Question

To what extent does the diary provide evidence for Byrd's self-fashioning as both a colonial American elite and a British subject?

Answer 1

William Byrd's diary provides evidence of his self-fashioning as a colonial American elite and a British subject through his involvement in the plantation system, social status, ownership of enslaved people, loyalty to the British Empire, adherence to Protestantism, and connections with British culture.

Step-by-step explanation:

William Byrd's diary provides evidence for his self-fashioning as both a colonial American elite and a British subject. As a Virginia planter, Byrd belonged to the colonial American elite, and his diary shows his involvement in the plantation system, his social status, and his ownership of enslaved people. At the same time, Byrd's diary also reflects his identification as a British subject through his loyalty to the British Empire, his adherence to Protestantism, and his connections with British culture and customs.