Colonial Life in America

Colonial Life in America

Maria Torres

History 101
March 22, 2013

Colonial life in America was dynamic and to see any differences, a person would have to look at each colony based on the region it was in. Each colonial region had its own perks and advantages; it also housed its own setbacks and frustrations. America was already being utilized for its resources since before the Spaniards decided to make that historical voyage, but the way in which the people grew, maintained, and harvested the land has been steadily maintained . Way of life differed as well depending on whether or not an individual was male or female. Colonial life in America did have its fair share of hardships and equality issues; America has come a long way since then. New England, the Middle Colonies, the South, and some Western and backcountry frontiers were the societies which created what is modern America. Although they overlap in time socially, economically, and religiously these colonies differed. The differences among life in each of these colonies, generally speaking, will be further analyzed according to the region these colonies were in.
New England colonies were made up of religious Puritans. The Puritan religion prominently put men at the head of the household; women were not seen as a power house in a marriage or socially [1]. The women lived to serve the husband and were tasked as “helpmates” [1]. Economically, New England colonies lived off of farming and agriculture, but rocky farms and hard to manage land made it difficult [2]. Farming, in time, was not seen as essential in bringing in complete revenue for New England farmers, so they set their sights out to sea. Fishing has been an integral part of the New England lifestyle and so has grown in commerce. Socially, New England colonies were middle-class people made up of English immigrants. The people in this region lived simple lives, but the neighboring colonies followed different routines in order to take advantage...