HIST 386 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: American Enlightenment, Obscurantism, Political Philosophy
The Political Climate of the Colonies
Voting in the Colonies
Free white males in the British colonies in North America were expected to vote and
participate in political matters.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Describe the significance that voting had for civic identity and cohesion in the colonies
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key Points
• In the colonies, public elections were events in which free white males owning
property were expected to participate, displaying their civic pride by professing
their political stance in front of the entire community.
• From the earliest days of Anglo-American colonial development, white Anglo-
American males enjoyed exposure from wide participation in the public and
political spheres.
• Although only those with property could vote, suffrage in the colonies was the
most inclusive in the world at that time, with a majority of white males eligible.
Key Terms
• civic: Of or relating to a citizen or citizenship.
Public Voting in the North American Colonies
Public colonial elections were events in which all free white males were expected to
participate in order to demonstrate proper civic pride. Public office attracted many
talented young men of ambition to civil service, and colonial North American suffrage
was the most widespread in the world at that time; every free white man who owned
a certain amount of property was allowed to vote. The widespread availability of
property in the 13 colonies afforded most white males the chance to own some
amount of property. Therefore, while fewer than 1% of British men could vote, a
majority of white American men were eligible to vote and run for office. Thus,
elections became the main forum in which men could profess political allegiances,
publicly demonstrating their community civic pride.
Attendance on election days also served as a means of civic education and
communal reinforcement of the appropriate, expected behavior of young males.
Voting was public, with those running for office thanking their supporters (often
treating them to rum in local taverns) after casting their votes. The public vote
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allowed for local community observation of the electoral process, as well as the
political allegiances of males in the community.
Furthermore, elections often included speeches, rallies, celebrations, parades, and
other celebratory demonstrations that reinforced the notions of civic duty, pride, and
active contribution to the community. In this respect, the North American colonists
differed from their European counterparts, the majority of whom were barred from
civic participation. From early on in North American colonial development, Americans
were exposed to a high degree of political participation and autonomy in their local
affairs.
Colonial Government
In the colonies, governance was primarily conducted at the local level, with local
white male populations participating extensively in politics.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Discuss the differences in political and civic life in Great Britain and the colonies
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key Points
• Many white male colonists participated in the courts, with lawsuits occurring
frequently and many people working in the legal professions.
• In contrast to European politics where aristocrats dominated, the field of politics
in the colonies was open to white men of varied socioeconomic backgrounds,
including small farmers and recent immigrants.
• Government officials had to negotiate and engage with both economic elites
and members of the middle and lower classes.
Key Terms
• political sphere: A theater in modern societies in which political participation is
enacted through the medium of talk; a realm of social life in which public
opinion can be formed.
Political Culture: Participation in Colonial Government
American colonial governments were a local enterprise rooted deeply in
communities. For instance, elected bodies, specifically the assemblies and county
governments, directly determined the development of a wide range of public and
private business. These assemblies handled land grants, commercial subsidies, and
taxation. They were also involved in the oversight of roads, taverns, schools, and
relief of the poor, making them fundamental to the development of public and private
enterprises in a particular region.
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Participation in local courts was very high in the colonies. When the county court was
in session, Anglo-American men traveled for miles to serve as witnesses and jurors.
Americans sued each other at a very high rate, with binding decisions made by local
judges and juries instead of a great lord (as in Britain). This promoted the rapid
expansion of the legal profession, so that the intense involvement of lawyers in
politics became characteristic of the American political system by the 1770s.
Role of Local Community Government
Widespread participation in local community governments was also distinctive of the
American colonies. Unlike Europe, where aristocratic families and established
churches dominated the political sphere, American political culture was relatively
open to economic, social, religious, ethnic, and geographical interests (although still
excluding the participation of American Indians, women, and African Americans).
Merchants, landlords, petty farmers, artisans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Quakers,
Germans, Scotch Irish, Yankees, Yorkers, and many other groups participated in
local community government life.
Competing Factions
None of the colonies had stable political parties of the sort that formed in the 1790s,
although each had shifting factions that vied for power. This was especially true in the
perennial battles between appointed governors and the elected assembly. For
instance, there were often “country” and “court” factions representing those opposed
to and in favor of, respectively, the governor’s actions and agenda. British-appointed
governors also faced various degrees of opposition and resistance over new colonial
policies which resulted in much negotiation between assemblies, voting populations,
and colonial authorities.
Massachusetts also had a strong populist faction that typically represented the
province’s lower classes. This was a possible effect of the state’s 1691 charter, which
had particularly low requirements for voting eligibility and strong rural representation
in its assembly. Additionally, non-English ethnic groups had clusters of settlements,
such as the Scotch Irish and the Germans. Although each group assimilated into the
dominant English Protestant commercial and political culture, they tended to vote in
blocs and politicians often negotiated with group leaders for support.
Conclusion
Hence, the colonial American political system was remarkably different from Europe,
where widespread public participation in the political sphere by free white males was
expected and enjoyed. Local leaders found themselves directly negotiating and
engaging with a wider body politic that included elites as well as petty farmers and
ethnic immigrants who had a voice in the political process. Local politics was
entwined with local commercial development and with land grants, subsidies, and
entrepreneurial incentives stemming from government grants and incentives. While
politics in colonial America were public and relatively accessible to most social
groups of white males, it was primarily localized in scope—the 13 colonies were not
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Document Summary
Free white males in the british colonies in north america were expected to vote and participate in political matters. Describe the significance that voting had for civic identity and cohesion in the colonies. Key terms: civic: of or relating to a citizen or citizenship. Public colonial elections were events in which all free white males were expected to participate in order to demonstrate proper civic pride. The widespread availability of property in the 13 colonies afforded most white males the chance to own some amount of property. Therefore, while fewer than 1% of british men could vote, a majority of white american men were eligible to vote and run for office. Thus, elections became the main forum in which men could profess political allegiances, publicly demonstrating their community civic pride. Attendance on election days also served as a means of civic education and communal reinforcement of the appropriate, expected behavior of young males.
