SOCIETY & CULTURE in the 13 Colonies [APUSH Review]

Main Ideas, Concepts, and Lessons

• American identity in the colonial period emerged from diversity

  • The “13 British colonies” contained unusually diverse populations.
  • The video argues that diversity became a foundational element of American identity, even though people at the time generally did not see themselves simply as “Americans.”

• Colonists did not initially identify as “American”

  • They primarily saw themselves as British subjects living in the American region.
  • Identity was largely group-based (ethnicity, religion, and region), not a single unified “melting pot.”

• Gradual Anglicization (becoming more like Britain)

  • Over time, colonial society began to resemble British society more closely.

  • Key drivers included:

    • Social and economic hierarchy

      • New England/Middle colonies: wealthy merchants increasingly resembled English nobility in customs and dominance.
      • South: elite planters accumulated wealth and dominated politics, supported by ownership of many enslaved people.

    • Consumer Revolution

      • Wealthier urban families increasingly demanded British goods, increasing British cultural influence.

    • Status shift

      • Social status became more tied to financial success than birth or family lineage.

    • Growing inequality

      • As land became scarce, more people at the bottom became landless and poor.

    • Government structure similarity

      • By the end of the period, the colonies shared a basic government model similar to England:
        • Governor + bicameral legislature (two-house system)
      • Differences remained in how leaders were appointed, and local governance could be more representative.

• Two major movements helped create more integrated colonial identity (and reinforced Anglicization)

  1. The Enlightenment

     • A European intellectual movement applying scientific and philosophical reasoning to society and politics.
     • Emphasized:
       • Rational thought
       • Rejection of authority from outside the self, especially religious authority
     • Spread through transatlantic print culture.
     • Influential writers referenced:
       • John Locke
       • Jean-Jacques Rousseau
     • Core political ideas mentioned:
       • Natural rights
       • Social contract
     • These ideas helped contribute to an emerging American political philosophy.

  2. The Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)

     • Background: By the 1730s, religion had declined in many churches.
       • Example: Halfway Covenant
         • Puritans required credible testimony of conversion for full membership.
         • After a generation, younger people could not meet the requirements.
         • The halfway covenant allowed baptism/church membership without full conversion, but barred people from communion and certain church decisions.
     • Political backdrop for decline:
       • After Britain’s Glorious Revolution, New England was forced to accept religious tolerance, reducing Puritan dominance.
     • Revival:
       • Religion surged through a mass revival across the colonies.
       • Began in Massachusetts with Jonathan Edwards, preacher of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
       • Sermons were described as tightly reasoned and philosophical, while public response became highly emotional.
       • Revival emphasized emotional and spontaneous conversion experiences.
       • Later spread via George Whitefield, a British minister known for powerful public oratory.
     • Theological split:
       • New light clergy: emotional experience and personal faith were authentic religion.
       • Old light preachers: skeptical of emotional “theatrics,” preferring more “reasonable” religion.
     • Significance:
       • Became the first mass movement in the colonies.
       • Helped shape identity as a unique people and encouraged questioning authority.

• Irony: British-linked movements helped Americans challenge Britain

  • The Enlightenment and the Glorious Revolution gave colonists pride as British subjects, but also provided ideas later used to challenge Britain.
  • The Great Awakening began in England (e.g., John Wesley), yet it emphasized personal religious experience over established Anglican authority—training colonists to challenge traditional authority.

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Conflicts with Great Britain: How Disagreements Are Categorized

The video organizes colonial tensions into three major categories:

1) Disagreements over territorial settlements (Ohio River Valley)

• Population growth made land scarce in original areas.
• Colonists wanted westward expansion into the Ohio River Valley for better lives.
• Britain restricted expansion because:
  • It wanted peace after conflicts with Indigenous peoples west of colonial territory.
  • It feared conflicts with the French over overlapping claims.
• Outcome: Britain shut down westward expansion, causing colonial frustration.

2) Disagreements over colonial self-rule

• Colonists developed habits of self-governance, especially during periods of British distraction (“salutary neglect”).

• Britain later reasserted control, including through:

  • Impressment for the British Navy

    • During wars (including King George’s War), Britain lacked sailors and forced colonial men to serve.
    • Highlighted by Boston riots in 1747, which lasted three days.
    • Takeaway: the riots signaled colonists believed in natural rights and rejected imperial infringement.

  • Zenger trial (1735)

    • John Peter Zenger ran a New York newspaper criticizing the dismissal of an American judge by a British-appointed governor.
    • He was charged with seditious libel (British law did not distinguish truth from falsehood).
    • The colonial jury acquitted him.
    • Meaning: another indicator of growing resentment and defense of colonial rights.

3) Disagreements over trade

• As they grew, colonists needed to import British goods.
• Britain’s market demand for American goods had peaked, but Americans still had goods to trade.
• Navigation Acts restricted colonial trade to Britain alone.
• Colonial response: smuggling goods to other buyers to maintain or improve their economy.
• Long-term tension:
  • Britain later tried to clamp down on smuggling.
  • This would contribute to further resentment (teased for the next unit).

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Speakers / Sources Featured

• Narrator: “Lorett” (explicitly identifies herself at the end)
• John Locke
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• Jonathan Edwards (preacher; referenced sermon: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”)
• George Whitefield
• John Wesley
• John Peter Zenger (mentioned in connection with the 1735 trial)