In colonial America, the experiences of women and children varied widely, amongst ethnic and social groups, and from colony to colony. They had fewer rights than women and children do today, all the same they had many responsibilities and activities that contributed to their families and communities.

The first European women who came to the Southern colonies were indentured servants, arriving in the Jamestown colony in the early 1600s. Though the "ideal" European family was headed by a man who presided over his family and business while his married woman only worked inside the home, this model did not work well in the early Southern colonies. Only surviving was difficult, and so all hands were needed to ensure that the colony could continue. Equally a effect, the social structure flattened a scrap, with land-owning men and women doing the same piece of work of farming and building settlements (alongside their servants and those they had enslaved, who were working on the aforementioned projects). Equally the Southern colonies became more established, society reverted to the European model, and white women began focusing on running the household, and managing servants and those they had enslaved. This was not truthful in every colony, nonetheless. The people who founded the northern colonies, like the Puritans, adhered to strict religious rules, and brought their European gender roles into the new world from the very start.

Regardless of the colony in which they lived, white women in colonial America had many responsibilities. They oversaw managing the household, including baking, sewing, educating the children, producing soap and candles, and more than. In the 18thursday century, social classes began evolving, and a new "middling" class arose. Sometimes women in that class would help their husbands in their careers as tavern owners, tradesmen, or businessmen. However, white women still had few rights. They could not vote, and they lost all their property in matrimony (though women had some holding rights). Childbearing in colonial times was unsafe, and women and children ofttimes died during childbirth.

White children in colonial America also had many responsibilities. In most colonies, they were taught to read past their parents, commonly and then they could study the Bible (the Christian holy book). Boys learned additional skills so they could go into business, farming, or trade, while girls learned household skills which varied depending on the family's social status. For instance, a daughter from a higher form—a privileged socioeconomic background—would learn etiquette and manners, hosting guests, and dancing, while a daughter from a lower class—a resource-poor background—would learn practical skills like lather-making. There was also time for play in middling and high-course families. Children played with board games, puzzles, and cards, and did activities like rolling hoops and playing an early version of bowling. Overall, the main goal of parents in colonial America was to prepare their children for machismo.

Women and Children in Colonial America

The freedoms and responsibilities afforded to white American women and children in the colonial era varied depending on their socioeconomic groundwork. Here, a Dutch colonial family from a relatively privileged groundwork is illustrated sitting effectually their tea table in the New York colony of the 1700s.

colonialism

Noun

blazon of government where a geographic area is ruled by a strange power.

colony

Noun

people and country separated by distance or culture from the government that controls them.

elite

Describing word

exclusive or the best.

ethnic grouping

Describing word

people sharing genetic characteristics, culture, language, faith or history.

etiquette

Noun

the rules indicating the proper and polite style to behave.

indentured servant

Noun

person under contract to work for another over a period of fourth dimension.

pious

Describing word

full of virtue and devotion.

privilege

Substantive

do good or special right.

settlement

Noun

community or village.

socioeconomic

Adjective

combination of social and economic factors.

socio-economical class

Noun

division in society based on income level and type of employment.

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    Director

    Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society

    Author

    National Geographic Society

    Production Managers

    Gina Borgia, National Geographic Society
    Jeanna Sullivan, National Geographic Club

    Program Specialists

    Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Lodge
    Margot Willis, National Geographic Social club

    Producer

    Clint Parks

    Last Updated

    April 28, 2020

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