Page 120 - American Stories, A History of the United States

fresh air to a boy growing up in Puritan New England: “I met with an odd volume of
The Spectator . . . I had never before seen any of them. I bought it, read it over and 4.1
over, and was much delighted with it. I thought the writing excellent, and wished if
possible to imitate it.”
After he moved to Philadelphia in 1723, Franklin devoted himself to the pursuit 4.2
of useful knowledge, ideas that would increase the happiness of his fellow Americans.
Franklin never denied the existence of God. Rather, he pushed the Lord aside, mak-
ing room for the free exercise of human reason. Franklin tinkered, experimented, 4.3
and reformed. Almost everything aroused his curiosity. His investigation of electric-
ity brought him world fame, but Franklin was never satisfied with his work in this
field until it yielded practical application. In 1756, he invented the lightning rod. He 4.4
also designed an efficient stove that is still used today. In modern America, Franklin
has become exactly what he would have wanted to be, a symbol of material progress
through human ingenuity.
Franklin promoted the spread of reason. In Philadelphia, he organized groups that 4.5
discussed the latest European literature, philosophy, and science. In 1727, for example,
he “form’d most of my ingenious Acquaintances into a Club for mutual Improvement,
which we call’d the Junto.” Four years later Franklin helped found the Library Company,
a voluntary association that for the first time allowed people like him to pursue “useful
knowledge.” The members of these societies communicated with Americans in other Quick Check
colonies, providing them not only with new information but also with models for their What characteristics did Benjamin
own clubs and associations. Such efforts broadened the intellectual horizons of many Franklin possess that made him an
colonists, especially those who lived in cities. Enlightenment figure?

economic transformation

The colonial economy kept pace with the stunning growth in population. During the
first three-quarters of the eighteenth century, the population increased at least eight-
fold. Yet even with so many additional people to feed and clothe, the per capita income
did not decline. Indeed, except for poor urban dwellers, such as sailors whose employ-
ment varied with the season, white Americans did well. Abundant land and the growth
of agriculture accounted for their economic success. New farmers could not only pro-
vide for their families’ well-being but could also sell their crops in European and West
Indian markets. Each year, more Americans produced more tobacco, wheat, or rice—
to cite just the major export crops—and thus maintained a high level of individual
prosperity without developing an industrial base.
At midcentury, colonial exports flowed along well-established routes. More than
half of American goods produced for export went to Britain. The Navigation Acts (see
Chapter 3) were still in effect, and “enumerated” items such as tobacco had to be landed
first at a British port. Furs were added to the restricted list in 1722. The White Pines Acts
passed in 1711, 1722, and 1729 forbade Americans from cutting white pine trees without
a license. The purpose of this legislation was to reserve the best trees for the Royal Navy.
The Molasses Act of 1733—also called the Sugar Act—placed a heavy duty on molas-
ses imported from foreign ports; the Hat and Felt Act of 1732 and the Iron Act of 1750
attempted to limit the production of colonial goods that competed with British exports.
These statutes might have created tensions between the colonists and the mother
country had they been rigorously enforced. Crown officials, however, generally ignored
the new laws. New England merchants imported molasses from French Caribbean
islands without paying the full customs; iron masters in the Middle Colonies contin-
ued to produce iron. Even without the Navigation Acts, however, most colonial exports
would have been sold on the English market. The emerging consumer society in Britain Quick Check
was creating a new generation of buyers who possessed enough income to purchase Why did Americans in the first half of
American goods, especially sugar and tobacco. This rising demand was the major mar- the eighteenth century not complain
ket force shaping the colonial economy. about the Navigation Acts?

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