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Angela Brown Focus: Bellringer: Ladies and Gentlemen What associations come to mind when you hear this phrase? How do the images of ladies and gentlemen during colonial times compare with those of today? Vocabulary: Gentry, apprentice, almanac, indigo, selfsufficient Learning Targets: I Can: Describe the structure of colonial American society and its distribution of wealth. List contributions that tradespeople and women made to colonial society. Describe the working lives of the average colonists and the colonial education system. Colonial society, consisted of a variety of groups with widely varying lives. A person’s wealth or gender or race went a long way to determining his or her place in society. How true is this today? Colonial Society Most colonists accepted the notion that the wealthy were superior to the poor, that men were superior to women, and that whites were superior to blacks. They accepted that society was made up of different ranks or levels. They brought these ideas with them from Europe. Social ranks could be seen in colonial clothes, houses, and manners. Gentry, or men and women wealthy enough to hire others to work for them. “Gentle folk” were the most important members of colonial society. Wigs were an unmistakable sign of status, power, and wealth. Colonial Dress ushistoryimages.com Wealth in Land The foundation of real wealth was land. Land was plentiful and most white men owned some land. Adult, single women and free African Americans could legally own land but very few did. In each colony a small group of elite, landowning men dominated politics. Lawyers, planters, and merchants held most of the seats in the colonial assemblies, or lawmaking bodies. Wealth in Land To refine their manners, the gentry eagerly read newspapers and books from England. They sent their sons to expensive schools and taught their daughters how to manage a household. They supervised, but they did not actually perform physical labor. William Byrd owned several plantations in Virginia and wrote in his diary that every day he read Greek or Latin, said his prayers, and “danced his dance” (performed a series of exercises) in the garden of his home. Gentlemen sought to demonstrate their refinement, self-control and proof that they deserved the respect of others. Trades and Occupations Artisans At a very early age, boys from most families became apprentices, or persons placed under a contract to work for another person in exchange for learning a trade. They prospered by creating some of the items that the gentry desired…silversmiths, cabinetmakers, tinsmiths, pottery and glass makers. wolfsonianfiulibrary.wordpress.com Printers Colonial printers gathered and circulated local news and information. They had to be cautious when deciding which stories to report. In 1734, authorities arrested John Peter Zenger, printer and publisher of the New York Weekly Journal, for printing libelous (false) stories critical of the governor of New York. Zenger’s lawyer argued that if the stories were true then they could not be considered libel. Zenger won his case, a landmark victory for freedom of the press in America. Benjamin Franklin One of America’s most famous printers from the 1700s… Among his best known works is Poor Richard’s Almanac printed from 1732 to 1757. An almanac is a book containing information such as calendars, weather predictions, proverbs, and advice. He also published newspapers and magazines. In retirement he dabbled in science and politics and spent much of his time in Europe. He is most famous for his scientific inventions such as the lightening rod, the Franklin stove, and bifocal eyeglasses. His autobiography set forth rules for controlling oneself and behaving in a respectable manner. Trades and Occupations Farmers and Fishermen NE farmers who worked the then, rocky soil gained a reputation for being tough, thrifty, and conservative. Many coastal settlers turned their backs on the poor soil and made their living from the soil. Haddock, bass, clams, mussels, and crabs abounded. Most was dried, salted, and shipped out. Fishing became a main industry promoting growth in shipbuilding. Indentured Servants IS agreed to work for a master for a set amount of time, up to seven years. In exchange the master agreed to pay for travel costs to the colonies. Masters had total authority over IS and sometimes treated them as slaves. Servants who served their time were granted freedom and sometimes a piece of land. Extra time was added to service for alleged misbehaviors. Colonial Women Status was determined by the men in a woman’s life. Most women were legally the dependents of men and had no legal or political standing. Married women could not own property. Law prevented women from voting or holding office or serving on a jury. Even a widowed woman did not have any political rights, although she could inherit her husband’s property and conduct business. Women and the Law Under English common law, a woman was under her husband’s control. Law allowed husbands to beat their wives without fear of prosecution. Divorces, although legal, were rare. The easiest place to divorce was Puritan NE. They so desired order and stability that they preferred to allow a bad marriage to end rather than continue to create disorder among them. wornthrough.com Women’s Duties Women and men depended on one another. Women managed the household. Tasks included cooking, gardening, washing, cleaning, weaving cloth, sewing, helping in childbirth, and training their daughters. They might argue with their fathers or husbands but almost never directly challenged the basic structure of colonial society. Eliza Lucas Pinckney ran her fathers three plantations and helped promote the growth of indigo. Indigo is a type of plant used in making blue dye for cloth. Indigo became a major staple crop in South Carolina. The Nature of Work By the mid-1700s life was better for most white colonists than it would have been in Europe. They ate better, lived longer, and had more children to help them work. There were more opportunities to gain wealth and status. All colonists had to labor very hard to keep their families alive. Everyone in the household, including children had to work. The goal of the household was to be self-sufficient, or able to make everything needed to maintain itself. Wives often assisted husbands in their work from planting crops to managing business affairs. Children helped both parents. Most work was performed in or around the home. Shops were often in the front of their houses. Colonial Education Attendance at school was not required by law, and most children received little formal education. NE Colonies became early leaders in developing public education. Protestant settlers believed everyone should be able to read the bible. Literacy rates were higher in NE than anywhere else in British North America. In 1647, Mass. Passed a law requiring every town with 50 families to hire a schoolmaster to teach reading, writing and arithmetic. Towns with 100 or more families were expected to establish a grammar school that offered Greek and Latin. Colonial Education Girls did not go to school. They were to learn from their mothers. If no schools were available, parents taught their children at home. In the Southern Colonies, plantation owners often hired private instructors to teach their children Colleges were training grounds for ministers. Only the wealth attended. Until the 1740s there were only three colleges in the colonies. 1636 Harvard in Mass. 1693 William and Mary in Virginia 1701 Yale in Connecticut. Exit Slip 1. Summarizing Main Ideas: How did the legal status of women differ from their actual importance in colonial society? 2. Identifying Central Issues: Why did everyone in the average colonial household have to work? 3. Create a chart that organizes information about the structure of colonial society. Gentry, women etc. 4. Describe the nature of colonial education. Who was educated? To what degree? (Geography and History activity page 70 – 71)