The Curse of Provincialism: Negative Perceptions of Colonial American Plantation Gentry

Colonists in the New World in the 17th and 18th centuries existed in a very paradoxical situation. They were very keen to gain high social status, and aimed for standards of refinement determined by arbiters of culture within the British upper classes. However, these very arbiters also refused to accept the legitimacy of the colonial gentry. Indeed, they were often very patronizing towards New World colonists. There is little evidence that this attitude deterred colonial elites from seeking gentility. Indeed, this pursuit continued unabated throughout the latter 17th and the 18th centuries.