Jon Butler Becoming America Analysis

Jon Butler Précis Becoming America
Jon Butler, a William Robertson Coe Professor of American Studies and History and Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University, wrote the book, Becoming American: The Revolution Before 1776, which was published in 2000 by the Harvard University Press. Butler is an accomplished and respected historian who has won multiple awards as a professor and a writer. In Becoming American, Butler analyzes the impacts the colonists had on the New World during the years 1680 to 1770. Butler argues that in the British Mainland Colonies, colonists went through many changes during the 1680’s to 1770’s to form a “modern” and uniquely America.
From 1670 to 1770, the New World was colonized by different racial groups from Europe who lived together heterogeneously which led the New World to become “modern” and uniquely “American”. In 1670, many Europeans, like the Dutch, French, Irish, Scottish, English and German colonists, came to the New World either to break away from European traditions or to fulfill their desire for adventure. Butler wrote that the colonists all lived heterogeneously and brought their own cultures and religions to the New World to create diversity, which helped contribute America to become “modern”.
Butler argues that the

economy of the mainland colonies was the first of its kind. One reason it was unique was because it experienced faster growth than any previous industrial economy, it was complex and diverse, it expanded as colonists expanded territory, and it was involved in international market through imports and exports. The economy in colonial America revolved around farming and agriculture. Farming became commercial and the colonist began to produce more cops to sell to factors who would ship them to the world market. Southern colonies contributed towards the capitalist economy though slavery. During this time, farmers manipulated the economy to make a profit. The more the natives and colonist traded with each other, the more they became dependent upon each other. Expansion, extension, and specialization resulted in the growth of the economy.
Butler writes about the systems such as legal issues, assemblies, and the publics sphere that arose during the middle years.

Legal disputes led to a rise in the practice of law; however, most were on a local level where political process was not as complex as a regional or national level. As the colonies developed suffrage became more important and providential elections prompted widespread public discussions of political issues and formation of political groups. Butler argues that it was during these times that there was a transition from a hierarchal political structure to a more open democratic system. Their large-scale political system reflected and autonomous

system
Butler analyzed the rise of secular based social life throughout the colonies. Their changing lifestyle would reshape the meaning of America before they achieved political independence. The colonist had a better diet then the Europeans because of the availability of farmable land. Clothing production shifted during the prerevolutionary era by making their own clothes from European cloth. As colonial economy advanced, domestic production began to rise. Housing and furnishing also underwent advancement. The most dramatic transformation was in the public Space throughout the colonies.
Religion in colonial America became significantly varied during the pre-revolutionary period. The religious patterns that emerged lead to religious pluralism. Before 1680, Christianity was the dominant religion in the colonies but then religious landscape of the colonies began to become diverse Protestantism underwent religious revivals which were able to have an influence due to social and economic tensions. Integration of traditional tribal practices with European practices, the resistance to acculturation, and conflict of conversion to Christianity resulted in substantial change to American Indians. African spirituality underwent a spiritual holocaust that prevented traditional African religion from prospering in Britain's mainland colonies. Their traditional customs were almost wiped out, some survived such as healing and burial rituals. The religious tolerance that the European sellers had and reshaping of traditional customs of the American Indians and Africans made religious landscape unique.