Chapter 4 Section 2 Prentice Hall America History of Our Nation Colonial Life

1. Chapter 4 Section 2
Colonial Society
Prentice Hall
America
History of
Our Nation
A. Barnette
2013

2. The Family in Colonial Times
 Farm Life
◦ Extended families
◦ Responsibilities for
each family member
◦ Self-sufficient
◦ Uncomfortable
furnishings
◦ Made their own
entertainment

3. The Family in Colonial Times
 City Life
◦ Easier to live as a
single person
◦ Single people
usually lived as a
servant or in a
boarding house
◦ Family ties still
important

4. Men, Women, and
Children
Each had different important roles in the family.

5. Men, Women, and Children
 Men-had authority
over household
and acted as the
family
representative

6. Women
 A woman was expected to
marry, not because of
love, but because her
parents thought the man
would be the best fit
religiously, socially, and
economically for her.
 She submitted to the
husband’s authority, and
acted as his helpmeet.
 She did household chores
of the time: churning,
spinning yarn, sewing,
cleaning, cooking over an
open fire, tending to the
“close in” needs like
milking, chicken feeding,
garden tending.
 She couldn’t vote.

7. Children
 Unless they were
wealthy, children
usually had
homemade toys.
 By the age of 7, they
had responsibilities
that grew with them.
 Boys might be sent
to live away from the
family as an
apprentice to learn a
trade.

8. Social Classes
 The major
determinant of
social class was
how much land one
owned.
 Social class tended
to be constant for
generations, but
could be improved
in the colonies.

9. The Gentry
 The Upper Class
◦ Wealthy planters
◦ Royal officials
◦ Merchants
◦ Successful lawyers
◦ Extremely
successful artisans
◦ Often felt a great
responsibility to
serve their
community

10. The Middle Class
 Not rich or poor
◦ Small planters
◦ Independent farmers
◦ Artisans
◦ White colonists and
free blacks
◦ Could vote
◦ A growing segment
of society in the
colonies

11. Indentured Servants
 They contracted their
service for a number
of years in order to get
the opportunity to live
in the colonies.
 They were often
treated cruelly.
 If they endured the
contract period, they
might receive little
land and some
essential needs.
 They often remained
poor.

12. Free African Americans
 There were only
about 60,000 free
African American
people, as
opposed to
757,000 slaves.
 Some bought, sold,
and held slaves
themselves.
 They could own
property, but could
not vote.