Chapter 5: Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution, 1700 1775

o The 1
st
boycotted Olympics were the 1980 summer Olympics because of Soviet policies in
Afghanistan.
o In retaliation, in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Soviets boycotted, but East Germany stayed
and participated.
o Currently, US relations with Russia are not good because of anti-gay policies in Russia.
o In California, the ban on Prop. 8 has been upheld.
The largest number of people in the 1700s in the US is from England and Scotland, which
constituted 2/3 of the entire population.
African slaves in the 1790s were the second highest number, which about 1/5 of the
population.
Before slaves, indentured servants were the main workforce.
However, they were considered inefficient due to freedom dues, which were monetary
support given to them after they had served their time to help them set up their own
homes.
So, in the 1650s, slaves were brought in mostly to the southern colonies, especially
Virginia, the richest colony then.
90% of all slaves are in the southern colonies.
During this time, a Colonial Social Pyramid began to form in 1775.
The bottom of the pyramid was slaves.
Above the slaves were the indentured servants and jailbirds (debtors sent to exile to
the colonies).
Georgia, for example, was originally a penal colony before it became recognized
as a true colony.
Above them were the lesser tradesmen, manual workers, and hired hands.
These people would work for wages and get by and live modestly in houses.
Above them were the yeoman farmers, the largest group of the pyramid.
These people own land, plant crops, and sell them for a living.
Most are in the middle colonies, the bread colonies.
The backswood farmers, a part of this group, are former indentured servants
who became farmers in the west by clearing the forest and making their own
farms.
The average farm size in the middle colonies was around 50 75 acres
because of the rich soil.
Above them were the lesser professional men.
These are people such as doctors, craftsmen, blacksmiths, etc.
Above them were the merchants, lawyers, officials, and clergymen.
These are people of high status due to their own work and education.
Above them, on the top, were the aristocrats.
There are people such as the leading planters of the colonies, who made
enormous amounts of money due to the size of their farms.