Richard Hofstadter hoped to write a three-volume history of American political culture. After Hofstadter’s death, his wife had the book published as is. The book is rough, but easy to understand. His language was simple and gave vivid descriptions to make a point. The first description he used was to imagine a mariner in the mid 1700s as he approached the American coast where the scent of pine loomed. He described the settlers touching the untilled land and cutting trees so they can cut into the land. The roads were mud hollows. Through Hofstadter’s words, the reader is able to see the different societies that lived throughout the thirteen colonies.
Why Immigrants Came to the United States
Hofstadter suggest that many writers of colonial American history focus more on the Puritans and have neglected to mention the hundreds of immigrants that came to America for monetary purposes. He said that by the end of the eighteenth century the American population was “unchurched”.
Hofstadter did have many interesting points in his book. The first point was that Benjamin Franklin was prejudice against the Germans. Franklin later came to regret his feelings toward the Germans. Hofstadter gave marriage statistics and birth rates, which points more to the social growth of the colonies. He quoted Franklin as saying, “So vast is the territory of North America that I will require many ages to settle it.”
European Immigrants Settle in New England
Hofstadter’s first chapter of this book gave a clear picture of the types of people that immigrated to America in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. His descriptions of the immigrants and their daily survival were brought to life through his words.
As Hofstadter describes the population of the colonies, he freely points out the religious affiliation each had. For example, he states that the Scotch – Irish in Worchester, New England and that they were Presbyterians. They wanted to form their own church and petitioned the Puritan Church to be relived in order to practice as they wished.
The Puritan Church tuned the petition down. A year later the Scotch - Irish organized their own township and planned to settle with their own religious convictions. Before the structure was fully built, a group of Puritans gathered in the night and destroyed the building. Afterwards, the Scotch – Irish moved away from the Boston – Worchester area. It was unanimously decided that the Scotch – Irish and Puritans were not willing to live side by side. The Scotch – Irish moved south into Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Carolinas hoping for religious tolerance. As they settled in Virginia, they petitioned the Governor to worship as Presbyterians. The Governor honored the petition.
Source:
Hofstadter, Richard. America in the 1750: A Social Portrait, NY, Vintage, 1973.
ISBN: 9780394717951
