Gentility and Gender Roles Within the 18Th-Century Merchant Class of Newport, Rhode Island" (2010)
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University of Massachusetts Boston ScholarWorks at UMass Boston Graduate Masters Theses Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses 12-1-2010 Gentility and Gender Roles Within the 18th- Century Merchant Class of Newport, Rhode Island Nicki Hise University of Massachusetts Boston Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, and the Gender and Sexuality Commons Recommended Citation Hise, Nicki, "Gentility and Gender Roles Within the 18th-Century Merchant Class of Newport, Rhode Island" (2010). Graduate Masters Theses. Paper 22. This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses at ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GENTILITY AND GENDER ROLES WITHIN THE 18TH-CENTURY MERCHANT CLASS OF NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND A Thesis Presented by NICKI L. HISE Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS December 2010 Historical Archaeology Program © 2010 by Nicki L. Hise All rights reserved GENTILITY AND GENDER ROLES WITHIN THE 18TH-CENTURY MERCHANT CLASS OF NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND A Thesis Presented by NICKI L. HISE Approved as to style and content by: ___________________________________________________ David B. Landon, Associate Professor of Anthropology Chairperson of Committee ___________________________________________________ James Garman, Associate Professor of Cultural and Historic Preservation Salve Regina University Member ___________________________________________________ Stephen A. Mrozowski, Professor of Anthropology Member ________________________________ Stephen W. Silliman, Program Director Historical Archaeology Program ________________________________ Stephen A. Mrozowski, Chairperson Anthropology Department ABSTRACT GENTILITY AND GENDER ROLES WITHIN THE 18TH-CENTURY MERCHANT CLASS OF NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND December 2010 Nicki L. Hise, B.A., Texas A&M University M.A., University of Massachusetts Boston Directed by Dr. David B. Landon The Capt. Thomas Richardson household rose to prominence in Newport, Rhode Island during the community’s golden age of prosperity in the 18th century when Newport quickly became one of the leading seaports in the New World. However, all prosperity halted due to the hardships and damage Newport suffered during the American Revolutionary War. Much of the city’s property and economic success was destroyed at the hands of occupying British troops, and the Rhode Island community was never able to fully recover. Like others in colonial Newport, Capt. Thomas Richardson achieved genteel status as a merchant, distiller, and slave ship owner during the city’s golden era, but died in 1782 as a shell of the man he once was, his property and status having been heavily damaged. iv Archaeological excavations along with the analysis of material culture of the Richardson houselot on Thames Street in Newport have sought to more clearly define the role and activities of Capt. Thomas Richardson and his family as members of Newport’s elite merchant class that largely controlled the economic and social structures within the community. Additionally, women’s household activities and gender roles are examined in this study in order to better understand women’s lived experiences in colonial Newport. Artifacts recovered from the Thames Street houselot are used as an access point into the practices and objects necessary to display, maintain, and reproduce social status within merchant society. The artifact assemblage comprising of ceramics, glasswares, and small finds revealed a merchant household that achieved a growth in wealth and status due to its participation in Atlantic trade, but experienced downfall at the destruction caused by the American Revolutionary War. This data, along with documentary evidence, supports the conclusion that a merchant was not necessarily synonymous with elite class, as the case of Capt. Thomas Richardson shows. Instead, merchants moved more fluidly amongst classes depending on their ability to maintain material and behavioral appearances. Just like financial booms and busts, merchants rose and fell in Newport society in correlation with their ability to maintain practices of gentility. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am thankful to everyone who helped me to form this thesis from a disorganized idea into its final stages of completion. My committee has been generous in their time, encouragement, and guidance throughout this process. Dr. David Landon of the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston has provided valuable insights regarding the analysis and interpretation of the site’s artifact assemblage along with helpful advice during my writing process. Dr. Landon certainly had a large part in translating my ideas into words on paper. Dr. James Garman of the Department of Cultural and Historic Preservation at Salve Regina University directed much of the archaeological fieldwork that yielded the material culture utilized in this study. Professor Garman provided much-needed guidance in the field as well as the lab, offering his own interpretations that helped to shape my view of the site and the Capt. Thomas Richardson household. Dr. Stephen Mrozowski of the Department of Anthropology at UMB helped me to better understand the complex structure of social class and the broad ways in which polite behaviors could affect status. With Professor Mrozowski’s influence, I was able to more fully consider the Richardson family’s place in a large and complex social configuration. Dr. Christa Beranek of the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research patiently provided guidance during my analysis process, for which I am grateful. Always willing to help me with artifact identification and data collection, Dr. Beranek seemed to have all the answers. Previous research, especially that of Michelle Styger, Kelly Mustone, and the students at Salve Regina University, also helped me to better understand the fieldwork of Thames Street and 18th century merchant dynamics. vi Thank you to my fellow students and fantastic cohort who have been a surrogate family to me for the past two years. Their friendship and humor have made that time wonderful. It is difficult to pinpoint my favorite experience as a graduate student because it seems like we were laughing the entire time. Finally, thank you to my friend, Carla Archibeque, and family, Terry, Becky, and Traci Hise, who have given me encouragement throughout my research. I appreciate their generous support and faith in my ability to accomplish a difficult goal. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER Page I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 Gentility and Politeness ................................................................................. 3 Gender and Women’s Roles .......................................................................... 7 Archaeology of Merchants ............................................................................. 11 415 Thames Street.......................................................................................... 14 II. HISTORY OF COLONIAL NEWPORT .............................................................. 19 Rum Trade & Heyday .................................................................................... 24 Pre-Revolution Rumblings............................................................................. 26 British Occupation during the American Revolutionary War ....................... 30 Capt. Thomas Richardson Household............................................................ 32 III. MATERIALS AND METHODS ......................................................................... 39 Field Methods ................................................................................................ 39 Laboratory Methods ....................................................................................... 43 Documentary Research .................................................................................. 48 Summary ........................................................................................................ 50 IV. 415 THAMES STREET ASSEMBLAGES ........................................................ 52 Ceramics ........................................................................................................ 53 Glassware ....................................................................................................... 57 Vessel Count and Function ............................................................................ 59 Small Finds .................................................................................................... 62 Interpretation of Assemblages ....................................................................... 66