Chapter 5 - Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

==Great Britain== ==ruled 31 North American colonies by 1775, with only 13 of them having revolted==
The population of the colonies was at 2.5 million
About 90% of the population lived in rural areas and lived as farmers

Germans made up about 6% of the population (150,000 people) by 1775
Most Germans ==were protestant and were called “Pennsylvania Dutch”==
==Scots-Irish== ==made up about 7% of the population (175,000 people)==
Scots-Irsish had relocated to Northern Ireland but came to America instead as they had not found a home in Northern Ireland
- Most Scots-Irish lived in Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas and led the armed march of the Paxton Boys in 1764
- Many Scots-Irish eventually came to be known as American revolutionists
About 5% of the multicolored population was made up of other European groups such as the French Huguenots, Welsh, Dutch, Swedes, Irish, Jews, Scots-Highlanders, and Swiss

==America== ==was a land of opportunity as anyone willing to work could possibly go from rags to riches==
There was an emergence of class differences with a small group of aristocrats consisting of rich farmers, merchants, clergymen, and officials holding most of the power
Armed conflicts in the 1690s and 1700s enriched merchants in the New England and middle colonies
A social pyramid consisting of rich plantation owners, small farmers, landless whites, indentured servants, and black slaves emerged in the South
==Slavery== ==became an issues as some colonies didn’t want slaves while others needed them==

The clergy (priests) was the most honored profession in colonial times
Physicians were not held in high esteem as several were terrible at their jobs due to medical practices being archaic
==Bleeding== ==was a deadly solution to illnesses==
==Lawyers== ==weren’t liked at first, with criminals often representing themselves in court==
- Lawyers were recognized as useful by 1750
Many lawyers defended high-profile cases and playing integral roles in America’s history

==Agriculture== ==was the leading industry== as it seemed that farmers could grow anything
==Tobacco== ==was the staple crop in Maryland and Virginia==
New York was exporting 80,000 barrels of flour a year by 1759
Fishing, while rewarding, wasn’t as profitable as farming with it benign pursued in all the American colonies (especially the New England colony)
Trading was quite popular and known as a prevalent industry since commerce played a big role in all the colonies (“triangular trade”
The single most important manufacturing activity was lumbering
Parliament passed the Molasses Act in 1733, which would would have been crippling to America’s international trade
- Had it been successful and it would have inhibited trade with the French West Indies

American roads in the 1700s were quite poor and only connected large cities with them being quite dangerous
People who ventured the roads often signed wills and prayed with family members before leaving and due to this, towns relied on slow, easy-to-navigate water sources such as oceans and rivers
Taverns and bars were great places of gossip and news
In the mid-1700s, an intercolonial mailing system was set up

The two tax-supported, “established churches” by 1775 were the Anglican and Congregational Church
The Congregational Church had grown from the Puritan Church and was established in all the New England colonies except Rhode Island
Worry arose in the late 1600s, concerning the topic that people weren’t devout enough

The stage of the First Great Awakening was set due to the less religious fervor compared to before and worry that many people wouldn’t be saved
The Great Awakening led to the founding of “new light” centers such as Princeton, Brown, Rutgers, and Dartmouth
- Great Awakening was the first religious experience shared by all Americans as a group

==Education was most significant in New England==
- ==Used to train young, future clergyman==
In other parts of America, farm labor took up most of the time that would have been spent in school
While there were good primary and secondary schools in places other than New England, not all could afford to attend
Colonial schools placed an emphasis on religion and on the classical languages alongside doctrine and orthodoxy
- Discipline was severe in schools
In New England, college education was seen as more important than the ABC’s

There wasn’t a lot of time for recreation, with the little time was there being used on religion
Painting was seen as a worthless pastime
Architecture was mostly imported from the Old World and then altered to meet American needs
Colonial literature was generally undistinguished
Franklin’s experiments with science helped in advancing the field of science

There weren’t many libraries in early America with very few Americans being rich enough to purchase books
There was a famous case in which a New York newspaper printer (John Peter Zenger) was taken to court and charged with writing in a malicious manner against someone (Zenger won the case)

8 of the colonies had royal governors appointed by the King by 1775
- Basically every colony used a two-house legislative body: the upper house was appointed by royal officials or proprietors and the lower house was elected by the people
==Self-taxation with representation== ==became a privilege that Americans valued above the majority of the other rights==

Americans faced many hardships such as churches not being heated at all, running water or plumbing being nonexistent, and garbage disposal being practically primitive
In the South, card playing, fox hunting, and horse racing were fun with lotteries being universally approved
Stage plays were also popular in the South, but not in the North
Holidays were celebrated all over the colonies with New England not liking Christmas

Scots lived a miserable life in England as many were extremely poor with Britain still taxing them
When the Scots migrated to Ireland, they felt unwelcome and eventually immigrated to America and when they came to the colonies, they constantly tried to further themselves from Britain
- Most Scots-Irish moved to Virginia
The Scots’ hatred of England made them great allies and supporters of the U.S. during the Revolutionary War