Changes

Under the monarchy, colonial America was a series of hierarchical relations, where everyone had superior and inferiors. This hierarchy featured a system of dependency and social obligation. The weakness of the state along with its multiple forms (since colonies lacked a unified, centralized power each had its government structures) resulted in a society in which a patron-client paternalistic dynamic developed between colonists. Traditional relationships of the period were of this nature. For leaders of society, often referred to as “gentlemen,” reputation was of the utmost importance. If one failed to maintain his reputation or allowed others to disparage it, the individual might lose social and political authority.

The weakness of the state expanded the power of such men since they were able to support others and were believed to provide an economy for locals through their consumption. These men held certain assumptions about concepts such as equality, interest, and the idea of work that seem fairly antiquated today. These widely held beliefs included the notion that governments were best run by “disinterested gentlemen” who had attained wealth, so they were incorruptible and unwilling to allow personal interest to interfere with the common good. Additionally, they believed that work meant you were not gentlemen even if you were rich which later led to odd alliances after the revolution between more proletarian workers and factory owners who were not considered of the highest class because they still engaged in labor.