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Working Lives of Early Americans

Population Growth 1650: 50,000 whites 1700: 225,00 whites, 5,000 blacks 1775: 1,690,000 whites, 500,000

blacks Population growth of 3% a year

between 1720 and 1775 (England about 1%)

80% of population growth due to natural increase

Concentration of population in Chesapeake /New England

Best poor man’s country

18th C see an increase in population in middle colonies

Major region William Penn’s Philadelphia & Pennsylvania

More tolerant More land More freedom

Agriculture 80-90% of households involved in farming Close link with environment, hard physical

labor. Agrarian Republic concept. Importance of family labor, women and

children. Variety of crops, staples and food, regional

variations Seasonality of work - affected society, eg

conception rate lowest during harvest Farms/agriculture North v South

Year of a tobacco farmer

Jan - Seed tobacco beds Feb - Made hills with hoe Mar - Sow corn Apr - Made more hills May - Transplant tobacco, one to each hill Jun - Top the plants to encourage growth Jul - Removes suckers Aug - Cut tobacco Sept - Harvest corn Oct - Cask tobacco in ‘hogsheads’ Nov - Finish corn Dec - Clear and Burn field

Agricultural Exports Tobacco: 1700 - 32 million lbs 1770 - 83.8 million lbs

Market Value = £700,000

Rice 1710 - 1.6 million lbs 1770 - 76.9 million lbs

Market value = £400,000

Urbanisation Rapid growth of American cities Importance of town planning Urban populations in 1775 Philadelphia 40,000 New York, 25,000 Boston, 15,000 Charles-Town, 12,000

Philadelphia 1756

Savannah in Georgia, 1734

Effect of Urbanization

Specialization of labor Diversification of jobs Growth of professional classes of merchants, lawyers,

doctors, newspaper editors Concentration of artisans (18% of colonial popn) esp

skilled ones, shopkeepers, petty capitalism Education becomes important

1st law on public schools 1723

Rich vs Poor 18th C sees increased wealth inequality Boston

1687, richest 15% owned 50% of wealth 1770 they owned 66% of wealth

South Carolina 1730s, richest 10% owned 49% of wealth 1770s they owned 56% of wealth.

Proportion owned by poorest falls

Dealing with Poverty

Poor mainly the sick, old, orphaned, and infirm, not the unemployed. Similar perceptions to England

Poor usually assisted by local government, either county court, or Anglican parish vestry - money raised through taxation

Poor have to apply for help Most assistance is ‘outdoor relief’ i.e. cash / goods

given to pauper or carer

Urban Poverty

Growing problem in 18thC, ports attract immigrants, often sick, poor etc on arrival

Appearance of first charitable societies, often organized for immigrants German Friendly Society in Charles-Town, 1766.

Civic response is institutionalization: Boston pre 1700; N.Y., 1736; Charles-Town, 1738;

Philadelphia, 1767; Baltimore, 1773. Desire to control poor, more prescriptive, less

generous than rural areas.

Philadelphia Almshouse

Conclusions

18th early America increasingly economically diverse.

Most people in work, long hours, securing future of family

Poverty significant problem only in the cities

Portfolio 1st block to be handed in on Thursday 15th

October Paper

A 2000 word paper (+/- 10%) page research paper, topic to be of students choosing in consultation with professor. Due Thursday 5th November

The Trial of Peter Zenger

1735 New York.

August 1731 William Cosby arrived in New York as Governor

Awkward man to deal with Spiteful Greedy quick tempered and dull

Until arrival a member of New York’s Provincial Council, Rip Van Dam, stood in as a temporary Governor.

After arriving in New York Demanded half of Van Dam’s salary Van Dam’s reply Split that salary as long as he

received half of all the perks that Cosby had gained

Cosby would not agree filed a law suit to get the money

without giving anything up.

Cosby ordered the Supreme Court to hear the case without a jury

Van Dam challenged an attempt by to avoid the law of New York

Legality of Cosby’s decision was put ironically before the Supreme Court

The Court voted in Cosby’s favor by a 2 to 1 Majority.

Cosby sent a letter to the dissenting judge, Chief Justice Lewis Morris

Demanded to know why he had dissented.

Morris explained his position

Rather than sending a private letter

Answer published in a pamphlet for all to see

published by Peter Zenger

Cosby’s reaction fire Morris and

replace him James Delancey

a Cosby supporter

Van Dam, Morris, attorney James Alexander form opposition party to Cosby

Cosby took his battle to the press installed his man at the only full time newspaper

in New York New York Gazette.

Opposition group went to the only other printer in town

John Peter Zenger to start a second New York Newspaper

New York Weekly Journal. Paper published details of Judge Morris’ election

as an Assemblyman Despite Cosby’s best attempts to rig the election.

After a couple of months of attacks Cosby attempted to close the Journal down.

Twice asked a grand jury (the people) to return indictments on libel

Twice refused. After failing to get a indictment

Cosby went after it by short changing the law.

He asked his attorney general to present the information in front of the Chief Justices his appointed men

Bench warrant for Zenger’s arrest Zenger’s attorny’s

James Alexander and William Smith Disbarred when they objected to the

fact that the trial was to be heard by two Chief Justices, Philipse and Delancey – both hand picked by Cosby

After this one of the country’s foremost attorneys Andrew Hamilton signed on to represent Zenger.

Cosby then tried to rig the jury but this was too much even for his judges.

The charge was libel the truth was not a defense against libel at this

time libel was simply writing bad things about

the government. Hamilton’s Defense was a surprise he did

not deny that Zenger had published the Journal

The judge instructed the jury that they could not judge on the libel but only on if Zenger had printed the Journal.

And then leave it to the court to decide if there were libel.

Hamilton’s closing speech Hamilton’s summation in response to this however

brought up his real point as the following quotation show

“I know, may it please Your Honor, the jury may do so.  But I do likewise know that they may do

otherwise.  I know that they have the right beyond all dispute to determine both the law and the fact; and where they do not doubt of the law, they ought

to do so.  Leaving it to judgment of the court whether the words are libelous or not in effect

renders juries useless (to say no worse) in many cases.”

And further he was to explain

“The question before the Court and you, Gentlemen of the jury, is not of small or private concern.  It is not the cause of one poor printer, nor of New York

alone, which you are now trying.  No!  It may in its consequence affect every

free man that lives under a British government on the main of America.  It

is the best cause.  It is the cause of liberty. ”

The Jury retired and declared Zenger Not Guilty

Technique Hamilton had used was know as Jury Nullification jury returns a verdict of "Not Guilty"

despite its belief that the defendant is guilty of the violation charged. 

Jury nullifies a law it believes is either immoral or wrongly applied to the defendant whose fate that are charged with deciding.

Decision shows two things That the people of New York,

and broader America, believed that free speech was part of their liberty

That they as a people would not accept unrestrained control by the officials of Britain.

Georgia: Enlightenment Utopia

Founded 1733 experiment in Enlightenment belief in social improvement James Oglethorpe

Land would be given away rather than sold

Founders planned to produce silk and wine items no other colony had yet

succeeded in producing Banned slavery and hard liquor In practice, the experiment failed

miserably Land unsuited for planned crops Settlers demanded access to alcohol Gradually came to accept need to use

slave labor

Spread of Enlightenment values through the coloniesFound ready audience among

colonial elites Rise of professions

Emergence of trained lawyers and doctors also helped to spread Enlightenment ideas through the colonies

The Great Awakening Swept Protestant world in 1730s and early 1740s

Evangelical Emphasis on personal conversion experience William Tennent

Pennsylvania Log Cabin College

Jonathan Edwards 1734-35 Connecticut

A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God (1737)

Revival An emotional Response to God’s Word that brought

sudden conversion to scores of people

Wesley and Whitfield Transatlantic Awakening John Wesley – Georgia 1735 George Wesley – Georgia

Bethesda Orphanage 1739 Wesley returns to America Huge meetings

Gender & Great Awakening

Initially MaleFinally more women than

men experienced conversion 1800 majorityDe facto control of church’s

Split established denominations Evangelical and non-evangelical sects

Presbyterian Old side – anti revival New side – pro revival

Congregationalist Old Light – anti revival New light – pro revival

Gave rise to Baptists, Methodists, and other evangelical denominations

Led to the founding of several new colleges 1740 – Three colleges in America

Harvard William and Mary Yale

Evangelicals wanted to display their commitment to education and learning

College of New Jersey 1st class 1748 Moved to Princeton in 1756

College of Rhode Island – Brown Queens College – Rutgers

Eleazer Wheelock School for Indians Samson Occum Dartmouth

Anglican non revivalist tried to compete College of Philadelphia/University of

Philadelphia King’s College/ Columbia University

Resulted in religious transformation of America 1700 Three main churches

1) Congregationalist in New England 2) Quaker in Delaware Valley 3) Anglicans in the south

1800 1) Methodists 2) Baptists 3)Presbyterians

Secular Explanations Possible socio-economic reasons for

encouraging a return to religion. War of Austrian Succession, started1739,

disrupted trade and led to economic stagnation falling living standards growth in poverty and vagrancy in

America. 1737-8 diphtheria epidemic in New

England killed about 20,000 colonists, mainly children

Slave rebellion

Disease, warfare, rebellion & shifting population

demonstrated fragility of life, and the immediacy of death.

Charismatic preachers who told of the importance of repentance yet who promised salvation, more likely to be effective.

Conclusions Did Great Awakening help to create a climate

for revolution? Severed some of the religious links between

the colonies and Great Britain especially between the ordinary people and the

Anglican church. The first pan-colonial event

touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of colonists

a common religious experience helped to define the American character.

Stimulated mass communications newspapers, letters, and publishing.

Information forms were to prove valuable during the war of Independence.

Gave revolutionaries a Calvinist language which they used against the British. e.g emphasis that loyalty to God over-rides loyalty

to state Tied in with Republican thought

concerning the ability of subjects to legitimately dissolve the bonds between them and the King.

Most patriots = New Lights Depicted the British as evil and

sinful while the American side was noble, pure and fighting for natural justice.

Arguments struck a chord with most Americans.

However the link between the revolution and the Great Awakening remains tenuous

30yr time lag.

Slavery

Atlantic Slave Trade

c.10m Africans transported, 1500-1900

Only 5% to North America Up to 25% mortality during voyage Preference for young men Involvement of Africans in

triangular trade

Resistance

Violent rebellions eg New York 1712 & 1741, South Carolina 1739 rare - why? causes?

Personal resistance vs masters and overseers more common - could be violent or passive

Effectiveness of running away (which groups most likely to flee, outcomes)

Joining the Empire, 1690-1763

Territorial Expansion

18thC filling in of gaps in British territory in America

Warfare & ‘empty’ areas Brings Britain into conflict with France

and Spain Close relationship between European

warfare and American warfare

Wars War of the League of Augsburg (King William’s War)

1689-1697 Some cross border raids in New England and Acadia Treaty of Ryswick leaves borders alone

War of Spanish Succession (Queen Anne’s War) 1701-1713 Fought mainly in New England and South Carolina, NY

remained neutral Fighting low-key, European victories of GB lead to Treaty

of Utrecht Some permanent cession of territory in Europe (e.g.

Gibraltar) and America

Newfoundland

Treaty of Utrect 1713 Acknowledges British control of

Newfoundland Previously settled, but privately. Mainly

British population - 7,500 in 1750 Important as allowed GB to control Grand

Banks fishing grounds

Nova Scotia Originally French colony of Acadia founded 1605 by Champlain Britain always wary of Acadia, on

direct shipping route to Europe. 1710 conquest of Acadia

except for Ille Royale recognized by Treaty of Utrecht

2,000 Acadians remain allowed to retain culture in return for

allegiance. Acadians a distinct group in French

society. Problems over loyalty expulsions 1755 - NS to be British Founding of Halifax, replaced Port Royal

as capital, migration encouraged from GB.