Life by Class in the th 18 Century

Life by Class in the th 18 Century Although wealth had always divided the upper and lower classes, in the 18 th century new elements were added to their differences, though in some areas the gap between the classes closed a bit.

Factors Dividing the Classes • The upper class grew to disdain blood sports, (bullbaiting, cockfighting, etc. ) which they had once enjoyed while remaining popular with the masses • Enlightened thinkers began to criticize the practice of wet-nursing and this possibly affected upper class women but many women continued to rely on wet nurses for convenience or necessity • Babies that could not be provided for or born out of wedlock were abandoned to foundling hospitals often set up by the upper classes • The upper class read Enlightened texts, whereas the lower classes read chapbooks • The well-to-do drank their tea at home while the poor drank it at work. • The upper class had a rich diet with plentiful meats while the diet of the poor remained carbohydrate based, first bread and later potatoes • Prostitutes were divided into two groups: poor women driven to it by the lack of employment or marriage and often treated poorly, and wealthy courtesans who served well-to-do clients and were usually well treated

Factors Lessening the Divided Between the Classes • Lower class women had more possibilities to emulate the fashion of the upper class because of inexpensive imported cotton • Both classes enjoyed drinking beer, wine, and hard liquors, which became more available to the poor as prices dropped • The lower classes became more literate and increasingly participated in the exchange of ideas in coffeehouses and other public spaces • People of all classes enjoyed urban fairs and commercially produced entertainment • New religious movements like Pietism, Methodism, and Jansenism appealed to people of varied backgrounds