English Society in the 17th Century (1600s) Use pg

Transcript:English Society in the 17th Century (1600s) Use pg:
English Society in the 17th Century (1600s) Use pg 21 from the textbook and indicate on the map with a key where the population density is, where wool production is along with textile production and metal manufacturing. Quote of the Day “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” - Lord Acton, 1887 The People of Britain In 1215 Britain’s leaders signed a document called the Magna Carta. Magna Carta – was a Charter which guaranteed the English people certain civil rights. It recognized individual freedoms, it required that the King’s and Queen’s needed to consult an elected parliament, and to rule in a lawful manner. As such, when King’s and Queen’s started to take control from the Church in the 1500s they had to follow the Magna Carta. In the 1500’s the Tudor family – especially Queen Elizabeth I – accepted the democratic rights from the Magna Carta. However, the Stuarts – James I and Charles I – ignored the Magna Carta with due diligence. The People Of Britain During the 1600s English population started to boom and increase rapidly. As the population grew, so did businesses and agriculture. People who lived in the city, and to a lesser extent those in the country, tried their hand at becoming entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur – a person who takes a chance to run a business and make it profitable The People of Britain So with a King or Queen leading the country, businesses starting to pop up everywhere, agriculture growing at a rapid rate – Britain was on its way to become a world power. At the same time England was becoming more stratified (structured) into different various classes. There were three classes: The Upper Class, The Middle Class and The Lower Class Class Division The Upper Class – were made up of king’s, the king’s advisors, the nobles, and high church officials such as Bishops. The Middle Class – were merchants (businessmen), manufacturers, landowners, professionals and military officials. The Lower Class – Ordinary workers for the manufacture shops. Class Division Skilled workers fell between the Middle Class and Lower Class – these people included carpenters, blacksmiths, stone masons, dress makers. Skilled workers were also part of guilds (what we would call unions). The Guild would make sure that their people were well taken care of. Agricultural workers fell into the group of the lower class. They would work long (15