1770s Society Guide
Maps
New York City with LandmarksThe General Areas of Play
New York City with Street Names
Manhattan Island
People, People Who Are People...
ORIGINS. Most all colonists consider themselves British, whether they are from Britain or were American-born, even most Patriots consider themselves British, to an extent. Patriots that don't consider themselves British consider themselves to be from whatever colony they are from, remember that there is no "America" yet! There are also African slaves in New York and some peoples of Native American decent (most likely from the Iroquois Nation though there are other tribes). There are also many people of Dutch decent living in NY; many of the people in power are direct descendants of the Dutch patroons. New York is a quite diverse colony and displays a mixture of qualities from New England and Southern American Colonial Culture as well as its own unique aspects. At the time, the American colonists enjoy the highest average living and the lowest taxes in the Western world.
CURRENCY: English Currency:
Pound Sterling (silver) = 20 Shillings = 240 Pennies = 480 Halfpennies = 960 Farthings
Shilling (Silver) = 12 Pennies = 24 Halfpennies = 48 Farthings
Groat (Silver) = 4 Pennies = 8 Halfpennies = 16 Farthings
Penny (Copper) = 2 Halfpennies = 4 Farthings
Ha'penny (Copper) = 2 Farthings
Farthing (Brass)
Guinee, Guinea (Gold) = 21 shillings (after 1707)
Crown (Silver) = 5 shillings
£1 sterling equals roughly $50 in today's money
RELIGION. The official religion of the colony is Christianity and to be more exact, the official church is the Anglican Church. Dutch Reformed, Lutherans, Quakers, and Anglicans are the largest groups of Christians in New York. There are also German Baptists, French Huguenots, Dutch Mennonites, and Jews. Catholicism was outlawed, but many Catholics kept their faith secret and kept practicing it. Remember kids, you are expected in church on Sunday sitting in your proper pew! =) While personal/private beliefs are up to the individual, church attendance usually isn't. You don't want to look bad in front of your neighbors do you?!
Seeeeex! No, not that. Gender. (Darn...)
You should probably read this, too.
Legal Rights. All freemen had legal rights in theory, but often the amount of money (property) one had made some more equal in the eyes of the law then others. Often social status and land ownership places one ahead of others in most aspects of the law.
Marriage. Despite the common misconception Divorces were seldom granted by the courts; separations were more common. Most men married between 26 and 28, some older, few younger. It was illegal for a man (or woman) to marry under 21 without parental consent. Remarrying was common.
Jobs. Men's jobs could include: Apothecary, Basketmaker, Basketmaker, Blacksmith, Brickmaker, Cabinetmaker, Carpenter, Cooper, Foodways, Founder, Gunsmith, Milliner, Farmer/Farmhand Shoemaker, Silversmith, Tailor, Tanner, Weaver, Wheelwright, Wigmaker, Lawyer, Merchant, Clergyman, Printer, Binder, Soldier, etc. etc.
Slaves: Slaves were either African-born or the children of previously enslaved parents. Sometimes they were the illegitimate children of their masters or a parent's previous master. They could not marry without their master's consent and had no rights whatsoever; they were property. Slave men in New York usually worked in their master's business or did manual labor around the house/farm or even the ship. New York lacked the large plantations that the south had and by the 1760s, slavery was in decline, but still prevalent. Many began to see owning slaves as more of a burden than a boon. Some slaves ran away and changed their name and vanished into the free black community, but there was always the risk of being caught and returned to one's previous master...
Indentured Servants: Effectively a slave, they had the same rights as a slave (none) and were in many ways less valuable. Indentured servants were usually white. The same applied to indentured servants who married without the consent of their masters.
Life sucked back then, didn't it?
Lower Class: Laborers and lower-earning artisans. Most of the lower classes were farmers or sailors; men without land and made their money through hard, physical work.Middle Class: A reasonably prosperous and educated class, wealthy farmers, small-time merchants, doctors, and lawyers, shop-keepers, artisans, and scholars.
Upper Class: The wealthy clergymen, lawyers, big-time scholars, doctors, merchants, and high-ranking British officers fit into this class. They have wealth, status, (often land). There are VERY FEW men in the colonies with titles, thus we will not accept any if they join. The only exception to this rule is of course VERY high-ranking British officers (i.e. generals and admirals) or the odd Hessian commander or European (Polish, French, German, etc.) who has decided to help the Americans. These men are educated and often wealthy, although many often got themselves into quite a bit of debt. There is a price for keeping up with the Jones' after all! Most had some sort of higher education although few Americans sent their children to England to be educated due to the fear of contracting smallpox. Most upperclass men were loyalists, but some made the jump.
Legal Rights. Women have few legal rights. Women cannot hold property unless they are a spinster or a widow, upon marrying a woman surrenders all her property rights to her husband. Rape is not a serious crime and goes virtually unpunished unless committed against an upper class woman by a lower class man. Rape within a marriage is not considered rape.
Marriage. Marriages were strongly influenced by for social/economic aims. To debunk a common myth, most all women married for love, with parental approval of course. In many ways, however, a woman's father controlled the marriage in giving his approval and controlling the social situations where she met men. In short, if a woman wants to marry for love, she best be in the lower classes. In a similar vein, marriages between different classes are virtually unheard of-- if a wealthy man or woman (god forbid!) married below them, it was thought that someone was "in the family way". *ahem* Sooo.... Divorces are incredibly rare and rarely granted, sometimes couples are aloud to live apart however. Women can run away form bad marriages but husbands often advertised for the return of a runaway wife like a runaway slave. While interracial marriages aren't illegal in New York, they're not common at all! Interracial marriages are illegal in: the Southern colonies, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
Fact: Women can inherit their husband's businesses!
Women and the War. With the boycott of British goods, many women (especially in rural areas) took up the task of homespun cloth! For women who stayed at home, they were forced to take on the added burdens such as caring for fleeing relatives, businesses/farms... all that on top of their regular domestic duties! Troops were also quartered in private homes, only adding even more to the woman's plate. Women with a close proximity to troops often ran the danger of rape, from both sides. On Staten Island during the fall and winter of 1776, many women were systematically brutalized. Women were also kidnapped and held for days in army camps. In short: lock up your wives and daughters and realize that war generally sucks. *nods*
Give Me Liberty. Women gained little and while their efforts (homespun cloth and whatnot) were recognized as a part of the Revolutionary effort. Women's roles = domestic. Mind you, lower class women have far more independence than their "social betters." Also, those down-on-the-farm dames are are pretty darn tough, they help with farm work and take care of the family at the same time. Hats off, ladies!
Jobs. A woman's first and foremost duty was to marry, make babies, and be a good wife and homemaker, providing that she didn't die in child birth. If a woman wasn't married and caring for her husband/children, she was taking care of relatives. But women had other tasks too... Women had to make candles, soap, cook, clean, sew, knit, do laundry, iron (makes ya' thankful for modern conveniences, doesn't it?), and act as nurses/midwives to family members. Yes, even upper class women had to do some of these tasks! Some women worked as milliners, alewives, apothecaries, founders, blacksmiths, and farmers.
Slaves: As a slave and a woman... let's face it, rights = 0. You can be beaten, abused, raped, and you can't do a damn thing about it. Now, not everyone had it that bad, but a lot did. These women did domestic work. While we'll probably never going to have any slaves running around 1776, playing one might make for a very interesting character!
That would be a hint boys and girls, why not give it a shot?
New York lacked the large plantations that the south had and by the 1760s, slavery was in decline, but still prevalent. Many began to see owning slaves as more of a burden than a boon. Some slaves ran away and changed their name and vanished into the free black community, but there was always the risk of being caught and returned to one's previous master...Indentured Servants: Effectively a slave, they had the same rights as a slave (none) and were in many ways less valuable. If a woman indentured servant had an illegitimate child during her term of service, she could be publicly whipped and/or have their terms of term of service extended and/or receive serious fines. The same applied to indentured servants who married without the consent of their masters.
Life sucked back then, didn't it?
Lower Class: Farming, fishwives, prostitutes, maids, cooks, laundresses, and seamstresses... That sort of deal. Most could at least read/write their names and keep basic records.Middle Class: Women of this class sometimes owned: apothecaries, foundries, and taverns (alewives!). They were barbers, midwives, sextons and blacksmiths. There were women printers and if a woman needed extra cash, there was always the possibility of allowing boarders! Skilled dressmakers and makers of fashion/luxury items would likely fall into this category. Wealthy farmers' (wives) also fall into this bunch.
Women of the middle class definitely helped their husbands out in addition to running the home, but very few indeed had actual jobs or business of their own. Most middle-class women could read and write.
Upper Class: Upper Class women have little choice when it comes to direction in life. Although wealthy women can afford servants/slaves, they still help with cooking, sewing, child rearing, and other such domestic tasks. The ideal woman would be a pretty, submissive little bimbo, although individual taste does play a role ;P Women of the gentry often receive a reasonably comprehensive education, but it is rare that anything significant is done with it beyond making one a potentially more attractive marriage proposition. Out of all roles that free women could play, the life of the upper class woman the most restricted in many ways.