History of the United States I / Unit 4 USH1 0473 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Gentility and William Byrd II
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The idea
To be genteel meant to be refined, free of all rudeness. The gentry modelled themselves on English aristocracy and advertised status through elaborate mansions.
In practice
William Byrd the Second of Westover, whose diaries record reading Hebrew and Greek.
Where people slip
One entry records his wife having a child named Jenny burned with a hot iron. Gentility and brutality shared a household.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
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