Unit 2, Chapter 5: Colonial Society on the Eve of
Revolution, 1700-1775
AP US -Hamer
September 18-19, 2012
1a. Growing Population More by birth rate then immigration 1700: 300,000 people (20,000 black
slaves) 1775: 2.5 million people (400,000
white immigrants, 500,000 black slaves)
Average age in 1775 was 16
1b. Urban vs. Rural Few major cities
Philadelphia (34,000), NYC, Boston, and Charleston
90% of population lived in rural areas
Didn’t reach much past the Appalachians
Philadelphia in 1800
1c. Diversity Mainly English but more diverse than
anywhere else German 6% Scots Irish 7% Others 5% Africans 20% Americans became a new ethnicity
2. American Social Ladder More stratified in the 1700’s than
the 1600’s Top few were very wealthy Mostly middle
Some destitute women and children
Land became scarcer Convicts from England Slaves Less stratified than Europe + ability
to progress up the social ladder
3. Jobs of the 1700’s Clergy Physicians Lawyers Agriculture - 90% of the people Shipbuilding and fishing Manufacturing
Mercantilism What is it? Economic system where the mother
country is supposed to profit from her colonies. Colonies supply raw materials and
markets for the industrial goods produced by the mother country
Wealth for the mother country is measured in bullion
4. Growing Problems with Trade Trade Imbalance
Growing American population demanded more British goods
Slow growing British population quickly got saturated with American goods Didn’t work with mercantilism Shipped to other countries
Led to Molasses Act of 1733 Colonists got around this with smuggling…
this led the tone for future conflicts
5. Transportation in the Colonies Terrible roads Waterways Caused the slow dissemination of
news Taverns found along travel routes Mail existed, but not confidential or
quick
6. Religion in the 1700’s Congregationalists (Puritans) and
Presbyterians made up half of all church members in 1775
Anglicans were 1/4 Congregationalism, Presbyterianism,
and Rebellion became a Holy Trinity
7a. Problems for Churches Churches were already suffering from
problems: Low attendance Less conversion: led to the half-way
covenant Boring ministers Less fear of hell Threatened by religions that believed
that free will not predestination determined a person’s eternal fate
7b. Great Awakening - Solution to the Churches’ Problems Great orator ministers who
spoke with great emotion about God, sin, and hell
Religious revival in America Old light vs. New Light
New Light schools founded: Princeton, Brown, Rutgers, Dartmouth
First spontaneous mass movement in America
8. Education Public education was not a priority in
England New England soon wanted public
education so that they could have educated, Bible reading citizens
Not much schooling in the south because of distance between homes – relied more on tutors
Colleges at the time were to train ministers and learn old, dogmatic education
What does it mean to have an educated citizenship – how will this affect the Revolution?
9. Culture Very little in America
since people were working so hard to build a country
Ben Franklin was the first “civilized” American
The few scientists, like Franklin, were not approved of by clergy
10. Press Not many libraries or individual
ownership of books Franklin started the first public lending
library in Philadelphia By 1775, 40 colonial newspapers
News was slow Zenger case, argued by Hamilton,
allowed for more freedom of the press and therefore more discussion about life and politics
11. Three Different Political Systems by 1775 8 colonies had royal governors 3 (Maryland, Pennsylvania, and
Delaware) had proprietors 2 (Connecticut and Rhode Island)
were self governing All had 2 houses – upper and lower Some royal governors were good,
some bad
12. Colonial Folkways Hard life
Dirty Some time for play
Dancing and plays allowed in South (away from Puritans!)
Many similarities Some democracy, ethnic and religious
toleration, spoke English, mainly Protestant, used to independence