<center><h2><strong>Aristocratic Athenians </strong></h2>></center>

by: Sarah LaRose

Social disparity has existed from the days of the earliest cavemen. There was always at least one caveman who excelled above the rest; he dined on the finest mastodon steaks, had the nicest cave dwelling and the best fur garments. Since the dawn of time there has continued to be some semblance of a caste system. From the emperors of early civilizations to the royal monarchy of the middle ages to the present day billionaires of the business world, stark differences between class levels have continued to separate society and culture. The antebellum period in America was certainly no exception and neither were the activities and people of Athens, Georgia. Within the community, as with other regions of the country, a complex hierarchical system existed to guide social norms and daily activities. Much like the present day wealthy, the social elite of Athens during this period experienced a heightened standard of living. Furthermore, Athens aristocrats of the antebellum period had the privilege of greater technological comforts and more social interaction. Likewise, the wealthy citizens of Athens were greatly affected by the distinct customs and essential institutions that further shaped their world. Undoubtedly, the University served as a mechanism for establishing Athens as a center of culture and knowledge for the region’s affluent elite. Primary sources and the depictions of events of the past help to convey how the social sphere of southern aristocracy was developed, practiced and over time, modified. Through observing the daily activities of the Athens, Georgia social elite one can gain a greater knowledge of what life was like for the wealthy, particularly southerners, of the mid nineteenth century.

Lifestyles of the Athens Elite

Through closely examining the standards of everyday practices among the Athens aristocracy, a more comprehensive understanding of antebellum life can be achieved. By the early nineteenth century Athens had already become a bustling cultural center. The university attracted wealthy people who wished to be a part of the expanding social and scholastic opportunities and wanted to educate their children.1 From this new influx of citizens the city continued to grow and flourish and as a result a distinct class of affluent residents began to emerge. Planters, manufacturers and successful businessmen largely made up this elite group. The aristocratic citizens of Athens, like those in other parts of the country, enjoyed an overall higher standard of living than that of their less prosperous counterparts. In the book Annals of Athens, Georgia 1801-1901, author Augustus Longstreet Hull relates an account of his own family’s attendants. There were sixteen slaves; two were cooks, one laundress, one nurse, three seamstresses, one housemaid, a carriage driver (who was also the gardener), a general utility man and many children. Additionally his sister had a maid and his brother a valet.2 Such a listing demonstrates the practice of the wealthy to maintain an extensive staff of slaves and attendants. Undeniably, agricultural commerce played a crucial role in maintaining the South’s economy as well as the social ranking of the elite. A newspaper selection from 1846 illustrates the strong relationship between a thriving market and slaves as demonstrated by classified advertisements for numerous agricultural products within the same space as a notice offering a reward for the return of several runaway slaves.3 Without the slave workforce the aristocratic planters of the South would not have been able to maintain the substantial plantations which provided the bulk of income for wealthy southerners.

In addition to maintaining a servant crew, Athens elite also enjoyed fine homes and the most advanced styles of clothing fashion. As was similar in other regions of the country, Athens’ wealthy residents typically owned either two to three story townhouses in town or sprawling plantation manors in the countryside.4 Candles, carpets and various types of fine furnishings helped to enhance the interior of an aristocratic home. Objects such as elaborate candelabras and feather beds indicated that the owners of such finery were of the upper class. Today, just as during the nineteenth century, a person’s wealth is often shown by material possessions. Likewise, as is customary nowadays, clothing choice and hairstyle revealed much about the affluence and character of antebellum people. The men and women of Athens were made aware of new trends in hair and fashion by newspaper ads and publications.5 The upper class people of Athens wore their hair in the most up-to-date styles. Similarly, aristocrats’ manner of dress was yet another mechanism that served to further separate them from the lower classes. Members of Athens’ elite wore clothing made of fine silk, linen, woolen and satin as well as items such as pocket watches, neck-chains, bracelets and rings.6 By living in ornate homes and adorning themselves with the finest fashions, aristocratic Athenians enjoyed a courtly way of life and thus were easily able to set themselves apart from more common citizens.

The Effect of Technological Advances

In conjunction with attaining a higher standard of living, the vast majority of wealthy Athenians also enjoyed the convenience of the technological innovations of the day. Specifically, there were many advancements which not only allowed the wealthy to live more comfortably but by simply having access to them also largely defined the financially elite as such. Like other aristocrats of the nineteenth century, wealthy citizens of Athens were privileged with the conveniences of finer cooking stoves and portable gas lamps.7 For the wealthy Athenians who could afford them, each of these innovations on an earlier concept helped make home life more comfortable and convenient. While items like the portable gas lamp and the cooking stove were more practical to everyday life, objects such as the pianoforte were extravagant novelties that only the most affluent Americans were able to possess. They were: “The ultimate badge of gentility…the only thing that distinguishes ‘decent people’ from the lower and less distinguished whether it was played or not.”8 Through the simple possession of a pianoforte an aristocratic Athenian was able to make it clear that the owners of such an item were unmistakably of the cultured elite class.

The method of asserting one’s wealth by way of material possessions was not a new idea, nor did it die out with the people of the antebellum era. Just as is common in today's society, the developments and inventions of the nineteenth century intrigued the people of Athens. Because the wealthy had the means and desire to own the newest and the best of everything, the elite of antebellum Athens were kept abreast of the newest inventions and advancements being made. The announcement in the Athens newspaper of a new improvement in wheels and carriages that could be applied to running steam carriages illustrates the desire of Athenians to have access to the latest in current innovations.9 The ownership of various forms of technology allowed wealthy citizens to enjoy a more comfortable lifestyle. Thus, elite Athenians were subsequently able to enjoy more social interaction and leisure time.

Parties, Commencement and Other Occasions for Social Interaction

With an increased amount of free time wealthy citizens typically enjoyed various social occasions and forms of entertainment and recreation. One of the foremost methods of setting aristocrats apart from the common folk was the number and formality of social gatherings in which they were routinely involved. During the antebellum period across the span of America it was customary for upper class citizens to host and likewise attend lavish gatherings. In February of 1846 an announcement in the Southern Banner notified the citizens of Athens that one of the city’s prominent couples would be hosting an extravagant affair at the Town Hall.10 It was through this established practice of parties such as the aforementioned that the elite mingled amongst themselves and further refined the growing distinctions of the social culture of the day.

Numerous records relate how the social elite of the antebellum period responded to the encroachment of common culture. Typically, the reaction of the wealthy was to attempt to separate themselves from the lower classes by withdrawing into their own familiar spaces. Additionally, aristocrats would transform strangers so that their cultural prejudices and methods of conduct fit those of the wealthy. Finally, the elite would alter public spaces to fit the rules, preferences, and behaviors of these places to fit their own lifestyles.11 Wealthy Athenians were no exception; just like the elite in other parts of the country they too looked to distinguish themselves from lower class people.

Undoubtedly, the presence of the University greatly effected the social interactions of Athens residents. The University’s commencement exercises each spring were a warrant for grand social events, perhaps the year’s most important affair. Every year the University’s commencement celebrations would attract the wealthy and ambitious from around the region who desired to be connected to the event’s cultural affairs.12 The occasion was not only an opportunity for celebration but also a chance for important social interaction amid the elite from Athens, across the state and from many other areas of the Southeast. Over time commencement day developed into a weeklong occasion which, in addition to the awarding of diplomas, included sermons, speeches, exhibitions, dances and many other festivities. Leading state political figures would typically travel to Athens for this essential occasion for social interaction.13

Events such as commencement and other social affairs were an occasion for the antebellum elite to flex their proverbial affluence muscle. One’s rate of wealth was a certain sign of social position.14 Therefore, members of the upper class typically looked for every opportunity to further establish themselves as the prominent and elite of the community. An Athens newspaper article from 1845 relates an anecdote of a young man whom always graciously paid for social occasions as a means to impress his fellow members of the elite class.15 This man was popularly considered to be a generous and amiable member of the community. Although he garnered a fairly significant wage, he was not within the means to be living such a frivolous lifestyle. He carried on this facade, however, at the expense of neglecting to pay his poor washerwoman her small earning and thus left her struggling to get by. This episode is a powerful example of the importance that many members of the upper class gave to maintaining the outward appearance and material proof of their wealth.

The University as a Cultural Center for the Wealthy

Often, education and knowledge correlate with wealth and prestige. Subsequently, most major universities were founded by and continue to be funded by wealthy beneficiaries who have had a vested interest in the university’s growth and development. The city of Athens and the University of Georgia that has developed within it are certainly an example of just such a relationship. Wealthy parents who sought an education for their sons often relocated to Athens in order to live in the vicinity of the University. The university allowed young boys from aristocratic families to get an education but perhaps more importantly gain connections that would follow them throughout their lives and into their commercial transactions.16 Throughout the year numerous social affairs such as lectures, music, drama and oratory were centered around the institution. Guest lecturers from around the nation spoke on various topics ranging from mesmerism and phrenology to astronomy and poetry. Thus the elite used the pedagogical opportunities which sprung forth from the University to enrich their cultural prowess.

In addition to the University providing a springboard for the education and cultural refinement of the elite’s young men, Athens also provided an opportunity for the city’s wealthy young women to benefit from living amidst such cultural development. There are several accounts of parties centered around the University in which it is noted that the women in attendance were more resourceful, friendly and intelligent than their counterparts in other areas of the nation.17 Although women were not actually admitted to the University as students, they customarily benefited from its educational opportunities and were often allowed to be in attendance of many of the various forms of entertainment that frequented the University. Even if the aristocratic women of Athens’ benefits from the University itself were only passive, there were a number of other social opportunities centered around the University that wealthy women could enjoy. They were allowed to play ceremonial roles in Independence Day celebrations, demonstrate their rhetorical skills at May Day festivals and serve on visiting committees of the Benevolent Society.18 Thus even the prominent women of Athens were able to, albeit somewhat indirectly, benefit from the University’s status as a center of culture and entertainment.

Today Athens, Georgia is often hailed as the “Classic City”. A center of music, athletics, arts, sciences, literature and learning, Athens serves as somewhat of a cultural center. Citizens during the antebellum period of the nineteenth century, like today, found Athens to be an intriguing fusion of cultural growth and social interaction. Through a myriad of different amenities, aristocratic Athenians experienced lifestyles of a heightened standard of comfortable living. The ownership of slaves, fine residences and the latest in fashion trends marked elite citizens as such. Moreover, wealthy Athenians were treated to the most innovative and inventive forms of technology. Items such as the cooking stove and the portable gas lamp allowed those who could afford such items to live in greater comfort while also affording the owner more leisure time. Events such as commencement and lavish parties given by wealthier citizens allowed prominent Athenians the means to further their social initiatives. Wealthy members of upper class society were constantly looking for ways in which to assert themselves as such and the University provided an effective forum to do so. Amidst the university setting, Athens developed as a center of entertainment and cultural development. Wealthy Athenians were regularly treated to the latest in popular culture and current knowledge. The city of Athens was a frequent stop along lecture circuits and traveling forms of entertainment. Thus through examining a wide variety of factors that made Athens into the bustling center of cultural growth that it was, one can gain a greater knowledge of what life was like for Americans of the antebellum period of the nineteenth century.