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12/20/2022

PD4

Ona Judge in Context

By Roselyn Mainali

PROJECT

OVERVIEW

Ona Judge in Context - Project Overview

How did the social, political, and economic characteristics of America during the 1700s impact Ona Judge's life?

This project is going to explore each aspect and analyze how they impacted Ona Judge's life.

Project Info:

- Option #9: Context - The Impact of Time and Place

- Prezi infographic/presentation

- Put this slideshow in presentation mode for the full experience

IMPACT

Impact

The social, political, and economic aspects of early America all ultimately influenced Ona Judge's life. These aspects have evolved a lot since then. If Ona Judge were to be born in the 21st century, her life would have been very, very different.

This presentation explores the social, political, and economic aspects of early America, and how they all infuenced the life of Ona Judge.

SOCIAL

Attitudes about Slavery

By the late 1700s, Americans were starting to have mixed opinions about slavery. In the north, where bustling metropoleans had taken over, heavy slave labor was not required. The north was also more diverse, with cities hosting increasingly mixed populations. In New York City, for instance, different religions and cultures blended together to create a truly unique environment. However, in the south, with its massive plantations, slavery was still heavily enforced. In Virginia, for instance, the Mount Vernon plantation had a slave workforce of more than 300 slaves. And for slaveowners in the south, owning slaves was the best way to make a profit. Since slaves were not paid, it was basically free labor to maintain their plantations (which also produced money). As a result, the use of slaves continued in the south, while in the north more and more black people were seeing freedom for the first time. This divide in slave labor would shape the thoughts of the people, and politicians, from these states.

Gender Roles

Gender roles in the 1700s were very different from what they were today, as you could expect.

Men were considered to be the leaders of the household, managing finances, work, career, and providing for the family. Women were to stay at home, raising and taking care of children, performing household work, and attending social calls. Wealthy women like Martha Washington were spared from the extensive gruel of household labor, which was instead passed on to their slaves. Enslaved women would often perform grueling tasks for hours on end, with little time to rest or spend with their children, for years on end, until their bodies broke. In addition, male slaves were empancipated much more faster than women, creating a larger pool of female slaves who would spend much more time in bondage. As domestic help was a necessity and a labor shortage evaporated the pool of good servants, artisans and merchants held tight to their female slaves. Most of the free black women in Philadelphia did not have many options other than cleaning homes and washing clothes.

Family Structure

Gender roles also formed beliefs about family structure. Men would work, expand their career, and provide for the family. Women would take care of household chores and raise children. The birth rate at the time was considerably higher than it is today, but so was the mortality rate. If you could legally marry, you did, and stayed married until death. Families in early America would also be connected to close relatives, such as aunts, uncles, and cousins. Slaves were not considered part of any family.

POLITICAL

Type of Government in the U.S.

The U.S. established a democratic government, a republic, independent of Britain. Over the next few decades, people started to discuss how the government structure should be. Some people believed in an all-powerful government that would make the U.S. stronger as a country. Others believed that an all-powerful government would turn corrupt and wreak havoc on the people, and so they believed that state governments should have all the power. In the end, a comprimise was eventually created. One house of Congress would be made up of a house of representatives, selected from each state based on population. Each state would also have two senators regardless of population. This system is still being used, even today.

State Actions, Laws, and Policies

Once a (somewhat) stable government was established, state governments went right to work. State govenrments had the power to establish schools, create local laws, and collect taxes (to some extent). Then there was the matter of slavery.

In the north, people's thoughts about slavery were changing. Many slaves were being freed, while more and more people were campaigning for the freedom and rights of slaves. In the south however, the economy continued to rely heavily on slave labor. As a result, state laws and policies regarding slaves in the north were a lot different from their southern counterparts. Southerners continued the use of slave labor.

Attitudes & Ideas Held by Leaders

This divide in belief about slavery ultimately influenced the policies created. Leaders in the north were all for the abolition of slaves. In the south, where the economy relied heavily on slave labor, people weren't quite as enthusastic. Benjamin Franklin, for instance, who was born and raised in the north, spoke out against slavery. He eventually even became the President of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. George Washington, on the other hand, was a proud Virginian, and kept hold of his slaves until death.

ECONOMIC

Types of Jobs in Early America

Jobs in early America were very different than they are today. Most jobs required extensive labor, such as blacksmiths, locksmiths, cabinetmakers, cobblers (shoe makers), gunsmith, weaver, baker, farmer, etc. Most families also had simple farms which produced enough to support them, and any extra produce could be sold for a little profit.

Only the very wealthy and influential could move into big jobs, like politics, or become huge profit-makers like plantation owners. So for the average American, there weren't many fuffilling options.

Job Opportunities Based on Group

Among this majority population, different groups had different opportunities. If you were a slave, then, obviously, that was your life. If you were free but poor, you could work as an indentured servant. White people had the most opportunity, and among them, white men. Women were limited to house-tending jobs.

Distribution of Wealth

Wealth inequality was noticeable in early America, with white males profiting the most. However, the inequality in America today is far more extreme. In early America, whites owned pretty much all the property, and among them, mostly men. Slaves, of course, had next to no wealth. And a vast majority of free blacks were just barely hovering over the poverty line, working dirty jobs to avoid hunger and malnutrition.

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