Colonial Development in the 18th Century
The thirteen British colonies in North America developed quickly in the first half of the 18th century.By 1750，the colonies had a population of 1.3 million people.The majority were free settlers from various European countries，most of whom were white Anglo⁃Saxon Protestants（later known as WASPs）.This group produced the political and economic leadership in all the colonies.They typically regarded hard work as a religious duty.Their emphasis on self⁃reliance，thrift，industry，and wealth accumulation made them economically successful.They attached great importance to education，and advocated democratic government.All of these traits would have great influence on the future social，political and economic development of America.
Besides free settlers，there were also indentured servants.These were people who were attracted by the opportunities in the New World but could not afford the voyage，and so signed themselves into five to seven years of servitude to those who paid for their transit.After finishing their terms，they were set free.While they were attracted by the dream of becoming free landholders one day，many of them did not survive their servitude.Another group of white people who did not go as free colonists were 50，000 or so convicts who were sent to America，especially to the Chesapeake region，with a sentence of seven to fourteen years of hard labor.
At the bottom of the social scale were black slaves who were caught by slave traders in Africa and sold into slavery because of the greediness of the slave traders.They were treated not as humans but as property.They were the most cruelly exploited and oppressed group in America.
In most colonies，the desire for more land led to violent policies towards the Indians.Many wars were fought between the colonists and the Indians，resulting in drastic declines in the Indian population.Besides being killed in war，the Indians were decimated by European diseases like smallpox and measles，against which they did not have immunity.
Economically，the colonies developed quickly in the first half of the 18th century.Although the colonists were not allowed to trade freely or to develop manufacturing，they benefited from the English Navigation Acts which protected the English market from foreign competition.Due to differences in climate and geographical conditions among the colonies，regional economic differences emerged.
New England had a mixed economy.The land there was poor and the weather was harsh，so most New England farms were small and practiced subsistence agriculture.In addition to farming，people did many other types of work such as fishing，lumbering，trading and shipping.These people were the prototype of American industrial entrepreneurs and merchants.Although some New Englanders owned slaves as domestic servants in the 17th and 18th centuries，slavery never played a major role in New England’s economy.
In the Middle Colonies，New York，New Jersey，Delaware and Pennsylvania，the economy was more diversified.Here，good soil and a mild climate favored agriculture.Wheat produced in this area was shipped to New England and the South.Trade and insurance were important businesses in the region，and industries such as iron manufacture and textile also appeared despite the fact that the colonies were not allowed to develop industry.
The South refers to the region from Virginia to Georgia.Here the land was rich，the climate was warm and the growing season was long.Landowners grew rice，tobacco，cotton and other cash crops on huge plantations.African slaves played a very important role in the economy because the plantations needed large amounts of labor and plantation owners could not hire enough white people to do the hard work in the very hot climate.The slave population in the region grew from 25，000 in 1700 to 300，000 in 1760.
Culturally，the three regions also developed in different directions.In New England，people lived in villages or towns.For the Puritans，the community was more important than the individual.Before landing in their new homeland，the Pilgrim Fathers signed the Mayflower Compact promising“due submission”to the“general good”.Politically，the Puritans set up elected representative governments and the people played an active role in government affairs.However，the right to vote was based on church membership in most New England colonies.
Religion was very important for settlers in all of the New England colonies.They believed in predestination，meaning that a person’s destiny was decided by God before he or she was born and was unchangeable.However，they also believed that whether or not a person was chosen by God for salvation could be seen from his life in this world.If a person lived according to the precepts given in the Bible，worked hard，was thrifty and did not drink alcohol，he was seen as more likely to have been chosen.As a result of these beliefs，business success was viewed as an indication of God’s favor.
The Puritans put great emphasis on education because one had to be literate in order to read the Bible.All villages with 50 families or more were required to set up a public school，and those with 100 families had to have a grammar school where Latin was taught.Harvard was set up in 1636.
The middle colonies had a more mixed population.New York claimed the oldest Jewish community in America.Pennsylvania had people from all over Europe and the Quakers soon became a minority.Here，community ties were looser because land was sold to individuals instead of to communities like in New England.As a result，farms tended to be dispersed across the countryside.The free landholders chose their own local officials.The region had no established church，so people of various religious beliefs found a haven there.
In the South，communities were organized around the plantations，and county courts tied communities together.The Church of England was the established church here，but it was relatively weak，especially among the younger generation.White people in the South shared a strong sense of common identity because of the existence of large numbers of black slaves.Public education was underdeveloped because the plantation owners usually sent their children back to England for education and did not want to spend money to educate the poor.Slaves were generally not allowed to learn to read or write because their owners were afraid that literacy would give them knowledge that would make them harder to control.The South played such an important role in early American political life that four of the first five Presidents of the United States were from Virginia.
In the first half of the 18th century，religious enthusiasm was declining in the colonies.Then，in the 1730’s，a religious revival movement known as the Great Awakening began in Massachusetts and soon spread to all of the colonies.
In order to train more qualified clergy，many new schools were established in the mid⁃18th century.By the time of the American Revolution，there were nine institutions of higher education in the English colonies：Harvard（founded 1636）in Massachusetts;William and Mary（1693）in Virginia;Yale（1701）in Connecticut;the College of New Jersey（1746，now Princeton University）in New Jersey;the Academy and College of Philadelphia（1754，now the University of Pennsylvania），King’s College（1754，now Columbia University）in New York City，Rhode Island College（1764，now Brown University），Rutgers College（1766）in New Jersey，and Dartmouth College（1769）in New Hampshire.Most of these schools were founded as religious academies，but later，natural sciences and liberal arts were also taught.They are among the best universities in the United States today.
In addition to schools，the colonists also set up libraries and published newspapers.By 1730，there were seven newspapers in the colonies.They played a very important role in communication and the spreading of information.One person who made great contribution to the formation of colonial culture was Benjamin Franklin（1706—1790）.A self⁃taught man，Franklin was a publisher，an author，and a scientist.He established the first public library and published a newspaper.His Poor Richard’s Almanac was extremely popular.He experimented with electricity and invented the Franklin stove.He organized the first fire brigade in Philadelphia and founded the American Philosophical Society.He was also a very capable statesman and played a leading role in the American Revolution.