Social Class and Education in Colonial America

- There is no hereditary aristocracy in the American colonies

• But it isn’t a classless society
• A class system still exists, but it isn’t hereditary
- The Class System
• The Top: The Better Sort
- The Royal Governor
- The elite planters
- Merchants
- Clergy
- Some wealthy “professionals”
• Doctors
• Lawyers
• Professors
• The Middling Sort
- “The middle class”
- Less prosperous professionals
• Lawyers
• Teachers
• Small farmers
• Artisans/craftsman
• The Lower Sort
- The working class/the poor
- Farm laborers
- Unskilled workers
- Sailors
- The unemployed
- Slaves
• Deferance was practiced
- If you were in a lower class, you were meant to respect the upper
- Formal address
- Tip your hat
- Seating in church
• Class rank was by social class, not academic performance
• How you dressed
- Only the better sort could wear fine garments
• Punishments for crime were determined by class
- Corporal punishment was not for the better sort
• Education opportunities
- North had the most
• New England had best education opportunities in colonies
• Public ed in america began

 • Boston latin school

- First public school
• New England passed laws required education
• Taxes were used to finance these socials
- South had the least
• Family/church were responsible
• Government not involved
• No public ed
• Old field schools
• Better sort would hire private tutors
- No professional standards for teachers
• Ministers
• College grads
• High school grads
- Harvard
• Less than 200 students
- Colleges were establishes to produce ministers, doctors, lawyers
- The Changing Society
• America is becoming a very different society from British society
- Ethnic diversity
- 250000 people in 1700
- 1770 rose to 2 mil
- Imigrants
• French
• Dutch
• German
• Irish
• Scottish
• africans
- Most want to escape religious persecution
- America has more economic opportunities
- By 18th century, more protestant denominations than ever
- People elected representatives were growing in power
- Market economy
• Significant growth in the 18th century
• Diversified economy
• Emphasis on profit
• Americans are involved in lots of different activities
- Food
- Fishing
- Tobacco
- Fur trapping
- Lumber

 - Ship building
- Merchant”ry”
- Slave trade
• Growing gap between rich and poor
- Smaller than Britain
• More poverties: Especially in cities
• North: Wealthiest=merchants
• South: Wealthiest=elite planters
- Started to resemble modern society
• Urban development
- Rise of cities
• Boston
• Newport
• New York
• Philly
• Charleston
- Cities were political and commercial
- Philly was second in size only to London
- Boston was 3rd busiest seaport in British empire
• Punishments included whipping, stocks, fines
- Mutilation was acceptable
• Branding
• Cutting off a body part
• Death penalty
- Only for murder or piracy
- Done in public
• Origin of volunteer firefighters
- Secularization
• Non-religious pursuits were becoming more important in peoples daily lives
- People are hanging in taverns and civic organizations
• See the fire dudes
• Self improvements societies
- American philosophical society
• Scientific organization
• Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams
• Secret societies
- Free masons

Leading to the American Revolution

- The war was just confirming something that already happened
• American, French, and Russian Revolution are most famous revolutions

 • A reaction to something/a rebellion against something specific

- Before the French and Indian war, the colonies were okay
• 1680-1760s
- Benign neglect
• British empire left the colonies alone
• Colonies were basically governing themselves
- Americans had gotten used to governing themselves
• They liked being part of the empire because of business purposes
- Trade under the biggest nation in the world
- Crashing halt at the end of the seven years war
• Britain got debt
- War costs big money
• Americans were taxed much less so they look to them
• Plus they were in debt because of the fact they were defending the colonies
• Colonists believed the only government body that were allowed to tax you were the ones
you directly elected
- So parlament aint got that
- Taxes baby!
- Sugar Act
- Stamp Act 1765
- Tea Act
• Boston Tea Party
• Parliament ignores the colonists protests
• Colonists say heck no!
- “Taxation without representation”
- The colonies had been prospering
• War
• Military contracts
- War ends=no more money
• Poverty
• Unemployment
• Debt
- including our main man TJ
- He liked living large
- He never really gets out of that debt
- Inspiring the Revolution
• Rome
- Big influence
- Rome fell=Britain was falling
• Enlightenment
- Natural right
• English law
- Glorious revolution

 - Protests had not been violent

• But that was about to change
• British troops arrive in Boston
• Boston was a rowdy place
• Boston Massacre
- Propoganda goldmine
• Paul Revere’s image
- Colonists were looking for a fight
• It wasn’t a firing squad
- 3 years after Boston massacre
• Sam adams
- Super radical
- Boston tea party
- Coercive acts/intolerable acts
• Shut down Boston sea port
- Really fudged the economy
- Took power from the Massachusetts legislature
- Quartering Acts
• Boston residents were required to provide housing for British soldiers
• Huge invasion of privacy
- They wanna go back to benign neglect
- Spring of 1775
• British become aware that the colonists are moving toward making their own gvenment
- Believe its being stirred up by town trouble makers
• John Hancock
• Sam Adams
- British order them to be arrested
- Minute men
• Militia of volunteers
- First continental congress
- April 19th
• 70 American militia soldiers on the road to Concord
• British meet them in Lexington
• The first shot is fired and the battle begins
- No body knows who fired
• Battle of concord occurs
- Second continental congres
• First national government
- Battle of bunker hill

 - Common sense
• Jan 1776
• Recent immigrant
• Critic of British gov
• First person to print that colonies should be independent
• Seen as derogatory to the king
- Maybe even treason
• Monarchy was outdated
• Silly for small island nation to rule over a huge colony
• Advocates for a republic for America
• Becomes a best seller
- British government had hired hessions
• Armies for hire
• Mercenaries
- Bad rep
- Independence seems like the only realistic options
- 1775
• Olive branch petition
• Main grievance against parliament
• Attempt to get the king to intervene on their behalf
- To stop the mistreatment of parliament
• King George refused to read it
- Decreed it was an act of rebellion
- 1776
• Virginia delegate calls for independence officially
• Resolution postpones for one month to convince people who were hesitant
• Congress uses this time
- To draft declaration of independence
• Ben Franklin
• John adams
• Thomas jeffereson
• Robert Livingston
• Roger sherman
- Jefferson was very quiet
• Not great at public speaking
• Radical in terms of ideas
- Adams didn’t want to write the declaration
• He was seen as obnoxious and unpopular
• Tried to get Jefferson to write the declaration
- Said he was a better writer
• To butter him up
- Jefferson really didn’t want to write it
• It was basically a press release

 • Finished in about a day/day and a half

• Locke was big Inspo
• Mason
• Jefferson didn’t plagiarize
- He never said he came up with it
- He borrowed it
- It may be considered plagiarism by todays standards
• Ben Franklin and John adams
- Ultimate editing session
- They have a little pow wow to edit it
- We don’t know who changed what
- “Self evident”
- July 2nd
• Congress approves resolution
• New York abstains
• Deleware was divided
• Penn and South Carolina opposed
• Next day: Delaware, Penn, and South Carolina agree
- Why did Jefferson say George iii caused slavery in america
• Always uncomfy with being a slave owner
• Knows its wrong
• But he depends on it
• It cut
- July 4th
• Congress approves
• 25% cut
- Declaration
• 3 parts
- 1. General
• Life liberty pursuit of happiness
- 2. Grievances
• Against king George
• To justify independence
- 3. Colonies are now free and independent states
• Legacy
- Printed in newspapers
- Read aloud
- People mainly talked about part 2
- When does it change?
• Abe Lincoln
• Idolized founding fathers
• Looks to the them for inspo
• Gettysburg praise

 - Lord Dunmore’s proclamation

• Last royal gov of Virginia
• Says that any slave who escapes plantation and fights for British, will get freedom
• Scares farmers because it is basically an official slave insurrection
• New spin on the idea of freedom
• Gives southern slave owners a greater stake in the revolution
- Jeff in Paris
• First ambassador to France
• Comes home and becomes secretary of state
• Is in france during French Revolution
• In france during constitutional convention
• Madison asks Jefferson to send him books from France
- Buys so many books it takes a shipping crate that was the size of two tables
- Madison becomes father of the constitution
- Jefferson endorses constitution because he trusts Madison
- French rev
• Republic replace monarchy
- Jefferson all for it
- Even during chaos
- Leaves in 1789
• Washington calls him home
- Develops iconic rivalry with Hamilton
• Politics breaking into political parties for the first time
- Debt
• Whatcha gonna do
• Time to scuffle with ham
• All the states got debt
- Hammy wants to put it all together
• Lets tax the booze
- Virginia has no debt so Jefferson is not cool with that
- Madison won’t pass it
- The room where it happened
- The Whiskey Rebellion
• Farmers in western penn.