Chapter 3 New England Colonies of the Seventeenth Century

Colonial Men and Women-Family was the source of social and cultural identities for the colonists

-The various societies grew to be increasingly different from their neighbors because of their environments and their economic strengths

-They differed in their labor force, the land available, the demographics of their settlements, and how they were commercially tied to European markets

Creating Unified Colonies -Having a shared language and religion gradually brought them closer to each other

-Parliament started establishing a uniform set of rules for the expanding American empire

-By the end of the 1600s the colonies of England were apart of a growing empire that needed raw materials and depended on these colonies to purchase manufactured goods

-It was not racially equal with slavery being accepted and oppression common

New England -The people of New England were able to create the society they desired

-They were most successful than their neighbors because of their dependence on family

-This brought more stability and structure than what was seen in other colonies

-Family was also seen as essential to the structure of Puritan society

The Patriarch-The family was ruled by the patriarch - the father

-He was the source of authority and object of unquestionable obedience

-The wife helped raise the children but all decisions were made by the husband

-These families preserved English customs better than the single men who lived in the other colonies on their own

Social Structure Change-The population of New England was high

-People lived longer and this changed the family dynamic with grandparents being able to influence the lives of multiple generations

-The men of these older generations created the concept of the patriarch because of their seniority in the community and in the home

The Family-Family began with marriage between two young people

-Land was a necessity for the marriage to be a financial success - ladies brought a dowry to the marriage in the form of goods or cash

-Usually they stayed in the same community as their parents and started their own farm

-Towns were all collections of certain families and had few strangers

The Church-Congregational churches were the center of the community and all community members wanted to be full church members

-This created issues with generations of people who did not give testimonials - they were just baptized into the church

-The Church responded with the Half-Way Covenant

-It allowed the grandchildren of full community members to be baptized even if their parents were not full members

Education-Education was a family responsibility and parents were to teach children

-Education about Christianity and knowing the words of the Bible meant teaching children how to read - boys and girls

-The Massachusetts General Court even required towns with more than fifteen families to open an elementary school (1647)

-The first college in the United States was Harvard College (1638) and was followed with Yale College (1702)

The Role of Women-Women worked alongside their husbands in maintaining households

-Many raised game birds for extra income for the family or themselves

-Most women were church members

-Many women were drawn to be Quakers because of the equality preached by them

-They could not own property and divorces were rare

Social Class-The colonies did not draw the poor and did not draw the very rich

-Social class came about through wealth and education used to gain social status

-Church membership was usually a must to be considered

-Most people were yeomen - independent farmers - who had their own lands

-A great majority of people worked as servants in their youth before they were able to acquire their own land or inherit from family members