CHAPTER VI THE GROWTH OF THE COLONIES 157. Development of the Colonies.-At the close of the French and Indian War, the thirteen English colonies had assumed such importance, as to now rank as the richest of England's possessions. They had increased rapidly in population, and had already exhibited some distinctive features of their later national life; as is shown in a study of their social life, their occupations, their education, their literature, their attitude on the question of slavery, their political life, and their disposition at all times to assert their rights as free men. POPULATION 158. Population in the Colonies. In the early history of the colonies there was a superstition against numbering the people, many thinking that diseases in the form of epidemics would follow the taking of a census. However, the colonial governors from time to time made estimates to the home government, which are believed to be nearly correct. Three of these estimates follow: First, that of 1701, at the beginning of Queen Anne's reign; another in 1755, at the beginning of the French and Indian War; and the third in 1775, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, covering in all a period of three-quarters of a century. 262,000 1,392,000 2,560,000 Total. In this table, the population of Pennsylvania and Delaware is counted together as Delaware did not have a separate organization until after the Revolution. 159. Distribution of Population.-The above table shows that one-half of the whole population of the thirteen English colonies was in the southern colonies, while the New England and middle colonies combined contained the other half. During the period from 1700 to 1775 the population had increased in New Hampshire Massachusetts Connecticut eightfold .fivefold ...sevenfold while Georgia, the last of the colonies to be settled, had increased her population from 1755 to 1775, sevenfold. Thus it will be seen that all the colonies were growing at a rapid rate. Their total population at the time of the Revolution equaled one-fifth that of the mother country. Virginia stood at the head of the census, with Massachusetts second. The settlements in the colonies were usually located on some bay or arm of the sea, along the courses of navigable streams, or in the rich valleys of the hill country. Often they were scattered far apart, with but poor means of communication. 160. The Cities.-According to the census of 1900, fully one-third of the entire population of the United States is living in cities, as opposed to one-thirtieth in 1790. A much smaller proportion lived in cities at the time of the making of the above census estimates. The population of the five principal cities in 1790 was: At that time there were but thirteen cities in the colonies with more than five thousand inhabitants. This tells the story that the English colonists were largely engaged in agricultural pursuits. The name "colonial farmers," given to the soldiers of the patriot army of the Revolution, was not misapplied. In the north the town constituted the unit of political organization; in the south, the county. Towns were the more numerous in the north. And yet, scattered throughout the colonies were many thriving villages and towns, which constituted the business and social centers in numerous settlements from New Hampshire to Georgia. In estimating the population of colonial cities it was the custom to count the number of houses and arrive at the total population by multiplying that number by seven. New York had become the trade center-her merchants supplying about one-sixth of the entire population of the colonies with goods imported from foreign countries. Williamsburg, Va., was one of the most stylish places on the continent; Charleston, S. C., the gayest, and Annapolis, Md., excelled all others in elegance. Philadelphia, the second city in the colonies, was noted for its regular streets and splendid sidewalks, and for its brick and stone residences. This city was the first to light its streets. New York soon followed. Boston did not light her streets until 1773. Each of these cities found it necessary to establish a night police force in order to preserve order within its limits. 161. People not All English.-While these colonies are known as the English colonies, still it must not be concluded that the entire population was an English population. THE WELSH had come with the English, and had formed many thriving settlements in New England, and also in the middle colonies. Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, was a Welshman, and William Penn made a grant of forty thousand acres, known as the Welsh Barony, to a colony from Wales. THE DUTCH had early occupied New York, and had soon established a line of settlements northward along the course of the Hudson, thence up the Mohawk Valley, and southward across New Jersey to the mouth of the Delaware, where as early as 1655 they had conquered the Swedish settlements. in that region. The Dutch had also extended their trading posts to the Connecticut Valley, and up Long Island Sound as far as Narragansett Bay. When the English appeared in New York harbor in 1664, the Dutch yielded to English rule without a struggle. Absorbed in trade and indifferent to politics, they soon transferred their allegiance to the English king, and became loyal citizens of the colonies in which they continued to reside. At the time of the Revolution it is estimated that at least one-half the population of the state of New York was of Dutch descent. New Jersey, likewise, had a large Dutch population. To-day many families of New York are proud to trace their ancestry to these early Dutch settlers. Since the day of the publication of Washington Irving's "Knickerbocker's History of New York," these Dutch descendants in New York have been known as Knickerbockers. These Hollanders were an industrious people, active in the development of trade and commerce, and devoted to agriculture. Many historians have been bold to trace the ideas of our free school system, freedom of worship in matters of religion, the recording of land deeds by the state, and the use of the ballot in popular elections, to the influence and example of these early Dutch settlers. THE SWEDES,-always a liberty-loving and enterprising people,-on the advice of their king, the great Gustavus Adolphus, had settled New Sweden (Delaware) in 1638. They rapidly increased in population until conquered by the Dutch (1655), who in turn yielded to the English (1664). These early Swedish settlers belonged to the farming and merchant class, and, like the Dutch, had come to America for purposes of trade. They thrived under Swedish rule, and so continued under Dutch rule, and later under the fostering care of William Penn. The Swedish language was spoken in the settlements of the Delaware Valley, even after the Revolution. THE GERMANS, too, flocked to America. While the Dutch and Swedes came for purposes of trade, the Germans |