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What kind of people were the first colonists?
Many of the original colonists were upper-class Englishmen, and the colony lacked sufficient laborers and skilled farmers. The first two English women arrived at Jamestown in 1608, and more came in subsequent years. Men outnumbered women, however, for most of the 17th century.
How did the colonists change over time?
As Europeans moved beyond exploration and into colonization of the Americas, they brought changes to virtually every aspect of the land and its people, from trade and hunting to warfare and personal property. European goods, ideas, and diseases shaped the changing continent.
What were families like in New England colonies?
In the New England colonies, the early settlers immigrated in whole family units (now called nuclear families) composed of a father, mother, and children. They formed communities based on these nuclear families, which provided valuable stability for British colonial society.
Why did colonial families tend to be large?
Parents needed large families in order to protect themselves from poverty, and they had many children in order to ensure that some survived to work on their farms and to take care of them when they became too old to provide for themselves.
Why was family life in New England so different from family in the South?
The New England lifestyle was much different from that of the south. The denizens of New England lived longer and healthier lives than the inhabitants of the Southern colonies. Also, because the New England families came to the new world as a family unit, they were much more centered on keeping the family happy.
What was the economy of the colonies in the 1700s?
New World grains such as corn kept the colonists from starving while, in Virginia, tobacco provided a valuable cash crop. By the early 1700s enslaved Africans made up a growing percentage of the colonial population. By 1770, more than 2 million people lived and worked in Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies.
How did colonists build thriving colonies?
Still, colonists were able to build thriving colonies with the help of locals. Trade was one of the first bridges between New England colonists and local Native American populations.
How did the colonists survive in Virginia and Massachusetts?
In both Virginia and Massachusetts, the colonists flourished with some assistance from Native Americans. New World grains such as corn kept the colonists from starving while, in Virginia, tobacco provided a valuable cash crop. By the early 1700s enslaved Africans made up a growing percentage of the colonial population.
Why did the colonists come to America in the 1600s?
Colonial America (1492-1763) The Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock, December 1620 European nations came to the Americas to increase their wealth and broaden their influence over world affairs. The Spanish were among the first Europeans to explore the New World and the first to settle in what is now the United States.