Chapter 5 Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution 1700-1775

APUSH Part 1 Folunding the New Nation c. 33,000 BCE - 1783 CE

How many colonies did Britain rule by 1775?

Canada, the Floridas, various Carribbean islands, and the thirteen colonies.

What did all of the settlements share?

Population growth-In 1700 they contained fewer than 300,000 souls, about 20,000 of whom were black. By 1775, 2.5 million people inhabited the thirteen colonies, of whom about half a million were black. most of the spurt stemmed from the remarkable natural fertility of all Americans, white and black

What were the political effects of the population boom?

In 1700 there were twenty English subjects for each American colonist. By 1775 the English advantage in numbers had fallen to three to one—setting the stage for a momentous shift in the balance of power between the colonies and Britain

Where did most colonists live?

They lived in rural areas.

How was America considered a melting pot?

Many Europeasn moved to America.

What were the German immigrants to America like?

There were Germans that fled from religious persecution, economic oppression, and the ravages of war in teh 1700s and settled mainly in Pennsylvania. They were primarily Lutheran, a sect of the Protestant Christians. They were called the Pennsylvania Dutch.

What were the Scots-Irish who came to America like?

The Scots-Irish, who in 1775 numbered around 175,000, or 7 percent of the population, were an important non-English group, although they spoke English. They were not Irish at all, but turbulent Scots Lowlanders. Over many decades, they had been transplanted to northern Ireland, where they had not prospered. The Irish Catholics already there, hating Scottish Presbyterianism. Early in the 1700s, tens of thousands of embittered Scots-Irish finally abandoned Ireland and came to America, chiefly to tolerant and deep-soiled Pennsylvania. However, the best acres were already taken by Germans and Quakers, so they went out onto the frontier, aka the American West.

Whoo were the Paxton Boys?

They were a group led by Scots-Irish who were armed and marched on Philadelphia in 1764, protesting the Quaker oligarchy’s lenient policy toward the Indians/

What was the Regulator movement in NOrth Carolina?

iT was led by the Scots-Irish and was a small insurrection against hte eastern domination of the colony’s affairs.

How come there was less feelings of loyalty toward the British crown?

More immigrants were coming in and they weren’t British.

What gave birth to the African American community?

The AFircan slave trade mixed peoples from many different tribal backgrounds.

What was America like comparted to Europe in the 18th century?

Compared to Europe, America seemed like a shining land of equality and opportunity (except slaver). No titled nobility dominated society from on high, and no pauperized underclass threatened it from below. Most white Americans, and even a handful of free blacks, were small farmers. The cities had a small class of skilled artisans, shopkeepers, tradespeople, and some unskilled day laborers. . The most remarkable feature of the social ladder was its openness. An ambitious colonist, even a former indentured servant, could rise from a lower rung to a higher one, a rare step in old England.

What was colonial America like on the eve of the Revolution compared with 17th century America and what was the cause?

By the time of the American Revolution, colonial society was becoming more divided by class, unlike the more fluid social structure of the 1600s. Many feared that America was becoming more like Europe, with rigid social hierarchies. War played a role in this shift—conflicts in the late 1600s and early 1700s made some merchants in New England and the middle colonies very wealthy as they profited from supplying the military. These elites, now at the top of society, displayed their wealth with fine imported clothing, English china, and silverware. Social rank became more visible, as prominent individuals were given special seating in churches and schools. By the mid-1700s, the wealthiest 10% of people in Boston and Philadelphia controlled nearly two-thirds of their cities' taxable wealth.

How did the great planters in the south contiue to increase in power?

They owned tons of slaves. The riches created by the growing slave population in the eighteenth century were not distributed evenly among the whites. Wealth was concentrated in the hands of the largest slaveowners, widening the gap between the prosperous gentry and the “poor whites,” who were more and more likely to become tenant farmers.

How were the paupers and convicts of England dealt with?

about fifty thousand “jayle birds” were dumped on the colonies by the London authorities. Tese robbers, rapists, murderers, etc.k, was generally sullen and undesirable,

What were the lives of black slaves like?

THey had no equlaity with whites and dared not to even approach the ladder of opportunity. Oppressed and downtrodden, the slaves were America’s closest approximation to Europe’s volatile lower classes, and fears of black rebellion plagued the white colonists.

What did white colonists do to prevent a black rebellion from happening in the future?

Some colonial legislatures, like South Carolina’s in 1760, recognized the risks of having a large population of enslaved people who might become resentful and resisted further imports. They attempted to limit or stop the slave trade, fearing potential uprisings. However, the British government, wanting to maintain a steady supply of cheap labor for the colonies—especially for the profitable sugar plantations in the West Indies—blocked these efforts and insisted that the transatlantic slave trade continue.

What was the Christian minstry like in the 18th century?

In 1775 the clergy wielded less influence than in the early days of Massachusetts, when piety had burned more warmly. But they still occupied a position of high prestige.

Which professions in the colonies were thought of highly and which weren’t?

Most honored of the professiosn was the Christian minstry. Most physicians, on the other hand, were poorly trained and not highly esteemed. Not until 1765 was the first medical school established. Aspiring young doctors served for a while as apprentices to older practitioners and were then turned loose on their “victims.” Bleeding was a favorite and frequently fatal remedy; when the physician was not available, a barber was often summoned. At first the law profession was not favorably regarded. In this pioneering society, which required much honest manual labor, the parties to a dispute often presented their own cases in court. Lawyers were commonly regarded as noisy windbags or troublemakers.

What were epidemics like the in colonies during the 18th century?

Epidemics were a constant nightmare. Especially dreaded was smallpox, which afflicted one out of five people. Diphtheria was also a deadly killer, especially of young people. One epidemic in the 1730s took the lives of thousands.

What was the leading industry for America?

Agriculture was the leading industry, involving about 90 percent of the people. Tobacco continued to be the staple crop in Maryland and Virginia, though wheat cultivation also spread through the Chesapeake, often on lands depleted by the overgrowth of tobacco.

What did the middle colonies produce?

They produced large quantities of grain, and by 1759 New York alone was exporting eighty thousand barrels of flour a year.

What was fishing like throughout the colonies?

Pursued in all the American colonies, fishing was a major industry in New England, which exported shiploads of dried cod to the Catholic countries of Europe .The fishing fleet also stimulated shipbuilding and served as a nursery for the seamen who manned the navy and merchant marine.

How did a bustling commerce both coastwise and overseas affect the colonies?

It enriched all the colonies, especially the New England group, New York, and

Pennsylvania.

What was the quickest way to get rich?

Commercial ventures and land speculation were the surest avenues to speedy wealth.

What was the triangular trade?

It was infamously profitable, though small in relation to total colonial commerce. A skipper would leave a New England port with a cargo of rum and sail to the Gold Coast of Africa. They partered the rum with African chiefs for African slaves. The skipper would then proceed to the West Indies with his cargo of slaves. There he would exchange them for molasses, which he would then carry to New England, where it would be distilled into rum. Then he would repeat the trip, making a profit on each leg of the triangle.

What was manufacturing like in the colonies?

Manufacturing in the colonies was of only secondary importance, although there was a surprising variety of small enterprises. workers could get ahead faster in soil-rich America by tilling the land.

What was the most important manufacutring activity?

It was lumbering. Timer was needed by shipbuilders, at first mainly in New England and then elsewhere in the colonies. By 1770 about 400 vessels were spalshing down the ways each year, and about 1/3 of the British merchant marine was American-built.

What did Britain want America to manufacture?

THey wanted tar, pitch, rosin, and turpentine to retain a mastery of the seas. London offered generous bounties to stimulate production of these items; otherwise Britain would have had to turn to the uncertain and possibly hostile Baltic areas.

What is free enterprise?

1. an economic system in which private business operates in competition and largely free of state control.

What shackled free enterprise and what were the effects?

Trees ideal as masts for the king’s navy were marked with the king’s broad arrow for future use. Even though there were countless unreserved trees and the blazed ones were being saved for the common defense, this was a shackle on free enterprise because it restricted private landowners and lumber merchants from freely using or selling the trees that the Crown found ideal for the navy. This led to considerable bitterness.

What strained the economy of America as early as the 1730s?

THe Americans were growing by number and demanded more and more British produbts but the slow growing British population eventually reached a point where it couldn’t absorb more imports from the colonies.

Why did Americans want to seek foreign (non-British) markets?

They wanted to because there was a trade imbalance between the growing population of Americans who wanted more British goods and the slow growing British who couldn’t handle all the goods coming in from the colonies. This trade imbalance raised a question: how could the colonists sell the goods to make the money to buy what they wanted in Britain? The answer was foreign markets.

What was trade like on the eve of Revolution?

The bulk of Chesapeake tobacco was filling pipes in France and in other European countries. Most important was the trade west of the West INdies, especially the French Islands. West Indian purchase of North American timber and foodstuffs provided the money for the colonists to continue to make their own purchases in Britain.

What was the Molasses Act of 1733?

Parliament passed it after bowing to pressure from influential British West Indian planters. It aimed at ending North American trade with the French West Indies. If this was successful, this would have struck a crippling blow to American international trade and to the colonists’ standard of living.

What were American merchants’ response to the Molasses Act?

They responded by bribing and smuggling their way around the law.

How did American merchants’ response to the Molasses Act foreshadow the impending imperial crisis?

During the crisis, Americans would revolt rather than submit to the dictates of the far-off Parliament, apparently bent on destroying their very livelihood. This is similar to how the merchants wouldn’t abide by the Molasses Act issued by Parliament.

What was transportation like in 1700s colonial America?

The roads connected to the major cities beginning in the 1700s. They were also very lacking and dangerous. Roads were often clouds of dust in the summer and extremely muddy in the winter. Stagecoach travelers braved dangers such as tree-strewn roads, rickety bridges, carriage overturns, and runaway horses.

Because the man-made roads were wretched, what mode of transportation did most colonists yes?

Heavy reliance was placed on waterways. Population tended to cluster along the banks of navigable rivers. There was also much coastwise traffic, and although it was slow and undependable, it was relatively cheap and pleasant, at least in fair weather.

What were along the main routes of travel and the cities? Why were they important?

Taverns were popular gathering places that offered entertainment like bowling, pool, drinking, and gambling. People from all social classes came together there, making taverns a place where democratic ideas could spread. They played a key role in shaping public opinion and became centers of protest and rebellion as the revolutionary movement grew.

What is democracy?

a system of government where the people hold power, either directly or through elected representatives

What was the postal system like in colonial America?

An intercolonial postal system was established by the mid-1700s, although private couriers remained. Some mail was handled on credit. Service was slow and infrequent, and secrecy was problematic.

What were the two "established” (tax-supported) churches in the 1775?

They were the Anglican and the congregational church. However, a considerable segment of the population didn’t worship in any church and in the colonies that kept an “established” religion, only a minority of the people belong to it.

What was the Church of England like?

The members were called Anglicans. It was the official faith in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and a part of New York. Established also in England, it served in America as a major prop of kingly authority. British officials naturally made many attempts to impose it on additional colonies, but they opposed it.

How did the Church of England (the Anglican Church) fail in America?

Like its parent in England, it clung to a faith that was less fierce and more worldly than the religion of PUritanical New England. Sermons were shorter; hell was less scorching; and amusements were les scorned. The reputation of the Anglican clergy in 17th century Virginia was very dismal.

What was the Congregational Church like?

It had grown out of the Puritan Church and was formally established in all the new England colonies, except Rhode Island. At first Massachusetts taxed all residents to support Congregationalism but later relented and exempted members of other well-known denominations. Presbyterianism was never made official in any colonies.

How did ministers deal with political issues?

As the American Revolution began to stir, talk of rebellion grew louder. Many people saw Presbyterianism, Congregationalism, and the fight for independence as closely connected—almost like a new "holy trinity" of revolution. Meanwhile, many Anglican clergymen, knowing that their church was funded by the British government, remained loyal to the king.

What was religion like in colonial America?

It was mostly religiously tolerant. Roman Catholics were still generally discriminated against, as in England. However, there were fewer Catholics in America, and so the anti-papist laws were less severe and less strictly enforced. In general, people could worship, or not, as they pleased.

What was religion like in the early eighteenth century compared the the 17th?

In the colonial churches, religion was less fervid in the early 18th century than it was in the 17th.

Why were the Puritan churches struggling in particular in the early 18th century?

They were struggling because of two burdens: their elaborate theological doctrines and their compromising efforts to liberalize membership requirements. Churchgoers complained about the boring sermons. Liberal ideas began to challenge the religion.

What was Arminianism?

It threatened the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. Named after Jacobus Arminius, he preached that individual free will, not divine decree, determined a person’s eternal fate, and that all humans could be saved if they accepted God’s grace.

What caused the Great Awakening?

The Great Awakening, at its core, stemmed from a growing sense of religious apathy and a perceived decline in piety among colonists. Existing religious institutions, particularly the established Congregational and Anglican churches, were seen by many as becoming too intellectual and emotionally detached from the everyday spiritual needs of the people. This perceived "coldness" of established religion, coupled with the anxieties of rapid societal changes like the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason over faith, and the increasing commercialization of colonial life, created a spiritual vacuum that many felt needed to be filled with a more personal and passionate religious experience.

What was the Great Awakening?

It was a period of intense religious revivalism that swept through the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. It was characterized by passionate preaching, emotional religious experiences, and a focus on personal salvation. Essentially, it was a widespread surge of renewed religious fervor.

What was the Englightenment?

The Enlightenment was a major intellectual movement in the 18th century that championed reason, which encouraged logical thinking and evidence-based decision-making over tradition and religious beliefs. Thinkers like John Locke and Montesquieu played key roles in shaping the movement. Locke emphasized natural rights, the idea that every person is born with certain fundamental rights, including life, liberty, and property, which governments must protect. He also introduced the concept of the social contract, suggesting that governments are formed by the consent of the governed to protect these rights, and people have the right to overthrow a government that fails in this duty. Montesquieu, on the other hand, advocated for the separation of powers, the idea that government should be divided into different branches (executive, legislative, and judicial) to prevent any one group from gaining too much power. These ideas helped shape the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, fueling revolutionary ideals like liberty, self-governance, and progress. The Enlightenment also challenged traditional authority, such as monarchies and established churches, and laid the groundwork for the abolition of social hierarchies and later movements for equality and civil rights.

How did the Great Awakening begin?

It was first ignited in Northampton, Massachusetts by an intellectual pastor named Jonathan Edwards.

Who was Jonathan Edwards?

He was perhaps the deepest theological mind ever nurtured in America. He proclaimed the folly of believing in salvation through good works and affirmed the need for complete dependence on God’s grace. He painted in detail the landscape of hell and the eternal torments of the damned. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was the title of one of his most famous sermons.

What happens in 1737?

The English preacher George Whitefield introduced a new, passionate style of evangelical preaching in America, sparking a wave of religious enthusiasm that transformed spiritual life in the colonies. His powerful voice carried across open fields, captivating large crowds.

What were Whitefield’s revival meetings like?

Countless sinners professed conversion and hundreds of the “saved” groaned, shrieked, or rolled into the snow from religious excitation. He trumpeted his message of human helplessness and divine omnipotence.

Who were the old lights and the new lights?

The old lights were Orthodox clergymen who were deeply skeptical of the emotionalism and the theatrical antics of the revivalists. The new lights defended the Awakening for its role in revitalizing American religion.

How were other religious sects affected by the Great Awakening?

Congregationalists and Presbyterians were split over this issue and many of the believers in religious conversion went over to the Baptists and other sects more prepared to make room for emotion in religion.

What were the lasting effects of the Awakening?

Its focus on direct, emotional spirituality weakened the influence of traditional clergy, who had relied on their education and scholarship for authority. The divisions it created within denominations led to a rise in the number of competing churches across America. It also inspired new missionary efforts among Native Americans and black slaves, many of whom attended large open-air revivals. The movement led to the establishment of "New Light" colleges like Princeton and Brown. Most importantly, it was the first major grassroots movement in America. By crossing regional and denominational lines, it helped Americans see themselves as one people with a shared history and common experiences.

What was the English’s view on education?

The time-honored idea regarded education as a blessing reserved for the aristocratic few. Education should be for leadership, not citizenship, and primarily for males.

What was Puritan new England’s opinion on education?

Largely for religious reasons, they were more zealously interested in education than any other section. Dominated by the Congregational Church, it stressed the need for Bible reading by the individual worshipper. The main goal was to make good Christians rather than good citizens.

What were school establishments like in New England?

New Englanders, at a relatively early date, established primary and secondary schools, which varied widely in the quality of instruction and in the length of time that their doors remained open each yearFarm labor drained much of a youth’s time and energy.

What were schools like the the middle and southern colonies?

Fairly adequate elementary schools hammered knowledge into teh heads of reluctant ‘scholars'. Some of these institutions were tax-supported; others were privately operated. The South, with its white and black population diffused over wide areas, was severely handicapped by geography in attempting to establish an effective school system. Wealthy families leaned heavily on private tutors.

What did colonial schools teach?

Most of the emphasis was placed on religion and on the classical languages, Latin and Greek. The focus was not on experiment and reason, but on doctrine and dogma. Independence of thinking was discouraged. Discipline was also severe.

What was college education like in New England?

It was geared toward preparing men for the ministry.

Why did wealthy families send their kids abroad/

They were annoyed by the emphasis on religion, especially in the South, so they sent their boys abroad to acquire a real (meaning a refined and philosophical) education in elite English institutions.

What was the curriculum of the colonial colleges like?

It was still heavily loaded with theology and the “dead” languages, although by 1750 there was a distinct trend toward “live” languages and other modern subjects

How was the University of Pennsylvania estalbished?

Ben Franklin had never went to college but played a major role in launching the Uni of Pennsylvania, which was the first American college free from denominational control.

What was art and culture like in colonial America?

olonial Americans were still in thrall to European tastes, especially British. The simplicity of pioneering life had not given room for any culture to grow. .

Who was John Trumbull (1756-1843)?

He was a painter from Connecticut who was discouraged as a child by his dad on his dreams to paint. He was forced to travel to London to pursue his ambitions.

What was architetcure like in America?

Colonial architecture was mostly influenced by European styles but adapted to fit the climate and religious needs of the New World. Even the simple log cabin likely came from Swedish designs. The red-bricked Georgian style, which became popular in the years before the Revolution, was introduced around 1720. One of the best examples of this elegant architectural style can be seen in the restored buildings of Williamsburg, Virginia.

What was colonial literature like?

Colonial literature, like colonial art, was generally unremarkable, largely due to the same limitations—lack of formal training and resources. However, one outstanding exception was Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753–1784), an enslaved girl brought to Boston at the age of eight without any formal education. Despite this, she developed into a skilled poet. At twenty, she traveled to England, where she published a book of poetry and later wrote additional works influenced by Alexander Pope. While colonial America produced little noteworthy poetry, Wheatley’s work stood out—not just for its quality, but for the remarkable fact that she overcame immense obstacles to become a published poet.

What was Benjamin Franklin like?

Versatile and influential, Benjamin Franklin—often called “the first civilized American”—was also a major literary figure. While his autobiography is now considered a classic, he was best known in his time for Poor Richard’s Almanack, which he edited from 1732 to 1758. This popular publication featured wise and witty sayings from great thinkers of the past, promoting practical virtues like thrift, hard work, morality, and common sense. Poor Richard’s Almanack was widely read in America—second only to the Bible—and even gained recognition in Europe. Through his clever and relatable advice, Franklin played a major role in shaping the American character.

What was science like in colonial America?

Science in colonial America was slowly advancing beyond superstition, though it still lagged behind Europe. A few botanists, mathematicians, and astronomers gained recognition, but Benjamin Franklin stood out as the only truly world-class scientist from the colonies. His daring experiments—including his famous kite experiment, which proved that lightning was a form of electricity—earned him great respect in Europe. However, Franklin was also a practical inventor. He created bifocal glasses, the efficient Franklin stove, and the lightning rod. Despite its usefulness, the lightning rod was criticized by some conservative clergymen, who believed it was an attempt to interfere with divine will by taming the "artillery of the heavens."

What were the effects of newspapers on the colonies?

Newspapers became a powerful tool in the colonies for expressing grievances and organizing resistance against British control. They played a key role in spreading information, raising awareness, and uniting people in opposition to British policies.

What was the Zenger trial?

In 1734–1735, a landmark legal case involved John Peter Zenger, a newspaper printer in New York. Zenger’s newspaper criticized the corrupt royal governor, leading to charges of seditious libel. He was defended by Andrew Hamilton, a prominent Philadelphia lawyer, who argued that Zenger printed the truth. The royal judge instructed the jury to ignore the truth and convict based on the act of printing alone. Hamilton countered that freedom to expose and oppose arbitrary power was at stake. The jury, persuaded by his argument, returned a verdict of not guilty.

What were the effects of the Zenger case?

The Zenger case was a major victory for freedom of the press, setting a precedent for public discussion and criticism of officials. Though the decision was initially not accepted widely, it helped establish that true statements about public figures could not be prosecuted as libel, allowing newspapers to print responsible criticisms of officials.

What type of government did the colonies have by 1775?

By 1775, the thirteen colonies had different forms of government: eight had royal governors appointed by the king, three—Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware—were overseen by proprietors who exercised authority over the colony by appointing the governor, and two—Connecticut and Rhode Island—elected their own governors under self-governing charters.

What were the legistlatures of most of the colonies like?

Most colonies had a two-house legislature. In royal colonies, the upper house was appointed by the crown; in proprietary colonies, it was appointed by the proprietor; and in self-governing colonies, it was chosen by voters. The lower house, elected by property-owning voters, was the more popular branch. In many colonies, the backcountry population felt underrepresented and resented the colonial elites more than they did British authority. Colonial legislatures had the power to levy taxes for government expenses, a privilege Americans valued highly.

How did colonial assemblies assert their indepdence?

To assert their independence, colonial assemblies sometimes withheld royal governors’ salaries until they agreed to their demands. Governors, usually in need of money, often yielded. Known as the power of the purse

What were the effects of the pwoer of the purse?

The colonial governors were at the mercy of the colonial legislature as they controlled hteir salaries.

What were the differences in government structures across the colonies?

At the local level, government structures varied: county government dominated in the plantation South, town-meeting government was common in New England, and a combination of both was used in the middle colonies. In town meetings, where open discussion and voting took place, direct democracy thrived. This was a crucial training ground for Americans, allowing them to value their privileges and fulfill their duties as citizens of their New World communities.

What was voting like throughout the colonies?

However, voting was not a universal right. All colonies had religious or property qualifications for voting, with even stricter requirements for holding office. The upper classes, fearing democratic excesses, were reluctant to extend the ballot to all. As a result, about half of adult white males were disfranchised. Despite this, the ease of acquiring land allowed most industrious colonists to meet property requirements and secure the right to vote.