key words colonial american culture enlightenment and great awakening george whitfield jonathan edwards new lights vs old lights benjamin franklin aka poor richard mid-18th century reaching a point where distinct american culture is emerging lots of growth and dev along coast, no real major cities mercantilism fueling economy mostly rural pic of two churches, one further inland that is simple cheap wood, one near charleston is ornate and very well built, expensive growing divergence between inlanders and aristocrats along coast everyone had the ability to own land (common thread), ability to sustain self, no so in europe divide east/west, divide rural/urban, urban is much more ornate, larger, expensive architecture, columns, etc getting to enjoy life, not so hard anymore families begin to shrink, because death rates decrease definite european influences in american culture women becoming more affluent in family structure, but not society can only carve up land so many times, family sizes decrease or children move westward to land oppurtunities religious culture still very important in most societies large influxen of scots-irish and others 1750, 1.1mil americans 18% are artisans (tradesmen) (brickmakers/layers, blacksmith, leatherworker, etc), pivotal in american society north is mostly urban, south is rural famous artisan: paul revere (looks like jack black, apparently) silversmith, well dressed, refined society not broken down into upper/middle/lower class, more broken down into occupation instead of wealth middling sort (skilled labor) lower sort (unskilled labor) things created by skilled labor that still exist are generally called antiques and are worth gobs had to have labor to run a farm/plantation mill became center of growth, culture, etc shops and stores started opening close to mills and they became more social ben franklin - true american innovator, but understood european ways very well enlightenment - everything has a place in society, science can explain everything in the natural world people becoming willing to invest in magazines and newspapers (poor richard's almanac) religious papers also begin being printed john locke - every guaranteed pursuit of life, liberty, property (pursuit of happiness) whitfield - strong evangelical preacher/ministor, different from currently entrenched churches, speaking off the cuff/emotion, not script, like a revival asked americans to listen to his message to question church authority need to separate church and state question motives of good christian and accumulation of property/wealth stresses importance of being born again preached to the masses in open spaces, portable pulpit no predestination/fate preached to everyone instilled fear in current ministers johnathan edwards - came from upright background, similar message to whitfield, but very calm, less emotional, power of message important upper class begin to mock whitfield and edwards young vs elders new lights (princeton, rutgers, columbia) vs old lights (harvard, yale) begins to worry upper class, because everyone is getting a say instead of it being republican represented by the top basement jaxx - where's your head at? (repeated references to cream of the crop, rise to the top) american society defined, intellectual, etc