DOCUMENT PROJECT 4

A New Commercial Culture in Boston

The first half of the eighteenth century ushered in dramatic change across the colonies. The population increased fivefold, a demographic shift that squeezed access to land and jobs and increased the numbers of the poor. Yet not all Americans suffered. Many merchants living in northern seaports, for example, accrued unprecedented wealth by participating in an increasingly global trade of goods. In Boston, a new merchant class emerged. Its members built and purchased elaborate homes and decorated them with expensive imported furniture and commissioned family portraits. As a result, the differences between the city’s rich and its poor became more visible. Although a broad spectrum of Bostonians participated on some level in the market economy, those who could afford little beyond the necessities of food and clothing resented the conspicuous consumption and increasing political influence of wealthy merchants. The rise of commerce also changed Boston’s culture in another significant way: It whittled away the once-dominant influence of religion in the city. Much to the chagrin of Puritan ministers such as Samuel Sewell, it appeared that money had triumphed over piety in New England.

The following documents shed light on the rising commercial culture of Boston during the eighteenth century. As you read, consider the ways in which the buying and selling of goods transformed colonial society. Who played key roles in this process, and who was left out?