CHAPTER 4
Seventeenth-Century American Life, 1607–1692

1. Chesapeake Colonies (pp. 66–70)

a. Read the first section about the diseases, high mortality rates, and predominantly male society that evolved in the Chesapeake colonies. *** If you are male, would you have been motivated to leave England for this environment? If you are female, would you have considered emigrating? Why or why not?

-Being a woman, I would have considered emigrating because living in the Chesapeake was extremely dangerous and unhealthy. Raising a child was even more dangerous, because they could quickly catch disease and myself as well, leaving the child helpless. The upside of living in the Chesapeake and which could have made me stay was …ver más…

Slaves, on the other hand, had no rights and belonged to their masters. Rebelling to this would result in their deaths and so it was easier to stay put and try to stand the work.

c. Read the insert section about Africans in America. What two elements of the emerging African-American culture and religion impressed you the most?

(1) Jazz culture

(2) Words introduced to the English language from African dialects

3. Southern vs. New England Society (pp. 73–78)

Read these two sections and list a few of the contrasting characteristics of Southern vs. New England society. (Note that many of these distinctions constituted the seeds of future discord and many of them persist to this day.)

Virginia and the South New England

-Large gap in social structure -Clean water & cool temperatures

-Many slaves -Very stable

-Hardworking upper class -Women could retain land

4. Evolving Life in New England (pp. 78-83)

a. How do the authors say that Puritanism changed over the course of the 1600s? *** Do you see any connection between these changes and the Salem witch hysteria of 1692–1693?

-At the beginning, Puritanism was central to its societies, where people respected the religion as a form of life. During the course of the 1600’s, Puritanism began to loose its importance. There still remained fervor and passion of followers, but by the mid