The American Colonies in the 1700’s and Mercantilism

AP US -HamerUnit 2

Growing Population More by birth rate then immigration 1700: 300,000 people (20,000 black

slaves) 1775: 2.5 million people (400,000

white immigrants, 500,000 black slaves)

Average age in 1775 was 16

Urban vs. Rural Few major cities

Philadelphia (34,000), NYC, Boston, and Charleston

90% of population lived in rural areas

Didn’t reach much past the Appalachians

Philadelphia in 1800

Diversity Mainly English but more diverse than

anywhere else German 6% Scots Irish 7% Others 5% Africans 20% Americans became a new ethnicity

American Social Ladder More stratified in the 1700’s than the 1600’s Top few were very wealthy (planters and

merchants) Mostly middle

Artisans Shopkeepers Farmers Workers (Labor or servants) Some destitute women and children Land became scarcer

Convicts from England Slaves Less stratified than Europe + ability to

progress up the social ladder

Jobs of the 1700’s Clergy Physicians Lawyers Agriculture - 90% of the people Shipbuilding and fishing Manufacturing

Transportation in the Colonies Terrible roads - these were improving

in the 1700’s though Waterways Caused the slow dissemination of news Taverns found along travel routes

Became the place to get news and share ideas

Mail existed, but not confidential or quick

Religion in the 1700’s Congregationalists (This is the new

word for Puritans) and Presbyterians made up half of all church members in 1775

Anglicans were 1/4 Congregationalism, Presbyterianism,

and Rebellion became a Holy Trinity

Education Public education was not a priority in

England New England soon wanted public education

so that they could have educated, Bible reading citizens Massachusetts School Law (and soon other New

England colonies) required a school teacher for every town with more than 50 families

Not much schooling in the south because of distance between homes – relied more on tutors

Colleges at the time were to train ministers and learn old, dogmatic education

What does it mean to have an educated citizenship – how will this affect the Revolution?

Culture Very little in America

since people were working so hard to build a country

Ben Franklin was the first “civilized” American

The few scientists, like Franklin, were not approved of by clergy

Press Not many libraries or individual

ownership of books Franklin started the first public lending

library in Philadelphia By 1775, 40 colonial newspapers

News was slow Zenger case, argued by Hamilton,

allowed for more freedom of the press and therefore more discussion about life and politics

Colonial Folkways Hard life

Dirty Some time for play

Dancing and plays allowed in South (away from Puritans!)

Many similarities Some democracy, ethnic and religious

toleration, spoke English, mainly Protestant, used to independence

Mercantilism What is it? Economic system where the mother country

is supposed to profit from her colonies. Colonies supply raw materials to only the

mother country Colonies also provide markets for the

manufactured goods from the mother country (and only the mother country)

Wealth for the mother country is measured in bullion

Early Mercantilism American colonies could not produce

manufactured goods Woolen Act 1699 – No manufacturing of textiles Hat Act 1732 – No manufacturing of hats Iron Act 1750 – No manufacturing of iron products

Growing Problems with Trade Trade Imbalance

Growing American population demanded more British goods

Slow growing British population quickly got saturated with American goods

America had no bullion left (it all went to England) American colonies shipped to other countries Also began to buy from other countries

Tightening the Mercantilist System Molasses Act of 1733

Created by England to get the colonists to stop buying cheaper French Caribbean molasses to make rum

Parliament would not end the act in spite of colonial pleas

Colonists got around this with smuggling…this will lead the tone for future conflicts