The following blog post explores the themes of Jon Butler's book, .
Colonists imported European and Asian goods—from silver communion plates to velvet seat cushions—to define their social status.
Between 1680 and 1770, the British mainland colonies underwent a transformation that turned them into the world’s "first modern society". Long before George Washington took command, the DNA of modern America was already being spliced together. 1. A "Jumble of Peoples": The First Melting Pot
In 1680, most European settlers were English. By 1770, the colonies had become a "polyglot" society. Waves of Scots, Germans, Dutch, Swiss, and French Huguenots joined a landscape already inhabited by Native Americans and a rapidly growing population of enslaved Africans. This "unprecedented jumble of peoples" created a unique ethnic and racial diversity that we still recognize as fundamentally American today. 2. The Birth of Global Consumerism
By the mid-1700s, the colonies were home to an incredible variety of spiritual beliefs. While religious "modern revivals" signaled a renewed commitment to faith, they also grew out of a pluralistic environment where no single church held total authority. However, Butler reminds us that this emerging tolerance had a dark side: it rarely extended to the Native American or African populations, whose own spiritual traditions were often suppressed or decimated. 4. Politics Beyond the Town Hall
The following blog post explores the themes of Jon Butler's book, .
Colonists imported European and Asian goods—from silver communion plates to velvet seat cushions—to define their social status. Becoming America: The Revolution before 1776 fr...
Between 1680 and 1770, the British mainland colonies underwent a transformation that turned them into the world’s "first modern society". Long before George Washington took command, the DNA of modern America was already being spliced together. 1. A "Jumble of Peoples": The First Melting Pot The following blog post explores the themes of
In 1680, most European settlers were English. By 1770, the colonies had become a "polyglot" society. Waves of Scots, Germans, Dutch, Swiss, and French Huguenots joined a landscape already inhabited by Native Americans and a rapidly growing population of enslaved Africans. This "unprecedented jumble of peoples" created a unique ethnic and racial diversity that we still recognize as fundamentally American today. 2. The Birth of Global Consumerism Long before George Washington took command, the DNA
By the mid-1700s, the colonies were home to an incredible variety of spiritual beliefs. While religious "modern revivals" signaled a renewed commitment to faith, they also grew out of a pluralistic environment where no single church held total authority. However, Butler reminds us that this emerging tolerance had a dark side: it rarely extended to the Native American or African populations, whose own spiritual traditions were often suppressed or decimated. 4. Politics Beyond the Town Hall