English Society in the 17th Century (1600s)

Use pg 21 from the textbook and indicateon the map with a keywhere the populationdensity is, where woolproduction is along with textile production and metalmanufacturing.

Quote of the Day“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”- Lord Acton, 1887

The People of BritainIn 1215 Britain’s leaders signed a document called the Magna Carta. Magna Carta – was a Charter which guaranteed the English people certain civil rights. It recognized individual freedoms, it required that the King’s and Queen’s needed to consult an elected parliament, and to rule in a lawful manner. As such, when King’s and Queen’s started to take control from the Church in the 1500s they had to follow the Magna Carta. In the 1500’s the Tudor family – especially Queen Elizabeth I – accepted the democratic rights from the Magna Carta. However, the Stuarts – James I and Charles I – ignored the Magna Carta with due diligence.

The People Of BritainDuring the 1600s English population started to boom and increase rapidly. As the population grew, so did businesses and agriculture. People who lived in the city, and to a lesser extent those in the country, tried their hand at becoming entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur – a person who takes a chance to run a business and make it profitable

The People of BritainSo with a King or Queen leading the country, businesses starting to pop up everywhere, agriculture growing at a rapid rate – Britain was on its way to become a world power. At the same time England was becoming more stratified (structured) into different various classes. There were three classes: The Upper Class, The Middle Class and The Lower Class

Class DivisionThe Upper Class – were made up of king’s, the king’s advisors, the nobles, and high church officials such as Bishops. The Middle Class – were merchants (businessmen), manufacturers, landowners, professionals and military officials. The Lower Class – Ordinary workers for the manufacture shops.

Class DivisionSkilled workers fell between the Middle Class and Lower Class – these people included carpenters, blacksmiths, stone masons, dress makers. Skilled workers were also part of guilds (what we would call unions). The Guild would make sure that their people were well taken care of. Agricultural workers fell into the group of the lower class. They would work long (15 -24 hour) days for very very very very very very very very little… very very very very little pay – perhaps for only ten pennies a day and a few pennies for women.

PovertyFor those who could not get jobs, or become part of the skilled trades, they lived on the streets. Widows and children with no parents turned to a life of crime as they had no way to survive.

Pie Chart – Population of Each Class

Look at page 24 and answer Question 1 and 2 on page 25.

Population of Each Class

Upper ClassMiddle ClassLower Class

Pie Chart – Income of Each Class

Income of Each Class in Pounds

Upper ClassMiddle ClassLower Class

ReligionPeople in the 1500s were devout Christians and almost everyone (about 99% of the population) went to church. In England, most people were Protestant (approx. 65-70%). The remaining citizens (30-35%) were Roman Catholic.In the 1500s the Tudor’s were Protestants, and in the 1600s the Stuart’s were Roman Catholics.

ReligionWithin the Protestant Religion, there were different groups – Anglicans and Calvinists.Calvinists followed Protestant Reformation Leader John Calvin.The official church in Britain was The Church of England. It was a Protestant church where the King was the head of the church (recall the Devine Right of King’s)The Church of England was an elaborate, celebratory, and richly decorated church.The Calvinists were “Puritans” and they believed church was supposed to be plain and simple. It should not be glorified, so “richly decorated” and celebratory.

ReligionAnglicans – fun, party goers, the cool kids on campus – vs Puritans (Calvinists) – the uptight, strict, by the book people.The Puritans had a right to be concerned about the Anglicans, because while both groups were Protestants, the Anglican Church started to look a lot like the Roman Catholic Church.

ReligionUnfortunately, the Puritans were ridiculed and the Church of England did not approve of them holding Church Service. Many were fined, ridiculed or imprisoned for their beliefs.

Witches

What if you were different?

If you didn’t fit neatly into an economic class or a religious group you were an outsider. If you were an outsider that was a women, Puritans would think you were really suspicious. Puritans believed that women were responsible for original sin (when Adam and Eve disobeyed God). Thus women were less able to resist temptation then men. As a result, they must be friends of the devil.

Witches Women who were deemed to be witches were hunted down and prosecuted. Most women prosecuted were innocent of any crime. They were social “misfits” who were not married or “wise women” who were knowledgeable about medicinal plants and treatments for illness. If found guilty of witchcraft the women were: dunked into water with their thumbs toed to their toes until they drowned, others were hung, burned at the stake or pressed to death (pressed between two doors loaded with weights).