Colonies Approaching Revolution
Why did the 13 colonies revolt against the crown?
Distinctive economic social and political structures.
Gradual appearance of "American" way of life.
Gradual appearance of "American" way of life.
I. Population Growth
- 1700 - Population is less than 300,000 including 20,000 blacks
- 1775 - 2.5 million including 1.25 blacks
- Growth is mostly due to remarkable natural fertility of all Americans
II. A Mingling of Races
- Colonial America is now viewed as a "melting pot"
- Numerous foreign groups
- Germans
- 6% of the population
- Mostly in Pennsylvania
- Lutheran
- Scots-Irish
- 7% of population
- Maryland/Carolinas
- African
- 19% of population
- Michel-Guillaume de Crevecour
- French settler and writer
- Makes observations of America as compared to Europe
- "What then is this American, this new man?"
- The Structure of Colonial Society
- 17th Century America
- Equality (except for slavery)
- No titled novility
- Most were small farmers
- rags-to-riches
- 18th Century
- Beginning signs of social classes
- Barriers to mobility
- Armed conflicts enriched merchants
- Prominent people seated by rank
- 'Jayle Bird' convicts dumped in America
- Some people start becoming rich.
- Clerics, Physicians, and Jurists
- Clerics
- Most honored profession
- Physicians
- poorly trained
- not highly esteemed
- epidemics are a constant nightmare
- Jurists
- Not favorably regarded
- Working America
- Agriculture
- leading industry
- Fishing
- Major industry in New England
- Commerce
- Land speculation
- Triangular Trade between Africa (slaves), West Indies, and New England.
- Molasses Act
- An Act by Britain aimed at stopping North American trade with the French West Indies.
- Trade with West Indies provided crucial cash for colonies
- If successful, colonists would have a crippled trade and standard of living
- Early sign of hostility from Britain
III. The Great Awakening (1730s/1740s)
- Rousing religious revival
- Religion had weakened over previous decades
- revival exploded across colonies
- direct emotive spirituality vs. erudite clergy
- Most significant:
- First spontaneous mass movement of American People
- Broke down sectional barriers
- Growing sense of one American People.
- Jonathan Edwards
- "Sinners in the hand of an angry God."
- Preached that humans are in complete dependence on God's grace
- Good works will not save you
- George Whitefield
- Preached human helplessness and divine omnipotence
- Orator of rare gifts; electrifying style
- traveled the country
IV. Culture
- John S. Copley
- Famous American painter
- Considered a loyalist during Revolution
- Phillis Wheatley
- Slave girl brought to Boston at age 8
- Never formally educated
- Taken to England at age 20
- Becomes well known poet
- Overcame lowly circumstances
- Benjamin Franklin
- Established first circulating library
- John Peter Zenger
- Newspaper printer
- Celebrated legal case
- Assailed corrupt legal governor
- Arrested for libel
- Plead not guilty. He argued that he printed the truth
- Established that true statements about public officials could not be prosecuted as libel
