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Gary B. Nash

Decent Essays

“The Transformation of European Society” by Gary B. Nash talks about the economic, social, and religious changes that took place in the British colonies in the eighteenth century in North America. The author discussed that the people of a once strict hierarchical society of Europe now had a more democratic and individualistic American view. The vast land, which distinguished America from Europe, allowed people to get rich fast and climb the social ladder. Unlike America, in Europe there was a large disparity between the rich and the poor. If you were born a blacksmith's son, you would die a blacksmith. However, the vast amount of land in America offered great opportunities for growth. Poor farmers could become rich businessmen in no time in the northern colonies, which helped to develop an …show more content…

The Europeans "accepted the naturalness of hierarchy in human affairs." They did not try to go above what they deliberated to be their economic and social status in life. In the beginning of the seventeenth century most living in the British colonies were middle class. However, due to the rising population in the 1800s, the differences between the poor and wealthy had grown in North America.This increase in wealth was seen in the poor. Nash stated, "after about 1750 poverty was no longer confined to the poor or physically depleted.” Many middle and lower class citizens felt that it was their right to have as much freedom as the rich and be treated equally, which was known as egalitarianism. Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with this idea. This idea contradicted the European view that it was alright to suppress the poor. Nash also discussed the Great Awakening, which he was not only a religious change, but a "profound cultural crisis" that contributed to "tensions in colonial society.” The Great Awakening was "a search for new sources of authority, new principles of action, a new foundation of

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