The Social Structure of Revolutionary America

348 Pages·1965·15.844 MB·English

by  Jackson Turner Main

$2.95
The
Social
Structure
of Revolutionary
America
JACKSON TURNER MAIN
This is an important book. It is thoroughly
researched, carefully organized and well
written. It contains a vast amount of new
and significant data, and throws more
light on the social structure of Revolution­
ary America than perhaps any volume that
has appeared. / Hugh T. Lefler,
North Carolina Historical Review
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2019 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/socialstructureoOOOOmain
THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE
OF REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA

The
Social Structure
of Revolutionary
America
BY
JACKSON TURNER MAIN
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Copyright © 1965 by Princeton University Press
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
L.C. Card: 65-17146
ISBN 0-691-00562-1
First Princeton Paperback Printing, 1969
Third Printing, 1973
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not,
by way of trade, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise
disposed of without the publisher’s consent, in any form of
binding or cover other than that in which it is published.
Printed in the United States of America
by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey
For Gloria

O PREFACE <£>
developed out of a conviction that an under­
his book
T
standing of political history during the revolutionary
era depends upon mastery of the underlying social struc­
ture. At the same time acquaintance with recent literature
on the class structure of contemporary America suggested
that similar techniques might profitably be applied to an
earlier period. The present work is therefore preliminary
both to a more general history of the revolutionary years
and to an account of America’s social development.
I had originally projected only a series of essays on the
subject, which is a very extensive one; but I soon found
myself with so much material that a full-length treatment,
even though tentative, seemed justified. I have only sampled
the vast number of inventories contained in probate records,
and have examined only a small part of the unpublished
manuscripts. On the other hand I have used most of the
tax lists, almost all of the newspapers, and all—as far as I
know—of the travel accounts, as well as the usual pub­
lished materials. Therefore my research, though incomplete,
has been considerably more than fragmentary.
I selected the period 1763-1788 for several reasons. Pre­
vious research had familiarized me with many of the
✓
sources. Moreover I was continuing work in the political
history of those years, so that research could be conducted
for both projects simultaneously. I had indeed originally
planned to conclude this book with an essay on the re­
lationship between class and the structure of power, but the
subject proved much too large. I had also expected that the
twenty-five-year period would be long enough to enable
me to discuss social changes, and that I could at the same
time examine the results of the Revolution. Both expecta­
tions were disappointed. Changes must be traced over a
viii Preface
longer period, and the effects of the Revolution seem, on
the whole, to have been less than I had expected. Further
research is needed on both points. Indeed the need for more
work in this whole field is so great that I have drawn at­
tention, in an appendix, to the subjects which especially
require investigation and to the sources which are available.
The book could not have been written without the help
of a fellowship granted by the American Council of Learned
Societies and a sabbatical leave from San Jose State College.
A grant from the American Philosophical Society enabled
me to strengthen the chapter on mobility. Merle Curti and
S. Martin Lipset very kindly read the manuscript at an
early stage and made valuable suggestions. My colleague
Thomas Wendel saved me from many stylistic and other
errors. I am also grateful for the invariable courtesy of
librarians and archivists. The collections over which they
preside are duly noticed in the text. I owe a particular obli­
gation to the staff of the American Antiquarian Society,
where for many happy months the basic research for this
book was done. My greatest debt is acknowledged in the
dedication.
j. T. M.