ASD Libraries: G08: Continuity and Change over Time: Social

Relationships

Children
Adults believed that children were to be humble and submissive. Adults believed that children were born with a sin nature that must be broken. This nature was based upon the original sin of Adam and thus has been passed along to every generation. Temptations were all around and therefore children needed to fit against the sin nature in order to strive to improve themselves at all times.

Settlers on the Eastern Shore, 1607-1750 by John A. Scott
Call Number: 973.2 SCO
ISBN: 0816023271
Publication Date: 1990

Religion and Culture in North America, 1600–1700
Half of the settlers in the southern colonies came to America as indentured servants—laborers working on four- to seven-year contracts to repay an agency or person for passage across the Atlantic. Once free of their contract, they were given a small tract of land in the colony. The exception to this rule was African slaves.

The New-England Courant
The New-England Courant, founded in 1721, was the creation of James Franklin, Benjamin's big brother. The 15-year-old Benjamin was a printer's apprentice for the Courant, Boston's third newspaper. Never content simply to set type, young Benjamin Franklin invented Silence Dogood, a fictional widow of a country minister who held strong opinions. Silence contributed 14 pieces to the Courant, which were well received.

Debating the Issues in Colonial Newspapers by David A. Copeland
Call Number: 973.2 COP
ISBN: 9780313309823
Publication Date: 2000
For every major event or issue of the colonial period, newspapers printed the opinions of the day, in many cases attempting to influence public opinion. Issues such as medical discoveries, education, and censorship are covered in this collection along with important events such as the French and Indian War, the trial of John Peter Zenger, and the Boston Massacre. Each chapter introduces the event or issue and includes news articles, letters, essays, even poetry representing both sides of the argument as they affected Americans. Each document is preceded by an explanatory introduction. This is the only collection of primary source documents from colonial newspapers on the events of the era and will be a valuable tool for research and classroom discussion.

SOCIETY AND CULTURE OF COLONIAL AMERICA
Society and culture in colonial America (1565-1776) varied widely among ethnic and social groups, and from colony to colony, but was mostly centered around agriculture as it was the primary venture in most regions. While New England had small family farms, the southern colonies had large plantations that required slave labor. Religion also played a major role in shaping some local cultures; many people who colonized North America were fleeing religious persecution in their home country and implemented strict religious-based rules in the colonies where they settled.