Almanacs and the New Middle Class: New England and Nova Scotian Influences and Middle-Class Hegemony in Early Prince Edward Island
Authors
Matthew G. Hatvany
Abstract
The dichotomous messages found in the almanacs of Prince Edward Island in the
early nineteenth century reveal much about the emergence of an often conservative
and yet commercially oriented middle class in the colony. A close analysis of
almanacs clearly indicates the presence of intricate sets of socio-economic relationships
between this rising middle class and the humbler classes. The editor’s choice
of materials was intended for two distinct audiences: the underclasses of tenants
and labourers, who were encouraged to be industrious and were forewarned of the
results of indolence; and an upper class which was in a position to benefit from
advice on labour management and capitalist relations.
