Colonial Societies: Quick Facts (A2/B1)Online version
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- Theme-3. COLONIAL SOCIETIES: ECONOMY, RELIGION, AND DAILY LIFE
- Plans:
- 1. Regional economies and societies.
- 2. Religion and cultural diversity.
- 3. Slavery, labour, and daily life.
2
Puritan New England & Religion
- Puritan society was strongly religious, closely connected, and creative in politics.
- The Puritans believed America should become a special place chosen by God.
- Puritans described their goal as building a “City upon a Hill”.
- The economy of New England matched Puritan values.
- From the 1660s, Britain followed mercantilism.
- Colonies sent raw materials to England and bought finished goods.
- Trade with other countries was limited.
- The government used laws, taxes, and support for local industries in England to control trade.
- The first successful English colony in North America was Jamestown, founded May 14, 1607.
- Life in Jamestown was hard; tobacco became the main product of Virginia.
- Virginia’s economy depended on tobacco exports by the late 1600s.
- Plantation owners used indentured servants at first; Africans later became the main labor source.
5
Family Life in New England
- In New England, most people were small farmers.
- Within families, men controlled property and finances.
- When women married, they usually took their husband’s last name.
- Couples usually married between ages 20 and 24; families often had six to eight children.
- Women worked at home: spinning wool, knitting, candles, soap, butter.
6
Labor & Slavery in the Colonies
- Indentured servants vs. enslaved people: White servants worked 7 years; Black servants for life.
- Freedom in colonial America was often a trick for Black people: many restrictions remained.
- After 1865 slavery ended, but new laws and labor systems followed (Black Codes, convict labor, sharecropping).
- Enslaved Africans grew naturally in some colonies and became a large population by 1860.
- Plans: 1. Regional economies and societies.
- 2. Religion and cultural diversity.
- 3. Slavery, labour, and daily life.
- Puritan New England and Religious communities.
- Puritans founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. William Bradford became their main leader.
- Puritan society was strongly religious, closely connected, and creative in politics.
- New England: small farms; higher standard of living; trade, shipbuilding, fishing, farming, logging.
- The first successful English colony in North America was Jamestown, May 14, 1607.
- Life in Jamestown was hard; tobacco became the main product of Virginia.
- Virginia’s economy depended on tobacco exports by the late 1600s.
- In the colonies, indentured servants existed; white servants served 7 years, Black servants for life.
- After Bacon’s Rebellion (1676), African slaves became the main source of labor.
- Enslaved Africans brought to American colonies numbered about 305,000; population grew by natural increase to about 4 million by 1860.
11
Colonial Government & Society
- Three main types of government: royal (provincial), proprietary, and charter colonies.
- Royal colonies included New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, etc.; king appointed the governor.
- Early threats: disease, hunger; high death rates among newcomers.
- New England families: men controlled property; women cared for home and children.
- Marriages often between ages 20–24; 6–8 children per family, 3 reached adulthood.
- Sons received land; daughters received household items; arranged marriages were rare.
- Question 1: What became the main product of Virginia by the late 1600s?
a) Rice
b) Tobacco
c) Cotton - Question 2: Which colony was founded by Puritans aiming to reform the church?
a) Plymouth
b) Massachusetts Bay
c) Jamestown - Question 3: How long did white servants work compared to Black servants?
a) 7 years vs life
b) 5 years vs 10 years
c) 3 years vs 7 years - Question 4: What system replaced indentured servitude for many enslaved people in the late 17th century?
a) Feudalism
b) Sharecropping
c) Slavery for life
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