Colonial
Society on the
Eve of the
Revolution
Factors leading to an “American”
Identity
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Population Boom! By
1775 2.5 million,
population doubling
every 25 years
(Franklin’s prediction
was right!) due to high
birthrate and
immigration
Young population with
average age of 16,
mostly rural
Factors leading to an
“American” Identity
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Diversity- Population of
America is not majority
British born subjects, they
are outnumbered 3 to 1
Groups are increasingly
anti-British, German, ScotIrish, Swedes, Dutch,
Scots, French, etc. Middle
colonies were most diverse.
Inter-marriage prevalent,
America is melting pot
from the beginning
Civil Unrest: The Paxton Boys
The Regulators
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The PA frontier area populated by many rough-and-tumble
Scots-Irish immigrants - weary of the colonial assembly’s
inattention to Indian attacks and requests for soldiers, guns,
powder and lead. Many in the assembly were pacifist Quakers.
A group of Paxton men took matters into their own hands in
December 1763 - raided a small settlement of Conestoga Indians
in Lancaster County, PA. Those natives had actually long lived
in peace with their neighbors but 6 Indians were killed in the
attack and 14 taken captive; all were later murdered.
PA Governor John Penn issued warrants for the arrest of the
perpetrators, but sympathetic frontiersmen refused to assist in
bringing the Paxton Boys to justice.
The Paxton Boys later marched on Philadelphia in 1764 to
protest the Quakers’ lenient Indian policies & were later part of
spearheading a similar “Regulator Movement” in North Carolina
protesting the same issues.
Colonial Class Structure
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Ability to move up, except for
slavery
Much different than Europe b/c
no titled aristocracy and not a large
lot of landless poor
Most Americans were small
farmers, in cities, artisans,
shopkeepers, trades people, &
laborers
In some places large gaps between
rich/poor but really very few poor
Bottom was poor laborers, widows,
orphans, slaves, convicts shipped
from England
Working America
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Agriculture was leading industry, tobacco
in the south and bread basket in the
middle
Ministry was most honored profession
Physicians and Barbers=don’t get sick!
Americans enjoyed one of highest
standards of living in the world at the time
Other economic activities?
Triangular
Trade
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Very profitable! More and more Americans demand more
British supplies…British population is at a saturation
point…don’t need more American goods disrupting
balance of trade
B/C of mercantilist policies, Americans have to go through
Britain for buying and selling of goods, means more $$$,
leads to illegal smuggling with other nation’s colonies
Colonial Social Networking
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Social, political life revolved
around the taverns which
served as place to stay for
travelers and place to meet
for locals.
Roads hard to travel and
news slow to travel
Churches very important for
social networking too
Many laws regulating moral
behavior, colonial
punishments are a little
different from today
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Great Awakening
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Church not as “hard core” as when
Puritans first landed
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Too much prosperity
Problems with doctrines &
half-way covenant
Too many denominations
1730s-40s - First Great Awakening is a
religious revival that rocked the colonies!
Starts in Middle Colonies – PA & NJ
George Whitefield-English born revivalist:
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evangelical revivalist preaching that could move anyone
very gifted orator
moved people to become saved and fill up collection dishes
Scaled theology down to comprehension of 12 yr. olds
Even preaches that God IS responsive to good intentions
More Awakening
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In MA - American minister, Jonathan
Edwards
 Intellectual
 Fire and brimstone sermons
 “Sinners in the Hands of a Angry God”
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God holding the unconverted over the pit of
hell!!
Faith alone, not good works, will save you
Attack on increasing materialism
Impact of Great Awakening:
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FIRST SPONTANEOUS MASS MOVEMENT OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE! – more sense of being American, unity
More direct relationship with God undermining old clergy
Many new denominations spring up/split in Congregational and
Presbyterian churches between Old Lights / New Lights
Fostered religious toleration; missionary work with natives
People begin to believe disobedience to authority does NOT equal
eternal damnation
New colleges founded (Princeton, William & Mary)
Education
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Harvard first college in America
For Puritan clergy
 William and Mary for better clergy in South
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Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, & Rutgers
after the Great Awakening
New England – major focus on education
Only area to provide for public education
 Important only for boys though and school is
very strict
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American Culture
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Ben Franklin first famous American in both
America and in Europe - multi-talented with many
scientific & cultural achievements…..such as?
Colonial Press -important for spread of info & has
more freedom than in Europe
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John Peter Zenger Case over libel over corrupt governor;
found not guilty – truth is absolute defense to libel
Arts: John Trumbull and Willson Peale
Colonial Political Structure
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Religious and/or property qualifications
exist in all the colonies
Colonists did recognize BR sovereignty but BR inefficiency
& distance allowed them much freedom
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BR allowed colonists to make their own laws on local matters &
collect local taxes, BUT reserved right to veto actions if they were
deemed against the national interest
Known as?
ORGANIZATION OF COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS:
 Governor – appointed by King or proprietor
 Legislature – 2 houses in all but PA
 Lower house chosen by the voters
 Had “power of the purse” (local taxes - paid
Governor’s salary!)
 Upper house – appointed by King to be advisors to
Governor
Colonial Political Structure
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King-Privy Council-Parliament
(House of Lords and
commoners), Royal Governors
(appointed)
Elected colonial assemblies
(House of Burgesses) could be
dissolved by the governor
Colonial legislatures could pass
local laws and collect local taxes
all of which could be
overturned, but also held power
of purse (paid the governor)
Voting restricted to land-holders
KING
(Advisors: Privy Council)
Parliament
(PM, House of Lords &
Commons)
Colonial Assemblies $$$
(House of Burgess, NE Town
Hall Meetings)
Land-owning white men can
vote
Colonial Political Structure
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Judges were appointed by the King but chosen
from leaders of the colonial communities
By late 17th century, all colonies being transformed
from proprietary/charter colonies to royal colonies
British failure to establish an effective, centralized
government in the colonies actually led to our
current federal system of government
Colonial Pastimes
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Hard-working with little
luxuries
Streets were dirty, not many
baths
Card playing, horse racing,
fox hunting, dances,
funerals, marriages
Depended on religion and
region as to what was
socially acceptable
Marriage & Family
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Marriage ages:
 Girls preparing for it by age 13 –
unmarried by age 21 = “old maids”
 Many men didn’t take the plunge until 30’s!
Marriages usually at home, not church
LARGE FAMILIES – WHY?
 No real birth control
 Need as many hands as possible for all the work
 Disease killed off many kids (& moms)
 Paul Revere – 17 kids!
 Record: SC woman who had 34 children!
Colonial
Medicine
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Chief surgical technique = bloodletting (barbers)
Smallpox was great killer of the time – those who
survived had pockmarks (Washington)
Outbreaks of typhoid fever from lack of public
sanitation; dysentery from foul drink & uncooked
food
Childhood diseases – measles, mumps, diphtheria,
whooping cough – family with 10 kids could expect
5 to make it
Medical remedies were bizarre!