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Differences Between Middle Colonies And New England Colonies

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Introduction: The different colonies -- New England, Middle, and Southern -- all have things in common and they also have many differences. The way the colonial system was made is that if the colonies were to survive the husband and wife had to work together. However, there was definitely a difference in power between the father (was in control) and the mother (who cleaned and kept the house in order). New England Colonies: The New England Colonies had primarily English settlers, and in the seventeenth century, New England included the Plymouth Colony (1620, absorbed by Massachusetts Bay in 1691), the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630), Connecticut (1636), New Haven (1640), Rhode Island (1636), and New Hampshire (separated from Massachusetts …show more content…

The father’s job was to be the head of the household, with the mother as his main assistant. Under the father's authority, she took care of the house and the children. Most of the men along with their sons spent days in the fields working while younger children were in school. People who had more money could send their children to school, but the people with less money were forced to make their sons/children work. On the other hand, mothers in more rural areas (where poorer people lived) farmed with the men, while richer woman stayed home and took care of the household along with their children. No matter what social class the mothers were, they all knitted and sewed. Their husbands were chosen by their parents. Children had few toys in their homes and boys played sports with their family. During their free time the girls played with dolls. The wealthier families had enough money to buy their daughter's porcelain …show more content…

Instead, many people just owned small gardens near their homes where they could plant and grow crops. This led to a weak economy because they ended up not having a lot of food leftover for trade. Middle Colonies: The Middle Colonies included Delaware (1638), New Jersey, New York (1626), and Pennsylvania (1682). Like the New England Colonies the Middle Colony homes were generally very small and made of wood. However wealthier families could afford larger homes that were made of bricks while middle class families lived in log cabins. Clothing: The men wore shirts, breeches, and boots. Women dressed more nicely than woman of New England colonies as they wore dresses, and bonnets as opposed to long skirts and coifs. Children under the age of five usually dressed like their parents but instead of shoes, they wore slippers. Jobs/Family

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