APUSH – 2.7 Colonial Society and Culture | Fiveable (2023)

FAQs

What were some important aspects of colonial society? ›

Some of those shared characteristics were an emphasis on family, hard work, and clearly defined gender roles. In colonial America, many people lived with their extended families. Most colonists lived on farms, where having a large family was an advantage because many people were needed to do all the work.

KEY CONCEPT 2.2

Unit 2 of the AP U.S. History Course focuses on what life was like in the Americas between the founding of Jamestown in 1607 and the start of the French and Indian War. The European countries that settled the New World did so for very different reasons.

In Colonial America, there were three main social classes. They were the gentry, the middle class, and the poor. The highest class was the gentry. They could vote.

Most American colonists lived as farmers and planters, either in rural communities, small villages or in virtual solitude on the frontier. Because of their isolation, these local communities became self-reliant and largely self-sufficient.

Colonialism's impacts include environmental degradation, the spread of disease, economic instability, ethnic rivalries, and human rights violations—issues that can long outlast one group's colonial rule.

DBQ stands for Document Based Question and is arguably the most difficult component of the APUSH exam. The DBQ is in the essay-writing section of the exam, where students are expected to write a clear and concise essay that revolves around ten to twelve primary-source documents.

APUSH is considered moderate difficulty, with class alumnae rating it 5.9/10 for overall difficulty, making it the 11th-most-difficult out of the 28 large AP classes surveyed.

WHAT IS THE SAQ? The Short Answer Questions, or SAQs, are questions meant to check your analytical skills (your ability to pick out meaning and explain it). The response to each question is no more than three to four sentences (hence, the SHORT description). This portion of the exam is 20% of your overall exam score.

The People

Colonists were largely farmers, artisans, merchants, fishermen, or craftspeople. Others were adventurers or fortune hunters, who, after finding there were no precious metals to be had along the eastern seaboard, turned to other employments.

B. The family was the foundation of colonial society. Men were the formal heads of the households. They managed the farms and represented the family in community matters.

What were the 5 sectors of society in colonial politics? ›

Colonial American society can be divided into five predominant sectors: (1) the New England merchants; (2) the southern planters; (3) the “royalists”; (4) shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers; and (5) small farmers.

The term cultural colonialism refers to the extension of colonial state power through cultural knowledge, activities, and institutions (particularly education and media) or the systematic subordination of one conceptual framework or cultural identity over others.

Colonists enjoyed the full wealth and protection of the British government, including the British army and navy. Colonists, who inherited a large amount of English common law and thoughts on rights and liberties, tended to discuss local affairs in the town tavern.

The period following the Revolutionary War was one of instability and change. The end of monarchical rule, evolving governmental structures, religious fragmentation, challenges to the family system, economic flux, and massive population shifts all led to heightened uncertainty and insecurity.

Most colonists lived on small family farms, but some owned large plantations that produced cash crops such as tobacco and rice. Many slaves worked on plantations. Slavery was a cruel system. Enslaved Africans developed a culture that helped them survive.

The American Colonization Society was established to address the prevailing view that free people of color could not integrate into U.S. society; their population had grown steadily following the American Revolutionary War, from 60,000 in 1790 to 300,000 by 1830.

Defining Qualities of Colonial Architecture

American colonial homes are simple, symmetrical, and rectangular. They are always two or more stories tall, with the staircase located in the center of the home. For that reason, the staircase is a prominent design feature, and is usually made of wood.

As Europeans established their colonies, their societies also became segmented and divided along religious and racial lines. Most people in these societies were not free; they labored as servants or slaves, doing the work required to produce wealth for others.

There were several negatives of colonialism for the Africans like resource depletion, labor exploitation, unfair taxation, lack of industrialization, dependence on cash crop economy, prohibition of trade, the breaking up of traditional African society and values, lack of political development, and ethnic rivals inside ...

Imperialism adversely affected the colonies. Under foreign rule, native culture and industry were destroyed. Imported goods wiped out local craft industries. By using colonies as sources of raw materials and markets for manufactured goods, colonial powers held back the colonies from developing industries.

What is the easiest AP class? ›

United States History, Biology, English Literature, Calculus BC, Physics C, and Chemistry are often named as the hardest AP classes and tests. These classes have large curriculums, tough tests, and conceptually difficult material.

If you fail or your score on the AP® US History exam is not high enough to receive college credit at the institution of your choice, it is important not to panic! You can retake the AP® US History exam as many times as you choose to achieve a higher score. The exam is given once a year in May.

For many students, AP U.S. History is worth it. Not only can this course prepare you for college-level courses, but it can also help you gain college credit before you graduate high school. If you want to study history in college, this course can help you jump-start your higher education journey.

You need at least a 3 to pass, but some colleges only give credit for scores of 4 or 5. To objectively analyze the difficulty of AP U.S. History, let's look at the exam pass rate. In 2021, 47.1% of students who took the AP U.S. History exam passed it. The average exam score is 2.84, which is not a passing score.

Many colleges and universities will give you college credit if you attain a 3 or higher. But don't forget, all schools are different. Some might require you to score a 4 or a 5 to get credit. Make sure you research this to avoid disappointment.

What is a good AP® US History score? If you score a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP® exam, that is generally considered a good score. The College Board denotes a 3 as 'qualified, 4 as 'well qualified,' and a 5 as 'extremely well qualified. ' Many colleges and universities will offer you college credits for scoring in these ranges.

You need to learn to attack questions methodically and to plan your answers before putting pencil to paper. Carefully analyze the question, thinking through what is being asked, and identify the elements that must be addressed in the response. Each AP Exam asks different types of questions about each subject.

Colonial Governments

Charters of royal colonies provided for direct rule by the king. A colonial legislature was elected by property holding males. But governors were appointed by the king and had almost complete authority — in theory.

Who was at the bottom of colonial society? ›

The social structure of the colonies.

At the bottom of the social ladder were slaves and indentured servants; successful planters in the south and wealthy merchants in the north were the colonial elite.

Much of colonial life was hard work, even preparing food. But colonists found ways to mix work with play. They also enjoyed sports and games. For most of the 1700s, the colonists were content to be ruled by English laws.

Toward the end of the colonial era, churchgoing reached at least 60 percent in all the colonies. The middle colonies saw a mixture of religions, including Quakers (who founded Pennsylvania), Catholics, Lutherans, a few Jews, and others. The southern colonists were a mixture as well, including Baptists and Anglicans.

The gentry were the upper class of colonial society, which included wealthy planters, merchants, ministers, royal officials, and lawyers.

In conclusion, Colonial America was democratic when they had a representative government and gave some people the right to vote. It as well was undemocratic when there was slavery and women had no rights. The 13 colonies did many actions that impacted how our government is today.

The colonial economy was a mercantile system, in which Britain controlled the production and trade of colonial goods. Usually, the colonists were only allowed to produce raw materials, which Britain then turned into finished products and sold back to the colonists at a higher price.

The social structure of the Southern Colonies became increasingly stratified into three distinct classes: planters, servants, and slaves.

American Colonial Government

There were three types or systems of government used within Colonial Government - Royal, Charter and Proprietary. However, they all operated using the following basic principles: All of the systems of Colonial government in the 13 Colonies elected their own legislature (parliament)

The imposition of Christianity on cultures with other religions. Imposing educational material in English on the colonies, promoting the values and history of the empire through books. Imposing the British dress code and sports (e.g., rugby).

One of the clearest examples of the forced acculturation of a colonized population was the Spanish influence in Latin America, beginning with the conquest of the Aztec empire by Hernán Cortés during the early 16th century.

What was the material culture in colonial America? ›

In colonial North America, objects of material culture – furniture, clothing, books, and more substantial possessions, like land – played crucial social and economic roles. European Americans used such things to construct prestige, amass wealth for their families and institutions, and experience comfort and leisure.

American colonists were divided among those who wanted independence, those who wanted to remain part of the British Empire, and those who were neutral. The vast majority of American colonists were neutral and didn't take a side between Loyalists and Patriots.

Despite deteriorating political conditions in the United States, however, the vast majority of blacks rejected this new call for emigration. The ACS sent its last settlers to Liberia in 1904. Thereafter, the American Colonization Society functioned as a Liberian aid society until it finally dissolved in 1964.

In what ways did cultural and social influences help shape the southern colonies? The southern colonies depended on slavery. This helped certain individuals become rich, which led to two social classes of rich and poor. There was only a very small middle class.

Political and social life changed drastically after independence. Political participation grew as more people gained the right to vote. In addition, more common citizens (or “new men”) played increasingly important roles in local and state governance. Hierarchy within the states underwent significant changes.

Some changes would be felt immediately. Slavery would not be abolished for another hundred years, but the Revolution saw the dawn of an organized abolitionist movement. English traditions such as land inheritance laws were swept away almost immediately. The Anglican Church in America could no longer survive.

The influence of revolutionary ideas in America and Great Britain swung the pendulum back toward a republican simplicity. Men began to wear English “country clothes, loose trousers and jackets and high boots.” It became acceptable to wear one's own hair again. Women adopted high-waisted, looser dresses.

Robert Blauner identified four components of the dynamics of colonization: (1) forced entry into a territory and its population; (2) alteration or destruction of the indigenous culture and patterns of social organization; (3) domination of the indigenous population by representatives of the invading society; and (4) ...

The Middle colonies had a mild climate with warm summers. The land was better for farming than in the New England colonies. The region produced enough wheat, corn (maize), and other grains to feed the colonies, with plenty left to export to England. The colonists also built mills to grind the grain into flour.

Colonialism implies domination of people's life and culture. The main goal of colonialism is extraction of economic benefits from the colony. Colonialism results in control over life of natives in political, economic, cultural and social spheres. It is more subtle whereas Imperialism is more formal and aggressive.

What was the most important thing to the colonists? ›

Colonists came to America because they wanted political liberty. They wanted religious freedom and economic opportunity.

The philosophy underpinning the “White Man's Burden” consisted of the “Three C's of Colonialism: Civilization, Christianity, and Commerce.”

Further, explain the three distinct stages of British colonialism with their respective features. The three stages were: Mercantilism (1757-1813), Laissez Faire (1813-60), and Finance Imperialism (1860-1947). The respective features should mention the British conduct as well as consequences.

The Middle Colonies were the most ethnically and religiously diverse British colonies in North America with settlers from England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and German states.

The middle colonies contained Native American tribes of Algonkian and Iroquois language groups as well as a sizable percentage of African slaves during the early years. Unlike solidly Puritan New England, the middle colonies presented an assortment of religions.

The Middle colonies, like Delaware, New York, and New Jersey, were founded as trade centers, while Pennsylvania was founded as a safe haven for Quakers. The Middle colonies were also called the “Breadbasket colonies” because of their fertile soil, ideal for farming.

Some outcomes that former colonies are left to deal with today are poor treatment of indigenous populations, income and wealth inequality, weak governmental infrastructure, and religious conflicts.

The negative impact of colonialism had resulted in systemic racism, cyclical poverty, economic inequity, violence, loss of language and culture, and an enormous number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. It was crucial to take concrete steps to address the negative legacies of colonialism.

What factors led to the colonists success? ›

The British settlers came to these new lands for many reasons. Some wanted to make money or set up trade with their home country while others wanted religious freedom. In the early 1600s, the British king began establishing colonies in America.

Colonists had a few key advantages over the British during the American Revolution: they were fighting on home territory they knew well, they could access resources and reinforcements much more quickly, and popular support against the British government.