The colony of Georgia, founded in 1733, was the last of what became known as the Thirteen Colonies, which were grouped together by their decision to jointly oppose British rule some forty-two years later. Though other British colonies existed along the Atlantic Coast, such as Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, they were only lightly settled in comparison to the larger and more economically dominant Thirteen Colonies. Between 1700 and 1770, the population of these colonies rose rapidly from 251,000 to 2.1 million, including 500,000 slaves. While this expansion was somewhat driven by the arrival of some 500,000 immigrants; largely Scot-Irish, English convicts, and Germans; the lion share was due to the higher than normal birth rates and life expectancies compared to their European counterparts. By 1770, the population of the Thirteen Colonies was 31% that of Britain, including 0.6 million living in the New England colonies (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island), 0.5 million living in the Middle Colonies (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), and 1.0 million living in the Southern Colonies (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia).
Though theoretically ruled by the British crown, largely via an appointed Royal Governor, in practice the Thirteen Colonies largely governed themselves via assemblies elected by landowners, of which a much higher percentage of the population belonged thanks to an abundance of available land. Though accounting for some 40% of the economic output of the British Empire, the British government largely took the stance that as long as trade continued unabated, they didn’t really give a flying fuck what their colonies did, an attitude which was largely copied by many of the colonial governments. As a result, when combined with the lack of an established aristocracy, church, or trade guilds, in general the Thirteen Colonies had a greater sense of egalitarianism and equal opportunity compared to British subjects back home. In the Thirteen Colonies, one could arrive with little to nothing, and within less than a lifetime move themselves solidly into the middle class, even getting into politics if they so desired.
The vast majority of the population of the Thirteen Colonies were farmers, with major cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Charleston being relatively small compared to European standards. High rates of land ownership meant a much larger percentage of the population was middle class, which led to longer and healthier lives, larger families, and a healthy tax base which was used to fund schools, mostly run by religious organizations. These schools, focused more on technical subjects rather than the arts, led to the Thirteen Colonies having one of the most literate and well-educated populations in the world, who supported an exceptionally high number of newspapers and pamphlet printers.
The rapid growth of the population, both via immigration and an excessive amount of baby making, led to a constant push into the frontier. With many of the former native tribes greatly weakened, or in some cases eradicated, by disease and warfare, they saw little reason not to push their way deeper into the interior, claiming new lands and looking for new opportunities. The lack of support from government officials for these ventures led to the development of a highly individualistic culture focused on small tight-knit communities, which only further enhanced the general sense of equality. Though an upper class did exist, it was largely geographically centered on the large plantations of the Southern Colonies and the rich merchants of the New England coast. A growing industrial class was also forming in New England, spurred by the lack of available farm land to invest in building mills and sawmills along the areas many rivers and streams.
Given all of the above, it’s no wonder that the Thirteen Colonies increasingly began to feel separate from the British. With a rapidly growth population, higher levels of prosperity, and even the fastest crossing of the Atlantic taking three weeks, it was inevitable that a new and separate culture would emerge over time. One which would eventually result in a revolution which would change the course of history for both the new world and the old.
