13 colonies had tremendous population growth… 1700 – 300,000 (20K African origin) by 1775 – 2.5
MILLION (400k African origin) … This has its cause in part due to the massive increase in permanent
African Slaves and also the remarkable natural fertility of all Americans. American 2x (doubled) it pop.
Every 25 years… (multiplied like rattlesnakes ) and they were YOUNG – avg age 16. THIS PORTENDS A
DRAMATIC SHIFT IN POWER BETWEEN THE COLONIES AND BRITAIN. Most lived east of the
mtns…although some had already been to Tenn. And KY. In 1775 the most populous colonies were Va. ,
Mass. , Penn, NC, and Maryland… there were 4 areas that qualified as cities… Philly was the largest,
followed by NYC, Boston , and Charleston. 90% of the people were farmers that lived in Rural areas.
A Mingling of the Races (ethnicities) E Pluribus Unum
Colonial America was a Melting Pot… ??? Most English…however it also included many others (see chart
p. 86) Germans [Deutchland} 6% - by 1775…came fleeing Religious persecution, economic oppression,
and fleeing war… and settle chiefly In Pennsylvania [penn deutch –erroneously called “dutch”] totaled
1/3rd of the pop. of Penn…most moved into the backcountry…no deep loyalty to the English…clung to
their own customs. Scots-Irish 7% + 5% Scots highlanders (12 %) - non-english but spoke English…not
irish at all but Scots lowlanders who had been transplanted to N. Ireland…CONFLICT was immanent
between these protestant Scots and the Irish Catholics… they settle chiefly in Penn.. but they push out and
down to NC and many settle in the app mtns..superb frontiersmen..settled along the Great Wagon
Road…hugging the foothills of the APPs. From Penn to Ga. And brought with them their fighting spirit
and knowledge of making spirits (alcohol) they also had no loyalty for the British Gov’t (really any
gov’t) they led the Paxton Boys rebellion on Philly in 1764, protesting the lenient policy with the
natives… and later spearhead the Regulator Movement in NC (Rowan Cty.) against Eastern dominant
corrupt political forces… a dozen [12] future presidents are Scots-Irish…OBVIOUSLY THIS GROUP
IS THE SINGLE MOST GOOD LOOKING, INTELLIGENT, AND DOMINANT GROUP EVER TO
COME TO AMERICA    IT JUST COINCIDES WITH THE DOMINANT INTELLECTUAL
TREND OF THAT MAJOR PHILOSOPHERS OF THE ERA ARE FROM SCOTLAND…ADAM
SMITH & DAVID HUME FOR EXAMPLE…. OBVIOUSLY. Another 5% were of mixed Euro ancestry
and they do not hold any loyalty to the British Gov’t either…hmmm…. What is their point???
THE POPULATION OF THE 13 COLONIES WAS THE MOST MIXED TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE IN THE
WORLD…E PLURIBUS UNUM…
The South held appx. 90% of all African Slaves..NE…at this point showed the least ethnic diversity….The
Middle colonies the most mix… A MULTICULTURAL NATIONAL IDENTITY WAS ESTABLISHED…QUOTE
de Crevecoeur*** “a strange mixture of blood, which you will find in NO OTHER
COUNTRY….WHAT THEN IS THIS AMERICAN, THIS NEW MAN?” (DOC )…This mixing is consistent with
the Africans and Native Americans polyglot communities…
The Structure of Colonial Society
In comparison to Europe of the 18th century…America, generally, for whites, was a shining land of
EQUALITY AND OPPORTUNITY…with the exception of Slavery, obviously…NO PERMANENT LANDED
ARISTOCRACY DEVELOPS…no huge landless underclass develops either… Most Americans were
Yeoman Farmers with modest holdings. The cities AND TOWNS-- began to develop a middle class of
skilled artisans and tradespeople…Remarkable was the ease with which a colonist could improve his
economic condition…RARE IN EUROPE.
Stratification of Society was developing, however, one cause was war… (4 before the revolution) war
profiteering…allowed for riches to be made [MERCHANT PRINCES]…ex. In Boston and Philly the richest
10% owned 66% of all taxable wealth… a GAP (interestingly today is even more split) WAR also created a
class of widows and orphans that depended on CHARITY to survive..YET it was still much much smaller
than in Europe. In Boston the many poor were forced to wear a “P” on their clothes. In the South, the
power of the GREAT PLANTERS grew due to their ownership of slaves. Wealth was concentrated in the
hands of the largest slaveholders (.001%) a much much wider income gap than existed anywhere else…
50,000 convicts appx. Settled in America, and of course the least fortunate of all were the African
Permanent Slaves… FEAR of Black Rebellion consistently troubled the white colonists in the South… as
the revolution approached many colonies in the South attempted to halt the importation of African
slaves to the colonies to hurt the British Economy…albeit they were denied, PARLIAMENT VETOING
THESE BILLS…even T. Jefferson attempted to include this in the Dec of Ind , but was
forced to withdraw the piece by protests of Southern slave-owners.
The Makers of America: THE SCOTS-IRISH 
RESTLESS. The settlers of the 1st American West. Perennial outsiders that always headed for the most
distant outpost… ever distancing themselves from authority. 200,000 scots emigrate to Ireland in the
1600’s and make up a majority in many Northern Ireland counties (Ulster) difficult conditions led many
to come to America.
Most come to Penn. 1st…but then fan out …down the wagon road…slowly filling the backcountry of Va.
Carolinas, and Georgia building towns and roads…almost all had a Presbyterian Church…local religious
courts called “the session” pronounced decisions about burglary, trespassing, and other moral and
theological questions…They became bitter opponents of the “established” church’s in America. Their
feistiness becomes apparent went most become Patriots during the American Revolution.
Clerics, Physicians, and Jurists
The most honored profession in the colonies was to be a Christian Minister. Most physicians were
poorly trained and not highly esteemed. The 1st Medical School was established in 1765. Bleeding was a
favorite remedy, when a physician was not available a BARBER was often summoned. Epidemics were a
constant nightmare..esp. SMALLPOX.. Inoculation was introduced in 1721 (some protested against this
due to it conflicting with GOD’s WILL) {THE FAVORITE PRESCRIPTION FOR SMALLPOX WAS “DRIED
TOAD”} The LAW PROFESSION… was not respected… they were considered NOISY WINDBAGS or
TROUBLEMAKING ROGUES… an early Conn. Law classed them with DRUNKARDS AND BROTHEL
KEEPERS 
Workaday America
90% of the people were farmers…involved in Agricultural pursuits. Tobacco was the prime crop in
Virginia and Maryland, although WHEAT spread on lands that were exhausted by tobacco –a change
over time  (and needed less labor eventually leading to African slaves being sold “down the river”)
Grain was especially plentiful in the Middle colonies (Bread Colonies) DUE TO THE FERTILE SOIL –
AMERICANS PROBABLY ENJOYED A HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING THAN THE MASSES OF ANY
COUNTRY IN HISTORY UP TO THAT TIME****
Fishing, Whaling and shipbuilding,(400 PER YEAR+1/3 OF BRITISH FLEET WAS AMERICAN
MADE+FASTEST IN THE WORLD) [NAVAL STORES [huge in NC]- tar, pitch, turpentine, and resin were
highly valued, as were the TALL TREES MARKED WITH THE KING’S ARROW FOR FUTURE USE] were
major industries pursued in all of the colonies…especially in NE where they sent $$$ worth of dried cod
to Europe. All of the Northern colonies had active merchant marines (overseas commerce) otherwise
known as the TRIANGULAR TRADE [SEE MAP P.93] (Atlantic economy) which went way beyond [slaves,
sugar-molasses, & rum] trading rum for slaves, slaves for molasses, and at home turn molasses into rum.
Small manufacturing sites dotted all of the colonies. LUMBERING was the MOST IMPORTANT
SINGLE MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY, Rum was distilled in NE, Beaver Hats made (despite
mercantilist restrictions), Iron Forges (valley forge, penn), household manufactures of cloth (spinning
and weaving “homespun” clothes) HOWEVER, MANUFACTURING WAS SEVERLY LIMITED DUE TO
“ENUMERATED GOODS LAWS (Navigation laws passed during the restoration period, 1660s and
1670s AND MERCANTILIST RESTRICTIONS. These restrictions will eventually cause stress to build
between the colonists and their mother country, Great Britain. This conflict will create the basis for the
American Revolution.
The Thriving Atlantic Economy was important in all of the Colonies in the 18th Century…building
up our Seaport Cities which became the HUB for newspapers-culture [MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS]****
Trade with the interior, exports to the Atlantic world, and a site where imports from around the world
could be purchased. A bustling middle class population rises in these cities dependent on foreign
trade…exporting and importing goods. Our exports account for ½ of all British Trade and sent goods to
many countries around the World LEADING TO A TRADE IMBALANCE {where we bought more goods
from Britain than they bought from us, thus we needed to sell to other countries to make $$$ and keep
$$$ in our country as currency for our own trade –a shortage develops because we wee not allowed to
have our own currency…one reason why we trade w/pirates and other nations in violation of the Nav.
Acts to gain HARD CURRENCY FLOWING IN}… As the conflict with Britain comes closer Mercantilist
policies such as the Navigation Laws (1st passed in 1651 and many more after, like the MOLASSES ACT,
1733, RENEWED IN 1764 AS THE “SUGAR ACT,” AIMED AT STOPPING AMERICAN TRADE WITH THE
FRENCH WEST INDIES…other restrictions such as the CURRENCY ACT (A SERIES OF ACTS WHICH
REGULATES PAPER MONEY ISSUED BY THE COLONIES— 10 OF THE 13 COLONIES HAD ISSUED PAPER
MONEY BY 1715--THE ACTS SOUGHT TO PROTECT BRITISH MERCHANTS FROM BEING PAID IN PAPER
MONEY ISSUED BY THE VARIOUS COLONIES AND INHERENTLY WORTH LESS THAN SPECIE—GOLD
AND SILVER—ACTS WERE PASSED FIRST IN 1751 AND AGAIN AFTER THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
IN 1764 AS PART OF THE SERIES OF LAWS CALLED THE “NEW COLONIAL POLICIES-NCP”) and laws
that mandated all goods intended for export be taken to Britain first then sold from there by British co.’s
and that American merchant ships be crewed by British Captains and British Crews were intended to
allow the MOTHER COUNTRY to $$$$ from its colonies. SMUGGLING BECOMES COMMONPLACE to outwit
our Mother and this leads to much friction in the coming years…a far off British Parliament attempting
to SUBJUGATE its children (colonies) bent on destroying its ability to grow and make a living.
Horsepower and Sailpower
Transportation is a major problem… a scarcity of $$$ and workers exacerbated the problem… Roads
were often dirt and treacherous… The Roman Roads were much more efficient and faster, and 2000
years old  Ben Franklin moved to Philly in 1720 and it took him 9 days to reach Philly from Boston…
news from the Dec. of Ind. In 1776 took 29 days to reach Charleston, SC from Philly…Most took out a
LAST WILL AND TESAMENT before traveling during this period it was so difficult… WATERWAYS were
the prime transportation way in this period whether by River or Ocean…
TAVERNS WERE MORE THAN DRINKING ESTABLISHEMENTS…[WE HAD ONE AT THE CORNER OF
LANGTREE ROAD AND HIGHWAY 115] They appeared on the main routes of travel and served as
hotels, gaming establishments, brothels, and a place for colonials to meet, greet, and talk
POLITICS or the news of the day…. They become a staging ground for “Sons of Liberty” and were a
cradle of DEMOCRACY. Samuel Adams, a leading revolutionary fire-brand…rand the GREEN
DRAGON TAVERN… and it is in small places like this around the colonies that copies of COMMON SENSE
(T. PAINE) AND NEWSPAPERS began to create a PUBLIC OPINION which crystallized and proved to
be important communication centers to connect the colonies as travellers moved from place to place,
especially as CONFLICT develops with our MOTHER. Mail-Postal system: inter-colonial mail was
established (B.F. 1st, of course) in the mid 1700’s, however it was slow, infrequent, and often not private…
Mail carriers would pass the time by reading the letters 