Who “roosted regally atop the social ladder” in the late 1700s in the new england and middle colonies ?

"Yet in contrast with seventeenth-century America, colonial society on the eve of the Revolution was beginning to show signs of stratification and barriers to mobility that raised worries about the “Europeanization”

The gods of war contributed to these developments as armed conflicts of the 1690s and early 1700s had enriched a number of merchant princes in the New England and middle colonies; they laid the foundations of their fortunes with profits made as suppliers

Roosting regally atop the social ladder, these elites now had money and they sported imported clothing and dined at tables laid with English china and gleaming silverware; prominent individuals came to be seated in churches and schools according to their social rank."

I'm not positive on this one but am like 60% sure that it's "The gods of war."

If I was helpful, great!

If not, I apologize!

a standing committee

explanation: