Colonial Society Chapter 4 Section 2

The Family in Colonial Time The family played an important role in colonial America. Many people lived with their extended family. An extended family is a family that includes, in addition to parents and their children, other members such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

On The Farm Most colonists lived on a farm, where a large family was considered an advantage. Many hands were needed to operate a farm. Usually, farms were widely separated by dense forests. This made it necessary for families to be close and self-sufficient.

Responsibilities Each family member had many responsibilities. Family members helped plant, cultivate, and harvest crops. There was always fences to mend, animals to tend, and wood to chop.

Comfort By today’s standards, farmhouses were not very comfortable. Most were made of wood and had few rooms. People sat on stools and benches and slept on planks. Some houses had mattresses of corncobs, there were few utensils, and they were crudely made. New England and Middle Colonies winters were cold, and the only source of heat was a fireplace in the kitchen room. On cold winter nights, the family might huddle around the fire telling stories and shelling nuts.

Men, Women and Children The lives of men and women differed. A husband and father controlled a families income and property. Other family members were expected to accept his authority. In addition to fulfilling their home duties, men represented their families in public life as voters and, sometimes, as officeholders.

Marriage In colonial America, most women were expected to marry men chosen by their parents. In choosing, parents considered a man’s property, his religion, and their own family interests. Romantic love was not considered the most important reason to marry. When a woman married, her property and any money she might earn became her husband’s. A woman bore her husband many children and was expected to be his faithful helper in every way.

Role of Women Besides, childcare, a woman had many domestic responsibilities. She cooked, did the laundry, spun yarn into cloth that she made into the family’s clothes. She tended the chickens, churned butter, and preserved food. On the western front, a woman might help plow or pitch hay. If she lived in a town, she might keep a shop or an inn, or work as a baker, a printer or even an undertaker. Women had little or no public life. They could not vote or hold office. Turn to page 109 to see what a woman’s role was.

Young Children If you survived infancy children had about 7 years before they were required to work. Children played many games: marbles, hopscotch, leapfrog, and jump rope. Their toys were usually homemade. Girls played with dolls made of cornhusks and scraps of cloth and boys built houses of corncobs. Sometimes children played with a spinning top. Rich children enjoyed fine dolls and toy soldiers made in Europe.

Children’s Responsibilities On farms, children were expected to fetch water and wood and to help in the kitchen and in the fields. Boys were expected to work in the fields with their fathers, while girls labored beside their mothers learning how to run a house.

Boys and Trades Boys who learned trades, such as making shoes or building furniture, began as apprentices. An apprentice is someone who learns a trade by working for someone in that trade for a certain period of time. The apprentice would live in the home of the artisan. At the end of his apprenticeship, the young man was prepared to work independently.

America’s Appeal Many European colonists came to America hoping to build a better life than they had in Europe. In England and other European countries, land was the main measure of wealth. Land in Europe was in the hands of very few. America appeared to have land in abundance, offering immigrants the chance to own land.

Prospects In Europe, a person’s prospect (expectation) was determined by birth. In America, there was more social equality among settlers – white settlers. Still, there were many class distinctions.

Social Classes The Gentry – the upper class of colonial society. Included: wealthy planters, merchants, ministers, royal officials, and successful lawyers. Prosperous artisans, such as goldsmiths, were also considered gentry. Gentry were few in number, but they were the most powerful people.

The Middle Class The great majority of colonists from Europe were what colonist called “the middling sort.” Neither rich nor extremely poor, the middle class was made up of small planters, independent farmers and artisans. Middle class men could vote, and few held office. The middle class was mostly white, but some of its members were of African descent (about 1%)

Indentured Servants Lower on colonial America’s social scale, and just above enslaved Africans, were farmhands and indentured servants. An indentured servant signed a contract to work for 4 to 10 years in the colonies for anyone who would pay for his or her ocean passage to the Americas. In the 1600’s most indentured servants came from England. In the 1700’s, a growing number came from Ireland and Germany.

Indentured Servants cont. During their time of service, indentured servants had little rights if any. They were bound to obey their masters, who could work them to almost death. Those who disobeyed or tried to run away risked being whipped or having time added to the service. At the end of their time, indentured servants received 50 acres of land, a set of clothes and tools. About 1 indentured servant in 10 became a prosperous land owner.

Free African Americans Free people of African ancestry were not a large portion of the colonial population. In 1790, there were nearly 60,000 free African Americans compared to more than 757,000 enslaved Africans. Free Africans were allowed to own property, even in the south. This permitted them to become slave owners. Some free blacks, purchased relatives and freed them. Most African American land owners could not vote or sit on juries.