Colonial Life: Patterns of Society Luke, Jake, Matt, Josh

The Plantation Plantations were very important to Southerners, and they first emerged in Virginia and Maryland Tobacco became the economic basis of the Chesapeake. Relatively small, the plantations were; relatively high, the death rate was.

The Plantation (cont.) If plantations were far from towns, they tended to be self-communities, which include great houses, service buildings, barns, and sometimes schools and chapels if they were rich. Families of the plant owners could rely on slaves to do their household chores. South society was highly stratified. Plantation owners controlled small farmers, who became majority of South Agrarian population.

Plantation Slavery By the mid-eighteenth century, over ¾ of all blacks lived on plantations of at least ten slaves Africans developed a society and culture of their own influenced by their white masters Most of the time, slaves received harsh treatment from their masters, but it was occasionally a good relationship

Plantation Slavery (cont.) The most frequent form of resistance for blacks from slavery was running away Most slaves worked as field hands on small plantations, but sometimes they learned trades and crafts Eventually, some slaves were able to buy their freedom

The Puritan Community A very different form of community Towns ran themselves as opposed to being run by a common government The structure of the town reflected the spirit of the Covenant

Cities Cities in colonial times were vastly different from modern cities Though the largest colonial community was only a bit bigger than today’s smaller towns, they were classified as cities in the eighteenth century The two largest ports – Philadelphia & New York – had populations of 28,000 and 25,000

Cities (cont.) Colonial cities served as trading centers for the farmers of their regions and as marts for international trade Cities were also the centers of much of what industry there was in the colonies Cities were particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in trade, so the effects on merchants and residents were severe

The Witchcraft Phenomenon Occurred from the 1680’s to 1690’s Targeted middle-aged women who were widowed Happened in Salem, Massachusetts