COLONIAL SOCIETY ON THE EVE OF REVOLUTION CHAPTERS 4 …

C H A P T E R S 4 A N D 5 I N A M E R I C A N PA G E A N T

C O L O N I A L S O C I E T Y O N T H E E V E O F R E V O L U T I O N

T H E U N H E A LT H Y C H E S A P E A K E

T H E C H E S A P E A K E

• Life expectancy 10 years less than N.E.

• Vastly greater numbers of men than women

• On average, one spouse would die within 7 years of marriage

• Population, health, and gender imbalance begins to stabilize by the 18th century

T H E E N I G M A O F T H E S O U T H

T H E E N I G M A O F T H E S O U T H

• Strict social order - FFV, small farmer, landless whites, indentured, and African slaves

• Due to large plantation size and ag. based economy, cities, infrastructure, political entities, and education slower to develop

• However, women have greater rights/roles in Southern colonies. Men often died early, leaving property and inheritance to wives

T H E P I O U S N O R T H

N E W E N G L A N D C O L O N I E S

• Greater life expectancy than other regions or Europe

• People, due to healthier diets and lifestyles are more fertile than other regions, leading to larger families

• Towns were well organized, and intentionally designed

• Towns of over 50 people required to have a school

• Town meetings form center of political process (pure democracy!)

• Half-way covenant and the Salem Witch Trials

G R O W I N G N AT I O N

• Between 1700-1775, slaves grow in # from 300,000 to 2.5 million

• Philadelphia, NY, Boston, Charleston= 4 major cities

• Christian faith

• Scots/Irish = Presbyterian or Catholic

• Germans = Lutheran

T H E G R E AT A W A K E N I N GT H E F I R S T S P O N TA N E O U S M A S S M O V E M E N T I N A M E R I C A N H I S T O R Y

T H E ( F I R S T ) G R E AT A W A K E N I N G

• 1730s - 1740s

• Based in 'revival' meetings

• Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield

• Old Lights v. New Lights

• New Lights -> Founding of Baptists and Methodists, as well as Princeton, Brown, and Dartmouth

C O L O N I A L E D U C AT I O NA VA R I E D E N T E R P R I S E

C O L O N I A L E D U C AT I O N / L I T E R A C Y

• New England implements public education in most communities by mid 17th century (South will not follow until 18th century)

• Most education developed as means of instructing in religion and the Bible

• Doctrine and dogma stressed in lessons

• Colleges developed to prepare young men for ministry

• University of Pennsylvania (1740) established by Ben Franklin (of course), is first non denominational college in America

• Poor Richard's Almanac - Typical almanac info along with character education and jokes (edited by Franklin during mid 18th century)