The Social Views Of Women, Slavery, Farming And Trading

As Colonial Virginia entered into the 17th century, it was a land marked with opportunity to make a new and also, most importantly, profitable life in the New World. (Cutter Lecture) When the century began, however, it was not the citizens as a whole hoping to make a profit from this new land but rather a small group of greedy landowners profiting off of the work of their indentured servants. (CL) Sure the indentured servants were given a chance to fulfill their contract and one day become free to pursue their own dreams, but the likelihood of this in the beginning was next to none due to harsh living conditions. (CL) According to Richard Frethorne in 1623, "nor is there nothing to be gotten here

Puritanism was a major belief during the 1500s-1700s, Puritans believed that you are required to devote your whole life to the Lord. In order to be a Puritan you had to glorify God by attending church, report sinners, and show God’s grace through your own actions. In

During the 18th century, indentured servitude had become very common in British North America; this was one way many poor Europeans could come to America for a “better” life. In order to emigrate to the American colonies, they would sign long-term labor contracts, to pay off the debt they picked up when they wanted to come to the American colonies. The primary source, “Gottlieb Mittelberger on the Trade in Indentured Servants” is written by Mittelberger himself in 1750, who was an emigrant that arrived in British North America as an indentured servant. In this source, he explains the negatives of coming to British North America; the ups and downs he faced, for instance: the long and horrible voyage conditions, and the sale of human beings once they had landed.

The Puritans were a religious group of people who came from England to America in the 1600’s. As Protestants, they relied heavily on the Bible as the guide for every part of their lives. They used these biblical principles as the basis for their laws and marriage. The Puritans had very strict rules about how men and women should act in a marriage and had very harsh penalties for those who broke these rules. According to Matthew Glass and Edward Queen, “During the Colonial Period, Protestant Americans viewed sex as a fundamental feature of married life, enabling reproduction as well as providing an outlet for feelings.” Because they felt this was an important part of marriage, the Puritan laws were meant to be followed. As society gained more people, sex became more widespread which made the officials of the church look for more ways to stop the desire to do anything. Overall, the Puritans had meticulous standards for individuals, immoderate laws and punishments, habits and daily life which were strictly formed by decisive ways.

The Puritans belief set is simple: If you commit a sin, you are guilty and punished by execution. The Patriarchy, which is a system, society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male line, is the foundation of this religion. Women could be guilty of almost anything if a man accused her of it. The governing council is only made up of men and they keep a strict hold on everyone in the community. Their harsh laws are based off of the Old Testament. “In Hawthorne's story Governor Bellingham and his fellow magistrates used this vision not only to unite the community, but to control, by humiliation, banishment, or death, any wayward member” (Hodges 5). This way of thinking ensued fear into women. They were taught to never speak out or act in any unholy manner. So, when Hester gave birth to a child who did not belong to her husband, she was no longer treated with any respect. “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the

They believed that everyone that learns how to read and write has direct, personal contact with god. This required the children to read the bible. The americans at the same time as the puritans had a different education. The americans had schools but girls weren't

This made indentured servitude, America’s first labor system, appealing to immigrants because it gave them a chance to improve their lives. Indentured servants consisted of mostly young men and some women who signed a contract to work a specific length of time for an employer, also called the master. The length of servitude intially ranged between three to seven years. Servants gained passage to America, food, clothing, and shelter.. Upon completion of their contract, servants were to receive their freedom dues. These dues included land, barrels of corn, and a few articles of clothing. Many also received extra dues such as a horse or cow and specific tools for trade depending on their gender. In return, an employer had laborers to tend their fields and more land was awarded to them for each servant he brought over from England. The purchase of indentured servants was almost three times cheaper than the purchase of African slaves that started coming to Virginia from the Caribbean. The indentured system seemed to beneficial for both the laborer as well as the employer,

Life in England during the early 1600’s was harsh for a multitude of the poor. The country was just coming out of the Thirties Year’s War with a flood of citizens and laborers displaced. In fact, PBS (2015) indicated that “the timing of the Virginia colony was ideal.” The Thirty Year 's War had left Europe 's economy depressed, and many skilled and unskilled laborers were without work. A new life in the New World offered a glimmer of hope; this explains how one-half to two-thirds of the immigrants who came to the American colonies arrived as indentured servants” (para. 3). This opportunity for those willing to receive free passage to the New World and start a new life was enticing. Granted, the work was difficult it was not without reward.

Throughout the 1600s to 1700s, the American colonies expanded and developed very quickly despite societal tension with the Native Americans, politics, economics, and religion. During these times, tension led many times to conflict. Both Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676 and the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 reflected the growing gap between rich and poor, but were fueled by two different scapegoats respectively, the Indians and religious superstition.

A person under contract to work for another person for a definite period of time, usually without pay but in exchange for free passage to a new country is known as an indentured servant. The servant would become a free man after their debt was paid off. The indentured servant played an important role in the American labor scene from the early seventeenth century to the third decade of the nineteenth century (Heavner 1). Many regions of colonial America had issues with obtaining a big enough labor supply to get work done. Indentured servitude was an initial solution to this problem developed by the Virginia Company and used throughout the British colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (Galenson 9).

New England became a new start for the people of Europe who had crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Opportunities blossomed everywhere one looked; whether it was new items of trade or the entire land itself, waiting to be discovered. However, as people began to settle into their new home, one thing was certain: the social orders of Europe had traveled with them. Women were meant to stay home and men were meant to work. Women had little involvement in the choices made for their well being, and were required to follow all orders from the dominant male population. Just as people began to migrate to America, witchcraft was still a major fear amongst the people of England, and women were a primary target for these accusations. It was simply the way life was for these New Englanders, and nobody found the inspiration to end this awful oppression. As the colonies began to break away from Britain, however, few key women stepped up and took matters into their own hands. Authors Alfred Young and Carol Karlsen dive readers into the early and later times of New England. Karlsen allows us to understand the dynamics of witchcraft in the mid-to-late 1600’s and how women were so easily accused of such acts. During this time period, women were very much under the radar and any wrongdoings could be detrimental for their reputation and ultimately their lives. Young, on the other hand, takes the reader forward in time to the revolution and how a particular woman fought for her people in battle. By

They had man opinions on moral beliefs and the actions of being in a marriage. Puritan women were associated with negative opinions and of being held down for purposes of their husband. Puritan women often suffered many consequences due to the “wrong doing” actions of themselves and the unsavory actions of their spouses. They too were to remain loyal to their husbands, and if not they were given a punishment

In their society the Puritans based their lives, beliefs, and communities on what they deemed as God's law and true word, the bible (Barger). Reading the bible was expected for the members of society, this included women and children, which was often unheard of (Foner 66) at that time. With their lives being restricted to the word of the bible this left very little leeway for anything other than what was deemed acceptable, and this rigid way of life was another straw that led to the eventual troubles and fervor that took over.

One huge part of the slave business was the use of indentured servants. These people were not total slaves. In fact, they were just working to gain citizenship in the states. In the seventeenth century, they were relied on heavily for labor. In fact, they were relied on more than actual slaves. However, about three fifths of the way through the century, plantation owners quit using them. They figured out that people did not want to do

Early colonists relied heavily on farming to sustain life in the New World, for self-sustainability as well as for trade with Native Americans and England. As farms and plantation grew, so did the need for manual labor. Originally, the land owners adopted England’s tradition of indentured servant. Indentured servants were people that would pay their debts with time and labor. For example, the lower class of the population in England, wanting to travel to the new world, would sign an indenture agreement stating that if a higher class citizen would fund their travels, they would work for the landowner for an agreed upon amount of time once they arrived. At the end of their servitude, they would be released and provided the basic means of survival.