Colonial
Characteristics
COLONIAL CHARACTERISTICS
• Port cities flourished
• Boston
• New York
• Philadelphia
• Charleston
• Interior provided some raw materials for the ports
• Grains
• Wood
COLONIAL CHARACTERISTICS
• New merchant
class developed
• More commerce
meant greater
wealth
• Greater wealth
meant more
political power
COLONIAL CHARACTERISTICS
• Upper Class
• Planters (South)
• Merchants (North)
• Middle Class
• Printers
• Metal Smiths
• Yeoman farmers
• Surveyors
• Shipwrights
• Millers
• Lower Class
• Laborers
• Tennant farmers
• Slaves
COLONIAL CHARACTERISTICS
• Patterns of Society
• Wealth Statistics
• over 50% of wealth
controlled by 10% of pop
• Boston 1700-1775
Poorest 30% controlled
2%
• Power in cities not
counties
• Legislative power in
towns
• Urban Revolution
Skilled Labor
Rum Distillery and Hogsheads
Tobacco Warehouse
What does this picture say?
Beginnings of Rebellion
Politically
• Before Glorious Revolution
• Royal government held
power
• After Glorious Revolution
• More power to colonial
assemblies
• BUT
• Assemblies = wealthy
elite
• Voting qualifications
(property)
• Mob rule
Salutary Neglect
• King George I and II: British relaxed supervision of colonies
• Mild rule known as “Salutary Neglect”
Salutary Neglect
• Sir Robert Walpole
• King’s Chief Minister
• Set up system
• Gifts for members of
Parliament
• Got votes he wanted
• Basically ran government
Salutary Neglect
• Real Whigs felt Walpole
• betrayed goals of Glorious Revolution
• too cozy with merchant class
Salutary Neglect
• American Real Whigs felt
• governors had too much
power
• Appointments not on merit
but connection
• Results in America
• More resistance
• Stronger colonial
assemblies
• felt threatened by king
• Royal appointees weak
What do you think the
colonial attitude will
be toward Salutary
Neglect?
Mercantilism again
How did it impact the colonies?
How did it impact Britain?
Molasses Act 1733
• Colonies traded surplus
goods with French for
sugar
• Killed British sugar
industry
• British imposed high tax
on non-British sugar
• Americans protested
• Problem resolved itself
(industry grows)
Currency Issues
• Americans had to use hard
currency (gold, silver) to pay
British merchants
• Left little for trade
• Set up land banks
• Issued currency
• Currency backed against value
of land
• Allowed for trade and
investment
Currency Issues
• Unbacked currency
depreciated
• Paid British with devalued
currency
• Rhode Island got away
with it (not a royal
colony)
• Massachusetts didn’t
get away with it (royal
colony)
Currency Issues
• Currency Act of 1751
• Colonies couldn’t establish
any more land banks
• Colonies couldn’t pay private
debt with public currency (no
more paying British with land
bank currency)
What are the financial
issues from both the
British and American
perspectives?
Is there an
“American”
identity?