Chapter 4, Section 5

Front 1

Gentry

Back 1

At the top of the social structure in the colonies, the gentry included the wealthy planters, merchants, ministers, lawyers, and officials. Because they could afford to, they often dressed similar to what the people in England wore at the given time.

Front 2

Middle Class

Back 2

Directly beneath the gentry in the social structure, the middle class consisted of the farmers, craft-workers, and those of the trade. Almost 3/4 of the white colonists were in the middle class; they prospered because land was easy to buy.

Front 3

Indentured Servants

Back 3

Along with the hired farmhands and slaves, indentured servants were at the bottom of the social structure. They were people who signed contracts with masters. They got a free passage from England, food, clothing, and shelter in exchange for four to seven years of work for the master. Some eventually rose to the middle class.

Front 4

Gullah

Back 4

The term given to the language spoken near some of the coastal areas of the colonies. It was a distinct combination of English and other West African languages.

Front 5

Great Awakening

Back 5

A religious movement that occurred in the 1730s and 1740s. It was full of drama and emotion, which touched women and men of all backgrounds and social classes. Started by Jonathan Edwards, a New England preacher, George Whitefield, an English minister, helped it spread. It then caused supporters to break away from their old churches to form new ones, causing the colonists to become more tolerant. It also contributed to the spread of democracy such as the challenging of authority when liberties were at stake. Eventually, it caused the colonists to challenge England.

Front 6

Public School

Back 6

By 1642, the Massachusetts assembly had passed laws requiring towns with more than 50 families to set up public schools and hire schoolteachers. These schools were funded by taxes and allowed both poor and rich children to receive an education. In most, parents paid the schoolteacher with corn and other foods. Each child was also expect to bring a share of wood to burn for heat. If they forgot, they would be kept in the coldest corner of the room.

Front 7

Tutor

Back 7

In the southern colonies, the people lived too far apart to set up public school houses. For that reason, some plantation owners hired tutors, or private teachers for their children. Others sent their sons to school in England.

Front 8

Apprentice

Back 8

An apprentice worked for a master in order to learn a specific trade or craft. Around the age of 12, parents who wanted their children to learn a certain craft or trade would apprentice them to a master who was skilled in that specific art. They would work for the master as well as live him for six to seven years, learning the craft. He would be given food, clothing, and an education. In return, he worked without pay and eventually would be able to open up his own shop, hopefully.

Front 9

Dame School

Back 9

Most New England schools at the time only accepted boys. Some girls, however, attended Dame Schools, private schools run by women in their homes. Otherwise their mothers would teach them how to do things like weave.

Front 10

Enlightenment

Back 10

As European thinkers believed that reason could be applied to anthropology, they tried to discover the natural laws that governed human behavior. Since they believed in the light of human reason, they began a movement known as the Enlightenment.

Front 11

Libel

Back 11

The act of publishing a statement that can damage a person’s reputation unfairly.

Front 12

Negro Election Day

Back 12

Mostly taking place in May, in the 1700’s, the Negro Election Day came when it was time for the white colonists to elect their colonial government. The Africans elected one winner who would then settle disputes that arose among the Africans and Colonists.

Front 13

Jonathan Edwards

Back 13

A New England preacher by the name of Jonathan Edwards helped set off the Great Awakening. In sermons, he called on colonists to examine their lives.

Front 14

George Whitefield

Back 14

With his arrival in the colonies in 1739, English minister George Whitefield helped the movement known as the Great Awakening spread. He drew huge crowds to outdoor meetings.

Front 15

John Locke

Back 15

An English philosopher who wrote works that were very popular in the colonies. He stated that people could gain knowledge by observing and experimenting.

Front 16

Benjamin Franklin

Back 16

Born in 1706, Benjamin Franklin received only two years of education but spent his spare time studying literature, mathematics, and foreign languages. By the age of 17, he had moved to Philadelphia and published Poor Richard’s Almanack. Like other Enlightenment thinkers, Ben wanted to use reason. He invented many things such as the odometer and bifocals.

Front 17

Poor Richard's Almanack

Back 17

Published by Benjamin Franklin in 1723 in Philadelphia. It contained very useful information and clever quotes.

Front 18

John Peter Zenger

Back 18

Originally, John Peter Zenger published the Weekly Journal in New York City, but in 1734, he was arrested for stories criticizing the governor. He was charged for libel but was set free when his lawyer stated that he was not committing libel because his stories were true.