APUSH 2007 - part B

1. Driven from every corner of the earth, freedom of thought and the right of private judgment in matters of conscience direct their course to this happy country as their last asylum. -- Samuel Adams, 1776 --

2. APUSH 2007 - part B 2. Settlers in the eighteenth-century American backcountry sometimes resorted to violent protest to express their grievances. Analyze the causes and significance of TWO of the following: • March of the Paxton Boys • Regulator movement • Shay’s Rebellion • Whiskey Rebellion

3. Colonial Society on theEve of Revolution1700 - 1775 Part I A.P. US History Mr. Houze

4. Immigration, Economics, & ClassA Melting Pot Mingling of the Races • From 1700-1775 the population of England’s N. American colonies increased from under 300,000 to 2,500,000 • Of those 2.5 million nearly 500,000 were black • This was a remarkable rate of growth in contrast to the slow growth between 1610 and 1700 Population of Britain’s North American Colonies in the 17th Century

5. Immigration, Economics & ClassA ‘Melting Pot’ Mingling of the Races (cont.) • In 1700, approximately 50% of the colonists were of English descent, and these people themselves had a distinctively colonial profile; rather than a purely English one • In 1790, the percentage of English to other ethnicities remained virtually the same Ethnic & Racial Composition of the American people - 1790

6. Immigration, Economics, & Class A ‘Melting Pot’ Mingling of the Races (cont.) • The growing population of American colonists (doubling every twenty-five years) had political consequences for England’s relationship with her colonies - one marked by a growing shift in the balance of power • In 1700, the ratio of English citizens to American colonials was 20 to 1 • By 1775 that ratio had dropped to just 3 to 1 !!!! • In 1700 nearly all colonists in British N. America lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic seaboard. They were hemmed in between the Atlantic Ocean and a vast wilderness inhabited by native Indians, trappers, and traders

7. Immigration, Economics & ClassA ‘Melting Pot’ Mingling of the Races (cont.) • By 1775 American colonials were moving beyond the foothills of the Appalachians into Kentucky and Tennessee regions of the Ohio River Valley • By that year, German immigrants constituted nearly 6% of the population – settling primarily in Pennsylvania’s back country • German immigrants, whom the English referred to as the ‘Pennsylvania Deutch’, were primarily Lutherans fleeing: • 1) religious persecution in the German principalities, • 2) economic oppression, or • 3) the effects of war

8. Immigration, Economics, & ClassA ‘Melting Pot’ Mingling of the Races (cont.) • Despite being welcomed by American colonials, Germans demonstrated no strong sense of loyalty to the crown and clung to their language and social customs – a fact that created tensions with their English neighbors • The Scots-Irish, who began emigrating to America in the early 1700s, constituted approximately 7% of the non-English colonial population • The Scots-Irish, planted in Ireland by Elizabeth I to help govern that country, did not prosper there and were resented by Irish Catholics for their Scottish Presbyterianism

9. Immigration, Economics, & ClassA ‘Melting Pot’ Mingling of the Races (cont.) • The Scots-Irish settled all along the Appalachian frontier from Georgia in the south to New York in the north – areas which were as far from English authority as they could safely be • Approximately 5% of the American colonial population was composed of Swedes, Swiss, Welsh, Dutch, Scots Highlanders, French Huguenots and other European peoples (p.85)

10. Immigration, Economics, & ClassA ‘Melting Pot’ Mingling of the Races (cont.) • The Scots-Irish earned reputations as superb frontiersmen, individualistic, and lawless people with no love for government – an image reinforced by the ‘Paxton Boys’ in Pennsylvania and the ‘Regulator Movement’ in N. Carolina • In 1764, the ‘Paxton Boys’ led an armed march on Philadelphia to protest the colony’s lax Indian policies

11. Immigration, Economics, & ClassA ‘Melting Pot’ Mingling of the Races (cont.) • In 1771, the ‘Regulator Movement’ became a small scale civil war started by back country Scots-Irish farmers against local sheriffs, tax collectors, and eastern domination of the colony’s affairs • one of these protestors was Andrew Jackson, a future president of the United States

12. Immigration, Economics, & ClassA ‘Melting Pot’ Mingling of the Races (cont.) • Over time, these various immigrant groups mingled and intermarried, producing a unique American identity unlike anything in Europe • French settler Michel-Guillaume de Crèvecoeur described this mingling as “a strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country” – essentially a new American man

13. Immigration, Economics, & ClassClass Structure of Colonial Society • 18th Century America was a land of equality and opportunity with no titled nobility dominating it from above and no poor underclass threatening it from below, with the exception of African slavery • Most white Americans, and some free blacks, were ‘yeoman’ farmers using their own labor to till the land • In the cities was a growing class of skilled artisans, along with traders, shopkeepers, and unskilled laborers • Those motivated enough to work hard could move up the socio-economic ladder

14. Immigration, Economics, & ClassClass Structure of Colonial Society (cont.) • However, in contrast to life in 17th and early 18th Century America, colonial society on the eve of the Revolutionary War showed signs of social stratification – one with a growing class of economic and social elites Wealth Distribution in Colonial Cities, 1687-1771

15. Immigration, Economics, & ClassClass Structure of Colonial Society (cont.) • Among the first elite classes were merchants in New England and the middle colonies who were involved in trade as ‘military suppliers’ – those who took advantage of armed conflicts by selling weapons and other supplies • These merchant princes accumulated fortunes that provided them with money to build fine houses, buy expensive clothes, English china, silverware and other trappings of wealth • Among those enjoying positions of prestige and honor were Christian ministers – they did not, however, wield the influence they once held in 17th Century colonial America

16. Immigration, Economics, & ClassClass Structure of Colonial Society (cont.) • Physicians, often poorly trained, did not enjoy the same social prestige – they typically proved unable to prevent or cure periodic epidemics of smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, malaria, measles and other deadly killers • Those calling themselves doctors usually apprenticed under older practitioners and adopted techniques little advanced since the days of ancient Rome – including that of ‘bleeding’ to remedy illness

17. Immigration, Economics, & ClassClass Structure of Colonial Society (cont.) • Lawyers were also not highly esteemed in 18th Century America where they were viewed as windbags and ranked alongside drunks and brothel keepers – at least until the celebrated John Peter Zenger case in 1734-1735 • John Peter Zenger, a German-born printer aged 38, gained a landmark victory for freedom of the press. • New York governor William Cosby had brought libel charges against Zenger for reporting that Cosby attempted to rig a 1733 election held at St. Paul's Church village green in the town of Eastchester. • Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton admitted that his client printed the report in his New York Weekly Journal as charged, but he persuaded the jury that Zenger printed only the truth and won an acquittal.

18. Immigration, Economics, & ClassClass Structure of Colonial Society (cont.) • By the mid-18th Century, prominent individuals and families came to expect and received preferential treatment – even in churches and schools where they were seated according to social rank • The numbers of poor people, including victims of war and death such as widows and orphans, remained low – particularly in comparison to Old England where approx. a third of the population was impoverished

19. Immigration, Economics, & ClassClass Structure of Colonial Society (cont.) • In the 1730s, cities like Philadelphia and New York built ‘almshouses’ to care for widows and orphans – those least able to survive without such public charity • In New England, where farms shrank drastically in size over time due to subdivision among surviving heirs, many farms could no longer support succeeding generations of growing families • This forced younger sons and daughters either into towns and cities where they sold their labor for wages, or to move beyond the Appalachians where land was cheaper and the danger of Indian attacks was constant

20. Immigration, Economics, & ClassClass Structure of Colonial Society (cont.) • In the South, wealth was concentrated in the hands of great merchant-planters who owned large numbers of slaves – widening the gap in wealth between them and poor whites • In the 18th Century, a continuing flow of indentured servants swelled the number of those in society’s lower economic ranks – a fact true of all of England’s N. American colonies • Ranking below indentured servants were those considered undesirable ‘riffraff’ and ‘jayle birds’, which included approximately 50,000 criminals (robbers, rapists, murderers and others)

21. Immigration, Economics, & ClassClass Structure of Colonial Society (cont.) • Finally, at the bottom of colonial society, came African slaves who had little chance of escaping their condition, enjoying any sense of equality, or seizing opportunities to advance economically or socially

22. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce • By 1770, the majority of free citizens in British N. America had a higher standard of living than the majority of people living elsewhere in the Atlantic World - a unique achievement even considering the wealth of the few • Agriculture was the leading industry in all of the colonies - involving approximately 90% of the population • In New England, merchants dominated the economy; they were the center of trade between local folks and international markets

23. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce (cont.) • At the base of New England’s diversified economy were farmers who served as a vital link between farms and markets around the world • In towns and coastal cities, merchants served as middlemen, exporting dried fish, livestock, flour, and timber to other colonies or overseas markets New England Exports & Export Destinations

24. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce (cont.) • Merchants stocked imported goods for local sale: • English textiles, metal goods, ceramics; • W. Indian sugar; • Chinese and English tea; • Chesapeake tobacco; etc… • In larger towns, like Boston, skilled artisans such as shoemakers, carpenters, wheelwrights, shipwrights, cabinet-makers, silversmiths, and printerscould be found

25. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce (cont.) • The middle colonies (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware) became the ‘breadbasket’ of N. America - exporting grains and cattle to other colonies or the wider Atlantic world through New England merchants Middle Colony Exports & Export Destinations

26. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce (cont.) • In the Chesapeake region of the ‘Upper South’, colonial economies centered on production of tobacco and grain products • In the ‘Lower South’, colonial economies centered on production of rice, indigo, and timber Chesapeake and Lower South Exports & Export Destinations

27. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce (cont.) • Over time, a thriving ‘coastal trade’ developed between England’s N. American colonies - connections which tied them more closely together in the 18th Century • In addition, a thriving ‘triangular trade’ grew between New England, the West Indies, and Europe

28. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce (cont.) • The latter ‘triangular trade’ involved shipment of • 1) New England dried salted codfish and other products to the West Indies, • 2) West Indian export of molasses and sugar to New England, • 3) New England export of rum to Africa in exchange for export of slaves to the West Indies, and • 4) the sale of English finished goods in the colonies in exchange for dried fish, timber products, flour, and tobacco • ‘Naval stores’ --tar, pitch, rosin, turpentine, and other wood products -- became increasingly important to England as it determined to maintain its stance as master of the seas

29. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce (cont.) • As the ‘triangular trade’ developed, American colonists began demanding more British products - conversely, the slower growing British population reached a saturation point for products imported from America • This situation created a trade imbalance that made it difficult for colonists to earn enough hard currency to pay for what they wanted from England • Americans ultimately chose to develop trade with foreign markets to earn the hard currency demanded by British exporters - trade that was considered “smuggling” by English authorities because it violated mercantilist policies

30. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce (cont.) • In 1733, Parliament, under pressure from British West Indian planters, passed the ‘Molasses Act’ designed to stifle N. American trade with the French West Indies • Despite the new law, American international trade and smuggling continued - often through bribery of customs officials and others paid to look the other way • Within Britain’s N. American colonies, communication and trade had limitations - the result of an inadequate amount of money and a scarcity of labor to build effective transportation networks

31. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce (cont.) • Not until the 18th Century did dirt roads begin to connect even the major colonial cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, and New York • In the summer months roads were choked with dust, in the winter they became quagmires of mud and snow - and travelers had to contend with the possibility of accidents • Consequently, colonial populations tended to cluster along the main routes of travel, be they roads or rivers, and in or around towns and cities • Public accommodations and amusements were also located along the main travel routes - offering rest and relaxation to travelers

32. Immigration, Economics, & ClassColonial Economics & Commerce (cont.) • Colonial taverns offered food and drink, rooms, billiards, bowling alleys, gambling, card games, and other comforts - they also served as places for people of all social classes to mingle, exchange information and rumors, and engage in political discussions • Taverns became important mediums through which public opinions crystallized around issues of the day - they served as one of several cradles of democracy in the colonies

33. Colonial Religion & RevivalDominant Denominations • In 1775, the Anglican and Congregational churches were the two established “tax-supported” religions • Congregationalism dominated New England and the Anglican church dominated the South and New York • Sermons in Anglican churches were shorter, with less of the hellfire and brimstone associated with New England Puritanism – although religious zeal in all denominations was less fiery than in the 17th Century • Since the late 17th Century, the Anglican ministers had developed dismal reputations for inspiring faith and passion in their congregations

34. Colonial Religion & RevivalDominant Denominations (cont.) • Consequently, in 1693 the College of William and Mary was founded to train a better class of ministers • Anglican churches served as major sources of support for the authority of Parliament and the Crown – a fact made clear during the Revolutionary War • In the frontier areas, where many Scots-Irish had chosen to settle, Presbyterianism was the dominant religion – however, it was never an ‘established’ religion anywhere • In general though, people could worship freely – a fact demonstrated by the numbers of Lutherans, Catholics, Quakers, Baptists, Dutch Reformed, Methodists, and Jews in the American colonies

35. Colonial Religion & RevivalDominant Denominations (cont.) • Immediately preceding and during the Revolutionary War, both Presbyterianism and Congregationalism became closely associated with the rebellion against England’s authority

36. Ch 5 Group Questions

37. Group1 • Expand on the economic activities and relationships of the different parts of the colonial “social pyramid” discussed in the text on pp. 87, 90. Explain especially the trend toward greater hierarchy, with a wealthy elite on the top and “jayle birds” and others on the bottom. The focus might be on the concern this tendency would have aroused among the “middle class” of colonists.

38. Group 2 • Show how the Great Awakening marked a key transition from the lukewarm style of religion fostered by “established” (tax-supported) colonial churches to the strong commitment required by the “voluntary” (member-supported) churches that later became the American norm.

39. Group 3 • Examine the ordinary social lives of colonial Americans. Consider the relationship between the way average people lived in the eighteenth century and the kinds of public concerns they had in the areas of politics, religion, economics, and culture.

40. Group 4 • Explain more fully the evolution of colonial politics and why politics was especially important to colonists jealously trying to control their own affairs. The emphasis might be on the development of a distinctively American type of “opposition” politics, which was anxious to preserve local liberties and fearful of centralized or corrupt governmental power—such as the royal governors represented.