Upper and Middle Classes

The gentry was the highest social class in the colonies

Gentry was the rich planters, merchants, and royal officials.
The middle class came after the gentry.
The middle class was made of farmers who worked their land, skilled
craftsmen, and some tradespeople.
Nearly ¾ of all white colonists belonged to the middle class
The lower Social classes
The lower social classes were made up of farmhands and indentured
servants
Indentured servants would sign contracts to work 4 to 7 years
without pay in exchange for their passage to be payed
In the 1600s, Europeans began to question common assumptions
made by people and started to use logic and reason. This began a
movement known as Enlightenment
For example, Newton explained the law of gravity during this
movement
During Enlightenment, Benjamin Franklin was born. Using reason to
improve the world around him, he invented enhancive devices: the
iron stove, bifocals, and the lightning rod
Large towns and cities such as Charleston, Boston, New York, and
Philadelphia influenced flourishing growing culture.
They also served as trade centers between the coast and the
backcountry
Theaters, carnivals, and traveling circuses began to pop up by
the mid-1700s in every colonial town
• John Campbell founded the very first weekly newspaper in 1704, the
Boston News-Letter. Other people followed this trend such as John
Peter Zenger with the Weekly Journal.
• Zenger issued stories that criticized the governor, which led to his
arrest in 1734. He was put on trial for libel.
• He was never imprisoned since his lawyer argued what he said
published was true and the jury agreed.
• This led to a dispute over freedom of the press.
• Now, liberty of the press is considered a basic American right