Chapter 5: Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, people, events, and concepts from the chapter notes on Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution.

Population in 1700 (colonies)

Less than 1 million inhabitants.

Population in 1775 (colonies)

About 2.5 million inhabitants; population doubling roughly every 25 years.

Geographic settlement pattern

Most colonists lived east of the Alleghenies.

Most populous colony in 1775

Virginia.

Four major colonial cities

Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Charleston.

Rural population share

About 90% of people lived in rural areas.

Germans in 1775

German immigrants comprised about 6% of the population by 1775.

Scots-Irish in the colonies

Made up about 7% of the population; left Ireland in the 1700s and settled mainly in Pennsylvania and along the frontier; associated with frontier life and whiskey distilling.

Paxton March (1764)

Protest by Paxton Boys against Quaker leniency toward Indians.

African population share (1775)

Africans made up about 20% of the colonial population, mainly in the South.

South slave concentration

The South held roughly three-quarters of enslaved people (about 75%).

New England diversity (1775)

Least diverse region ethnically; about 50% of New England’s population was non-English.

Non-English share in New England

Approximately half of the New England population was non-English by 1775.

Clerical prestige in colonies

Clerics/Ministers were among the most honored professionals in society.

First American medical school

First medical school in America established in 1765 at the University of Pennsylvania.

Physician training in colonies

Physicians trained via apprenticeships and formal schooling; the medical field relied on apprenticeships and later institutions.

Bleeding as a medical remedy

Bleeding (bloodletting) was a major remedy used by physicians.

Lawyers in colonial society

Lawyers were not highly regarded compared to clergy and physicians.

Leading colonial industry (90%)

Agriculture dominated the economy, employing about 90% of the workforce.

Maryland and Virginia cash crop

Tobacco was the key crop in Maryland and Virginia.

Bread Colonies

Middle colonies; known as the Bread Colonies due to grain production.

New England fishing industry

Cod fishing was a major industry in New England.

Lumbering in the colonies

Lumbering was the most important timber-based manufacturing activity.

Triangular Trade

The Triangular Trade involved exchanging goods (tobacco, fish, lumber, flour) for manufactured items and slaves, linking the colonies, Africa, and Britain.

Rum for slaves

Colonies would barter rum for enslaved Africans.

Britain’s manufactured goods

Britain traded textiles and other manufactured goods with Africa; these goods then moved into the triangular trade network.

British demand for colonial goods

British demand for colonial goods was down, creating a need for new foreign markets to sustain trade with Britain.

Sugar Act (1764)

Attempt to end colonial trade with the French West Indies and raise revenue.

Roads in summer vs winter

Wagons in summer; sleighs (sleds) in winter.

Waterways travel along rivers

Populations clustered along riverbanks; rivers were vital for transport.

Taverns and social life

Taverns featured back alleys, pool, games (cards, dice), and served as hubs for gossip and public opinion.

Gossip and public opinion

Gossip acted as a form of information that shaped public opinion.

Two established churches

Church of England (Anglican) and Congregational Church; Anglican churches were in the South; Congregational in New England.

Church of England in the colonies

Anglican Church established in Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and New York; less intense and more tolerant than Puritans in New England.

Congregational Church

Grew out of Puritan Church; prevalent in New England except Rhode Island.

The First Great Awakening

A series of emotional religious revivals across the colonies, especially New England.

Religious revival and covenant

Preachers urged personal repentance and faith; suggested a covenant between God and believers (redefining authority and scripture).

George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards

Dynamic preachers of the Great Awakening who emphasized personal religious experiences and divine grace.

New Lights vs Old Lights

New Lights supported the Great Awakening; Old Lights rejected it.

Colleges founded by the Great Awakening

Princeton, Brown, and Rutgers were established by adherents of the Great Awakening.

Jonathan Edwards

Prominent preacher who stressed personal religious experience, predestination, and dependence on God; author of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Famous sermon by Jonathan Edwards emphasizing divine wrath and salvation through grace.

Nine colonial colleges (early list)

Harvard (1636), William & Mary (1693), Yale (1701) were among the first colleges; more followed in the colonial era.

Benjamin Franklin and the University of Pennsylvania

Franklin helped establish the University of Pennsylvania, the first American college free from denominational control.

Charles Willson Peale

Artist who painted portraits, including George Washington.

Phillis Wheatley

African American poet brought to Boston; one of the earliest published Black poets.

Poor Richard’s Almanack

Benjamin Franklin’s popular almanac, known for thrift, proverbs, and practical wisdom.

John Peter Zenger trial (1734–35)

Printer who questioned the royal governor; defended by Andrew Hamilton; acquitted of seditious libel.

Freedom of the press

Zenger’s trial helped establish the idea that truth and the press should be protected from government censorship.