A Comparative Study of Norfolk, Charleston and Alexandria, 1763-1800
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1992 Artisans of the South: A comparative study of Norfolk, Charleston and Alexandria, 1763-1800 Mary Catherine Ferrari College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Ferrari, Mary Catherine, "Artisans of the South: A comparative study of Norfolk, Charleston and Alexandria, 1763-1800" (1992). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539623819. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-qpqy-6h57 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with with permission permission of the of copyright the copyright owner. owner.Further reproductionFurther reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. Order Number 9304498 Artisans of the South: A comparative study of Norfolk, Charleston and Alexandria, 1763-1800 Ferrari, Mary Catherine, Ph.D. The College of William and Mary, 1992 Copyright ©1993 by Ferrari, Mary Catherine. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. ZeebRd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with with permission permission of the of copyright the copyright owner. owner.Further reproductionFurther reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. ARTISANS OF THE SOUTH: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NORFOLK, CHARLESTON AND ALEXANDRIA, 1763-1800 A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Department of History The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Of Doctor of Philosophy by Mary Ferrari 1992 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy i'VTOc^f. Mary a. Ferrari Approved, April 10th, 1992 ohn E/Selby James P. Whittenburg Thomas F. Sheppa Michael L. Utah State Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To Mom iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................... v LIST OF TABLES ..................................... vi LIST OF G R A P H S ........................................vii ABSTRACT ............................................ viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .......................... 2 CHAPTER 2. THE COMING OF THE REVOLUTION.......... 36 CHAPTER 3. THE ROAD TO THE REVOLUTION............ 73 CHAPTER 4. THE WAR YEARS .......................... 110 CHAPTER 5. THE STRUGGLE FOR LOCAL CONTROL ........ 131 CHAPTER 6. ARTISAN'S ROLE IN NATIONAL POLITICS . 182 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................... 223 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all I want to express my deepest appreciation to Dr. John Selby for his guidance, patience and skillful editing. I was honored to work with and learn from a person so knowledgeable in Colonial and Revolutionary America. I am also indebted to the rest of the committee whose criticisms and insights I will be grappling with for some time. Dr. Thomas Sheppard contributed a European perspective to the reading of this dissertation. Dr. Mick Nicholls' ability to ask the tough guestions, and his willingness to share his own research has not only benefitted me but many other graduate students at William and Mary. Dr. Kevin Kelly was kind enough to share his insights which come from years of research on Colonial Williamsburg. Finally, I wish to thank Dr. James Whittenburg, whose course ten years ago inspired me to learn as much as I could about Colonial History. Dr. Whittenburg's teaching ability and his integrity will always be something I will aspire to. I am also indebted to another member of the William and Mary faculty, Dr. Judy Ewell without whose guidance my career would never have progressed this far. Dr. Ewell's professional and moral support has benefitted me in many ways, and to me she will always be a role model. The number of friends and fellow students who helped me along the way are too numerous to mention but I feel lucky to be a part of the Ph.D. class of Ann Martin, Julie Richter, Tom Legg, Chris Hendricks, and Wade Shaffer. Our class has both challenged and supported each other and I am proud to have been associated with such talented and personable people. My greatest debt is to my family. My husband Peter's knowledge, patience and occasional prodding assisted me in completing this task. Anna's presence helped keep life in perspective; hopefully, she will never realize the sacrifices she made for this project. My education would not have been possible without the financial and other support given to me by my parents. Dad did not live to see its conclusion, but he taught by example how to be a caring professor and a good person. My mother contributed in so many ways to my education that I wish we could share this degree, but the best I can do is to dedicate my work to her as a small token of thanks. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Distribution of Occupations, Charleston . 19 2. Distribution of Occupations, Alexandria, 1764-1800 27 3. Distribution of Occupations, Norfolk .... 33 4. Wealth in Personal Property and Slaves, Charleston District, S.C............... 59 5. Mean Number of Slaves Held, Norfolk, 1790-1794 173 6. Mean Rental Value of Land Holdings, Norfolk, 1786-1794 .................... 173 7. Mean Rental Value of Land Holding, Alexandria, 1787-1795 175 8. Mean Number of Slaves Held: Alexandria, 1787-1795 183 9. Rental Value of Land Holdings: Norfolk, 1794-1798 195 10. Mean Number of Slaves Held: Norfolk, 1794-1798 195 11. Mean Rental Value of Land Holdings, Alexandria, 1795-1800 209 12. Mean Number of Slaves Held, Alexandria, 1795-1800 209 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF GRAPHS Graph Page 1. Occupational Distribution ................ 34 2. Wealth Distribution; Charleston, Norfolk, Alexandria................. 176 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT This study analyzes the political activities of workmen in Norfolk, Alexandria, and Charleston in the years 1763-1800. British historians, in particular, E. P. Thompson, have discovered radical agitation on the part of artisans and laborers in Great Britain between 1790 and 1832. A similar rise in class consciousness has been documented on northern urban centers at the time of the Revolution. Socially and politically Norfolk, Alexandria, and Charleston were quite different; yet in each the mechanics did develop some class consciousness and realization of their political worth. The artisans of Charleston united in opposition to British measures in the years before the Revolution and as a result gained political strength for workers unprecedented in South Carolina politics. Political consciousness developed among Norfolk artisans when they worked together after the Revolution to demand a more republican form of local government. Alexandria mechanics experienced political unity in the shadow of national partisan divisions which enhanced their local influence in the 1790s. Despite attaining some degree of class