Peninsulares

The peninsulares who were Spaniards born in the Iberian Peninsula were the highest of the social
classes.
The people that belonged to this social class enjoyed positions of high power, rights, authority, and
economic favors in the society.
Highest class, born in Iberian Peninsula
Viceroys
High government and church officials
Creoles
Creoles were those who had peninsulares parents but were born in the American continent.
They belonged to the Spanish ancestry but they were classified as creoles because they were not born
in Spain.
Lower class jobs
Mestizos
The Mestizos were those of an European and Native American mix, when translated roughly from
Spanish to English it means mixture.
The population of the Mestizos was a slow development because of the fact that most of the mestizos
were illegitimate since their relationships were unofficial.
The economic power of the Mestizos was very limited and they more often had a limited amount of jobs
and economic opportunity.
Shop owners
Artisans
Farmers
Mulattoes
The Mulattoes were the descendants of a European and African mix and were much in the bottom of the
social hierarchy.
They had few political rights and were treated as a lower class.
European and African mix
house servants
indoor jobs
trade/farming ventures at times
Indians
The Native Americans were those of who were already there in the New World and were considered the
almost bottom to the social hierarchy.
Some Native Americans were owned by Peninsulares and others lived in their own villages.
Native Americans
Farmhands
Slaves
The Negroes were slaves brought from Africa and were the bottom of the social hierarchy.
They were the workers and the ones who bore most of the hardships. They were given no rights of their
own and led a very miserable life.
African Slaves

Upper Class
Wealthy Merchants
Large Landowners
Shipping Company Owners:
these wealthy entrepreneurs facilitated trade with the mother country- Britain. The 13 colonies
would provide raw resources to Britain and in return would receive final processed goods.
Middle Class
Small Shopkeepers:
these workers owned small shops that sold specialized goods such as shoes, ceramics, clothing,
etc.
Skilled Craft Workers:
these workers previously had been educated on special technical skills.
Owners of medium sized farms
Lower Class
Unskilled Workers:
These workers were european immigrants with no technical skills whatsoever. Despite this
disadvantage, there were plentiful of job opportunities for these workers since the colonies had not
reached their industrial phase until the late 18th century.
Bottom Class
Indentured Servants:
The integration of indentured servants came about when British Europeans recognized the need
for cheap labor.
Indentured servants included the immigrants who sought opportunities in the New World but did
not have the financial capability to bring themselves across the ocean.
In return for signing a work contract that typically lasted for 5-7 years, their master would fully
pay for their passage to the Americas. Throughout their work term, all room and board would be
provided at no cost for the indentured servants. At the end of their contract, the servants were
guaranteed freedom and possibly freedom dues such as weapons, land, money, etc.
Despite the allure of this relationship, only 40% of the indentured servants successfully completed
their contract. Most masters would extend their servants work term due to pregnancy,
punishment, etc.
Furthermore, even if the servants were liberated, they were often pushed westward towards the
hostile lands of the Native Americans.
Slaves
The enslavement of African Americans made its appearance slowly throughout the late 15th- 16th
century. However as the supply of indentured servants began to decrease, European landowners
resorted to slavery for cheap labor.
Companies such as Royal African Company began to appear in order to meet the demands of the
colonies which acted as a catalyst for the extensive use of slaves.
Slaves consisted of African Americans who had no rights and were abused mentally and physically
on a daily basis.

Social Hierarchy
The Seigneurs
The Seigneurs were the French lords who were given grants in Canada by the king.
These land grants were called seigneuries. Like the feudal system, they divided land and rented it to inhabitants
who farmed it.
Habitants
Habitants worked on the seigneurs land and in return for working on the land the habitants gave the seigneurs a
percentage of their profits.
In this society it was possible for the habitant to become a seigneur himself or leave farming and become a fur
trader.
Women
Generally women took on the domestic roles of wives, mothers, and housekeepers. They were, however, viewed
more as equals than their counterparts in Europe.
They worked in the fields along with their male relations as well as participated in business.
They were even allowed to be Seigneurs, because most men involved in fur trade or military died, widowing their
wives and willing them to land and titles.
Commercial Hierarchy
Middle-Class Merchants
Middle-class merchants supplied and distributed most of the European products.
Traders of Quebec City and Montreal who imported and exported goods were at the top and they usually hired
engages (servants).
Retailers were the strong second. They received the traders merchandise and distributed it throughout the St.
Lawrence Valley.
At the same level of retailers- traveling merchants (marchands voyageurs) and outfitters, bought from traders and
supplies they needed for trade with Aboriginal peoples. They dominated fur trade in Montreal.
Further down, merchants who ran their business alone and did not hire engages.
Shopkeepers and Tradespeople
Shopkeepers and Tradespeople offered most of the products that were essential to the population
Artisans
Artisans practiced a multitude of trades, they helped build public buildings and convents, as well as
fortifications, mills, small boats and private residences.
Metal Workers
Metal workers were the second most important group, including blacksmiths, edge-tool makers, cartwrights
and wheelwrights, makers of pots and pans, locksmiths, gunsmiths, and armourers.
Metal workers had skills that were very useful to people in rural areas, for whom they made of repaired farm
implements.
Specialized Artisans
The Specialized Artisans practiced luxury trades, such as wig makers, sculptors, tapestry makers,
silversmiths and goldsmiths.
They were useful to a few seigneurs, nobles and senior officers who wished to distinguish themselves from
others.
Engags and Servants
Engags were immigrants who offered their services to employers in the colony.
They were under a three year contract. Engags were skilled workers from Western France. They work as
household servants, personal assistants, and worked on the farm.
Servants were found in the homes of civil and military officers, religious institutions, and the homes of artisans and
habitants.
Servants in the homes of habitants did all sorts of farm chores like clearing and cultivating the land, and herding
livestock and looking after it.
In urban areas the servants did light chores like cooking for their employers or looking after the ill people.