St Andrews Research Repository

St Andrews University Home
View Item 
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • History (School of)
  • Modern History
  • Modern History Theses
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • History (School of)
  • Modern History
  • Modern History Theses
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • History (School of)
  • Modern History
  • Modern History Theses
  • View Item
  • Login
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

“To promote some publick Good, by the Joint Endeavours of a Number of People” : hereditary societies in Philadelphia and Charleston, 1740-1810

Date
16/06/2022
Author
Lott, Rebecca Ann
Supervisor
Heal, Bridget
Hart, Emma
Keywords
American Revolutionary War
Colonial North America
Clubs
18th century
Associations
Charities
Charleston
Philadelphia
St. Andrew's Society
St. George's Society
German Friendly Society
German Society
Migration
Ethnicity
Scottish diaspora
English diaspora
German diaspora
Cultural Identity
Charity
Sociability
Metadata
Show full item record
Altmetrics Handle Statistics
Altmetrics DOI Statistics
Abstract
This thesis focuses on the English, German, and Scottish societies in Philadelphia and Charleston from the 1740s until the 1810s. It argues the significance of early American charitable organizations in maintaining and perpetuating social structure and social morals through uncertain, volatile circumstances. To do so, it employs a comparative focus to consider the roles of ethnicity and region and explores continuities by tying together research on the colonial, revolutionary, and early republic periods. During the late colonial period, American hereditary societies, while being a product of and a response to their local environment, inherited their institutional structure and their views on poverty from European charitable and associational traditions. These societies fulfilled dual roles of sociability and charity and thereby supported and furthered social and moral norms by regulating who was deserving of membership or assistance. In the face of wartime disruption, the societies worked to provide relief while grappling with the intersection of their hereditary and political identities. Following the war, the societies fostered reconciliation by encouraging the reintegration of their membership and by providing continuity of their activities from before the war. In the early republic, the societies retained their hereditary identities while expressing their new patriotism through encouraging local state-building. In doing so, they supported government initiatives as well as founded their own institutions for education and healthcare. Just as they had done prior to the war, the societies’ activities worked to create normality, supported those they deemed deserving, and perpetuated their social expectations and values.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.17630/sta/178
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
Embargo Date: 2027-02-01
Embargo Reason: Thesis restricted in accordance with University regulations. Restricted until 1st February 2027
Collections
  • Modern History Theses
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/25450

Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Related items

Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

  • The industry of evangelism : printing for the Reformation in Martin Luther's Wittenberg 

    Thomas, Drew B. (University of St Andrews, 2018-06-28) - Thesis
    When Martin Luther supposedly nailed his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, the small town had only a single printing press. By the end of the century, Wittenberg had published more books ...
  • “The Law is open on both sides.” : the contrasting British and Swedish interpretations of the Law of Nations and its impact on the role of perceptions and reputations in the East India trade of the 1730s-1740s 

    Simons, Christin (University of St Andrews, 2021-07-01) - Thesis
    Previous studies of the Swedish East India Company (SOIC) have consistently demonstrated the resentment of the ‘great maritime powers’, especially Great Britain, towards new competition emerging from Scandinavia. In response, ...
  • Title redacted 

    Limbach, Saskia (University of St Andrews, 2017-06) - Thesis
Advanced Search

Browse

All of RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunderThis CollectionBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunder

My Account

Login

Open Access

To find out how you can benefit from open access to research, see our library web pages and Open Access blog. For open access help contact: openaccess@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Accessibility

Read our Accessibility statement.

How to submit research papers

The full text of research papers can be submitted to the repository via Pure, the University's research information system. For help see our guide: How to deposit in Pure.

Electronic thesis deposit

Help with deposit.

Repository help

For repository help contact: Digital-Repository@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Give Feedback

Cookie policy

This site may use cookies. Please see Terms and Conditions.

Usage statistics

COUNTER-compliant statistics on downloads from the repository are available from the IRUS-UK Service. Contact us for information.

© University of St Andrews Library

University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013532.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter