British-American Middle Class
The Colonists Who Were the Economic Cause of the American Revolution
Eighteenth century America raised families whose education was for the most part, superior to most in the world at that time. They tended to be "artisans and mechanics", which today we call "blue collar" workers. Their economic influence was not formidable except when they banded together in unions or clubs for the express purpose of interrupting trade for their own advantage.
These activities were largely responsible for the "policing" of the several embargoes that were perpetuated against the taxation policies of Parliament in the 1760's. Among the most famous of these incendiaries was Samuel Adams who was actually a failure at several “middling” business ventures. These included, oddly enough, a brewery and even more ironically a career as a tax collector.
A Leveling Spirit of the Middling Sort
This northeast region was, perhaps, the most "democratic" region of colonial America. While by no means without its social hierarchy, their town meetings lent a sense of social leveling and thereby a sense of control over one's destiny that did not exist in the southern colonies. This "leveling spirit" was what George Washington disparaged when it came to military operations. Their social interaction bled into the military arena where officers were elected by their peers and thus were beholden to them for their authority. In New England it was this class of people who provided the impetus, if not a considerable part of the muscle, which performed the unseemly mob actions that held the feet of the political proponents of royal autonomy to the fire.
The Melting Pot
In the middle colonies of New York, The Jerseys, Pennsylvania, and Delaware this middle class also had a sense of strength. In New York and to a large extent in West Jersey, this was based on years of social and economic freedom that was a legacy from their time as a colony of the Netherlands when New York had been New Amsterdam. Even in the 17th century, New York had the same "melting pot" characteristics we still see today. It was the place you went to in America to see the most diversity of culture. There are early accounts of New Amsterdam as being a safe haven for Jews and even reports of seeing followers of “Mohamet”. A definite pecking order existed politically as a few patrician families leftover from its New Holland period controlled politics, but economic opportunity was still the strongest value overall.
A Farmer's Letter
In East Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania, the quiet Quaker influence added its own unique social properties to "middle" America. As in the rest of the colonies there was a definite sense of hierarchy but even this was muted somewhat. Even the “Aristocrats” usually thought of themselves in a more humble manner. This was evidenced when one of the wealthiest men in the colony, John Dickinson, wrote his thesis on American Freedom entitled “Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania”. While this form of equality was evidenced mostly in the Quaker Monthly Meetings, it had the effect of giving a sense of hope to those "mechanics”, who made up a considerable part of the population. This was especially true in Philadelphia where the population made it the largest city in North America. This created a demand that infused them with a sense of self-determination. Here, the "mob" aspect would wield a mighty pre-revolutionary sword as well, if not with all of the same pyrotechnics as their New England counterparts.
Sources:
The Cousins' Wars: Religion, Politics, and the Triumph of Anglo-America by Kevin Phillips, 1999, Basic Books
The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto, 2005, Random House
