City life In the Revolutionary Period

Major cities of 1776

Quality of life in cities

Disease

As cities were most often ports, there were often diseases outbreaks as people arrived from Europe and Africa. Cities were prone to epidemics including dysentery, smallpox, yellow fever, and respiratory diseases. With no cures for these diseases and high mortality rates, some cities turned to methods of quarantining. In New York, Bedloe's Island (today known as Liberty Island) was used as a quarantining station for smallpox in the 1760s. By 1776, inoculation for smallpox had become more common, although some still felt it was too risky or immoral. In Charleston, Sullivan’s Island held four “pest houses” which were used to quarantine enslaved Africans between 1707 and 1790. While some pest houses had rooms and fireplaces, these houses had no windows or insulation and offered little medical care to arrivals.

Alongside, pest houses cities also began building hospitals by the mid-century. The first public hospital in New York was Bellevue Hospital in 1739, a six-bed infirmary which would grow to become a leading medical center. In Philadelphia, the city chartered the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1751 and in 1773 their first medical resident was appointed to serve for five years. Most of these physicians who had gone through apprenticeships or studied in Europe since the first medical school was not established until 1765 in Philadelphia, and only reopened in 1790 after closing during the war.

Crime

Given the prevalence of wealth and increasing poverty, theft was the most pervasive crime in the cities of 1776. Organized criminal activity and murder were rare, though present. Violent crime was at its highest following the Seven Years War, and the increasing population sizes and prevalence of businesses in cities made crime more frequent than in smaller towns. Moral crimes such as fornication and church attendance had been decriminalized by the 18th century, though brothels and prostitution could still be charged. Prostitution was more common in cities, and bribery and fear of self-incrimination by officials made shutting down brothels difficult.

Law enforcement was sparse throughout the development of New America. Instead of an organized police force, most cities had night watches which grew as cities became more populated. In 1749, Philadelphia began paying their night watchers and constables, while also assigning wardens to oversee the watch. If a victim had a crime to report, chances were they would have to find and apprehend the assailant themselves.

For the most part, people who were guilty of crimes would be sentenced to public humiliation in a pillory, branding, a fine, or whippings. Capital punishment was carried out based on English law and could range for crimes of treason, deserting, organized theft or murder. The concept of imprisonment as punishment was rare during this time, namely saved for debtors. Otherwise, prisons or “gaols” were used to house people awaiting trial or punishment, and they were often located in cities given their centrality to surrounding towns. Until 1772, South Carolina’s only jail and courthouse was in Charleston. Unlike the Northern cities, Charleston primarily relied on slave patrols rather than watchmen.

Poverty

While some of the greatest wealth was brought by the bustling ports of cities, there was rampant poverty as well. By the early 18th century, cities had constructed “poor houses” or almshouses to house people in poverty. However by 1776, poverty saw greater increases as the economic strife leading up to the Revolution not only affected wealthy merchants, but also sailors and poor men who needed employment. By 1767, Philadelphia’s Almhouse which was initially built for 40 people found itself overcrowded with nearly 200 people seeking refuge. Indentured servitude was another way for those in poverty to guarantee employment, while another was “workhouses” often built alongside “poor houses.” Workhouses were often punitive and had strict rules of conduct that were enforced by overseers.

Role of cities in the revolution

BattleGrounds

Throughout the Revolutionary War, cities were contested centers in battles. New York in particular was a highly valued spot for the British army given its centralized location amidst the colonies. With its plentiful network of waterways throughout the North and West, New York served as grounds for nearly one-third of all Revolutionary War battles, including the Great Fire of 1776.

Just six days after the British took control of the city, a massive portion of it burned to the ground. The fire began in a wooden building, and the winds fanned it to eventually burn almost 500 buildings by the next morning. The responsibility to put out the fire rested on the British soldiers, who learned that the fire extinguishing material had been sabotaged. This led to the arrest and execution of many patriot sympathizers as Redcoats put the blame on Americans for igniting the fire.

While there remains to be no confirmed source of the fire, several theories have been speculated—the most common stating that American rebels deliberately started it in response to British occupation. The day that the redcoats took over the city, they discovered combustible items and had to clear a trail of gunpowder that led away from it. John Baltus Dash, the fire chief at the time of the incident, was even found to have buried his valuables to protect them from forthcoming damage, suggesting he’d been expecting the fire. While leaders like Benjamin Franklin denied the Patriots’ responsibility for the fire, modern historians have continued to compile various first-hand accounts that further enforce claims that “the rebels would “sooner burn New York than leave it for the British.”

Charleston, South Carolina, also served an important purpose during the Revolutionary War. The British wanted to make the ports of South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina as bases to rally American Loyalists against the rebels and prevent effective communication between the North and the South. On June 28, 1776, the British army attempted a siege on the Charleston Harbor and was met with failure against the vast amount of civilians that defended the land. However, as their cannons failed to do much damage to the buildings made of palmetto wood, they eventually retreated and did not make another appearance in the city for the next three years.

However, in December 1779, the British army invaded Charleston from New York City in efforts to continue the expansion of their southern campaign. This time, they were prepared with an army of over 8,000 men. This event led to the Siege of Charleston, which lasted from February until May of 1780. General Benjamin Lincoln, commander of the Continental Army at the time, offered to give up the city if his men were left unharmed. However, General Sir Henry Clinton of the British army did not accept these terms and proceeded with the attack. The Americans suffered a devastating loss in the battle, along with the deaths of over 5,000 soldiers.

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Module by Maria Reyes Pacheco, with contributions from Sophia Suh and Samhita Dulam. Click here for bibliography.