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Lesson 6: Colonial Society

  • Exploring Life, Class, and Culture in the Colonies

Colonial Class Structure

  • Gentry:

    • Wealthy planters, merchants, ministers, royal officers, and lawyers.

  • Middle Class:

    • Farmers, skilled craft workers, and tradespeople.

  • Lower Class:

    • Hired farm hands, indentured servants, enslaved Africans/African Americans.

Daily Life in the Colonies

  • Most colonists were farmers.

  • Men: Worked in fields or trades (e.g., blacksmiths).

  • Women:

    • Prepared meals, made goods, cared for children.

  • Enslaved Africans:

    • Introduced farming techniques and crafts.

Colonial Art, Literature, and Music

  • Art:

    • Family paintings symbolized lineage and social standing.

  • Literature:

    • Popular captivity tales of settlers and Native Americans.

  • Music:

    • Mixed European and African traditions; often religious.

The Great Awakening

  • 1730s-1740s: Intense Christian revival.

  • Key Figures:

    • Jonathan Edwards (English preacher)

    • George Whitefield (Minister)

  • Effects:

    • New churches, religious tolerance, democratic ideas, and encouragement of self-rule.

Education in the Colonies

  • New England:

    • Public schools focused on religion.

  • Middle Colonies:

    • Private schools for wealthy children.

  • South:

    • Private tutors; little access for enslaved people.

  • Apprenticeships:

    • Boys trained in trades; girls had limited options.

  • Colleges:

    • Originally established to create ministers.

The Enlightenment

  • Movement:

    • Emphasized reason and natural laws.

  • Key Figure:

    • Benjamin Franklin—used reason and logic to improve the colonies (e.g., inventions, public services).

  • Freedom of the Press:

    • John Peter Zenger case established this right.

Lesson Review

  • Key Points:

    • Class structure influenced daily life.

    • Cultural traditions shaped art, literature, and music.

    • Education and new ideas spread across the colonies.

  • Questions:

    • How did most colonists make a living?

    • What were the effects of the Great Awakening?

    • How did the Enlightenment influence the colonies?