Question/Problem 3: Explore reasons why social rank was important to both the individual and society.

In a monarchic society subjects were loyal to their king. By its very nature, a monarchy led to the existence of a social hierarchy or "pecking order." This hierarchy had more social and cultural implications than political for most people. Although so cial structure in the colonies was not as rigid as in England, there were distinctions between gentlemen ("the better sort") and ordinary people ("the middling sort" and "the lower sort"). Where you ended up was an accident of birth. People were more cl osely connected to one another vertically than with those of their own social grade. (The terms grade and rank are used here interchangeably; however, "class" is a nineteenth-century notion and should not be introduced here.) People understood to whom they were superior and to whom they were inferior. These ideas are drawn from The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood (New York: Vintage Books, 1991); this book is highly recommended for further reading.

It was living in America, away from England, that afforded opportunities to move up the ladder. However, such mobility was the exception rather than the rule. Nonetheless, many aspired to become an exception, and mobility of all kinds was far more common in America than Europe. The best example of the colonial period is that of Benjamin Franklin. He practiced his own sayings and was able to retire a wealthy gentleman in his early forties. (See Richard B. Bernstein's Essay III.)