ABSTRACT
The impact of the Renaissance in the form of the Georgian tradition was felt at different times in 18th century colonial America; earlier in the metropolitan centers - ca. 1700. Deeply rooted in an earlier medieval tradition, the culture of the Puritan separatist colonist was conservative, potentially self-sufficient, and heavily shaped by religious attitude. In Plimoth one finds that a merchant who was poorer than a yeoman farmer might have had much more matched, structured material culture sets than the yeoman farmer. The impact of the Georgian world view on the older medieval-derived New England folk culture led to a third cultural system, which can be viewed as the first popular culture to appear in America. As Glassie has pointed out, when one walks into a pre-Georgian medieval-derived house, one walks right into the middle of the whole seething range of activities from childbearing to cooking, homecraft, and sleeping, all happening in one hall.
