I. [ВОШ ДВИ МГУ, Ломоносов] Write an Essay on the Quotation

Student A (3–4 minutes): Set 1 — Benjamin Franklin

At the English Club, present key points about Benjamin Franklin for the project “Landmarks of American History.” Use the fact file headings:

• Franklin’s Legacy
• Franklin’s Social Origins and Rise
• Franklin and the Large Landowners
• His Social Identity

Set 1. Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

Use the following template for a presentation:

[Intro] Let me tell you a few words about.... . First, I will touch upon the historical background of …, then I will discuss…, finally …will be laid out/ I will talk about....  

[Body] As to …, … / Now, on to …. /As for…, ...? -

[Conclusion] To recap, … That’s all about … Thank you for listening.

[Inviting questions] If you have any questions or doubts, please, feel free to ask.

Student B (3–4 minutes): Set 2. From Quitrents to Freeholds: Landholding in Early America

At the English Club, present key points about the development of American capital before the War for Inependence for the project “Landmarks of American History.” Use the fact file headings:

• 1) The Ownership Rights of American Proto-Oligarchs
• 2) How Colonial Trade Freedoms Were Restricted (Concrete Rules)
• 3) Land Distribution from Early Colonial Times into the 18th Century
• 4) What Helped Freelanders
• 5) The Dutch Patroons System and How It Was Mitigated

This topic explains how land in early America was owned, distributed, and controlled, and why the American system gradually moved toward freehold ownership, unlike many European models. It also shows how colonial land practices influenced politics and social structure.

1) The Ownership Rights of American Proto-Oligarchs

In early America, land and economic power were not evenly distributed. Certain groups held disproportionate control and can be described as proto-oligarchs — elites who dominated land, trade, and politics.

In the southern colonies, wealthy plantation owners controlled vast estates worked by enslaved labor. Their economic power allowed them to dominate local governments and assemblies.

In the northern colonies, merchant elites accumulated power through shipping, overseas trade, banking, and urban property rather than through agriculture.

Some powerful British institutions, such as the East India Company, held exclusive trade monopolies that restricted colonial economic freedom. These monopolies were strongly criticized by colonial thinkers such as Benjamin Franklin.

2) How Colonial Trade Freedoms Were Restricted (Concrete Rules)

Colonial trade was limited by a set of British mercantilist laws designed to keep profits, shipping, and manufacturing advantages inside the empire. Below are the main concrete rules that restricted colonial trade freedom.

1) The Navigation Acts (shipping + routing rules)

• Rule 1 — Ships: Many colonial goods could be shipped only on English or colonial ships (not on Dutch/French ships). In practice, rules often required English-built ships and predominantly English crews.
• Rule 2 — “Enumerated goods”: Certain valuable exports (often listed as tobacco, sugar, cotton, indigo, and later rice and naval stores) could be sent only to England or to other English colonies, not directly to foreign buyers.
• Rule 3 — Routing through England: Many goods (especially when destined for Europe) were required or pressured to pass through English ports, where they could be unloaded, taxed, and re-exported by British merchants.

2) Limits on colonial manufacturing (to avoid competition)

• Rule 4 — No competing industry: Colonies were discouraged or restricted from producing finished goods that competed with British manufacturers. Examples included laws limiting the production or export of certain iron goods, hats, and woolen textiles.

3) Monopolies and exclusive companies

• Rule 5 — Chartered monopolies: Some sectors of trade were controlled by British monopoly companies (e.g., the East India Company), which had exclusive trading privileges and could block freer competition.

4) Customs enforcement and courts

• Rule 6 — Duties, inspections, paperwork: Colonial imports and exports were subject to customs duties, inspections, and documentation, which increased costs and limited flexibility.
• Rule 7 — Admiralty courts: Smuggling and trade disputes were often tried in admiralty courts, typically without a jury, under rules colonists viewed as biased toward imperial enforcement.

5) Currency and finance constraints

• Rule 8 — Limits on colonial money: Colonies faced restrictions on issuing paper currency and managing credit, contributing to cash shortages and dependence on British financial networks.

Quick summary: These rules constrained who colonists could trade with, how they could ship goods, and what they could manufacture, so that colonial commerce served British economic interests.

Finally, British elites — including company directors, financiers, and aristocratic landowners — invested heavily in colonial enterprises. Although they often lived in Britain, their wealth and legal privileges allowed them to shape colonial economies from afar.

3) Land Distribution from Early Colonial Times into the 18th Century

Land in the American colonies was officially granted by the Crown, colonial proprietors (such as William Penn or the Calvert family), or colonial governors and assemblies.

Several forms of landholding existed simultaneously. Some land was organized into large estates, while other plots were granted as small freeholds owned outright by individual settlers. Many colonists held land as leaseholders, meaning they rented it from large landowners. In theory, these leases required the payment of quitrents, small annual fees acknowledging the authority of the original grantor.

Legally, land ownership required official documents such as charters or patents. However, enforcement was inconsistent. Squatting was common, and although Native American land purchases and treaties existed, they were frequently contested or ignored.

What does “squatted land” mean?
Squatted land is land that people occupy and use without legal ownership or official permission. In practice, settlers moved onto land, built homes, or farmed it before receiving a formal title. In early America, this was especially common on the frontier, and such claims were sometimes later legalized.

4) What Helped Freelanders

Several factors worked in favor of small landowners, often called freelanders.

First, land was abundant while labor was scarce. Colonial authorities therefore offered generous land terms to attract settlers. Second, quitrents were often poorly enforced, and many colonists openly resisted paying them.

Colonial governments actively encouraged immigration, especially from groups such as German farmers, Quakers, and other religious minorities who sought land and independence. Colonial assemblies often supported small landholders rather than large absentee landlords.

Over time, squatted land was frequently legalized, especially on the frontier. As a result, freehold ownership became dominant, contributing to a more egalitarian political culture and a strong belief in property-based independence.

5) The Dutch Patroons System and How It Was Mitigated

One major exception to the freehold trend was the Dutch patroon system in the Hudson Valley.

In the 1620s, the Dutch West India Company granted enormous estates to wealthy patroons. These landowners controlled tenants, collected rents, and operated manorial courts, creating a semi-feudal system.

After the English took control of the region in 1664, they confirmed existing patroon titles in order to maintain political stability. As a result, these large estates survived well into the 18th century.

However, tenant resistance steadily grew. This culminated in the Anti-Rent War of the 1840s, which finally dismantled the remaining manorial privileges.

The Dutch were not punished for this system because control rested with a private trading company rather than the Dutch crown, the Dutch Republic lacked the power to resist England, and international agreements such as the Treaty of Breda (1667) favored pragmatic compromise over punishment.

Key idea: Early America experimented with different land systems, but economic conditions, political resistance, and abundant land pushed society toward freehold ownership, shaping a culture that valued independence, mobility, and political participation.

Use the following template for a presentation:

[Intro] Let me tell you a few words about.... . First, I will touch upon the historical background of …, then I will discuss…, finally …will be laid out/ I will talk about....  

[Body] As to …, … / Now, on to …. /As for…, ...? -

[Conclusion] To recap, … That’s all about … Thank you for listening.

[Inviting questions] If you have any questions or doubts, please, feel free to ask.

2. Q&A (2–3 minutes)

Answer two questions from your partner, using the fact file; otherwise, state your assumptions explicitly.