In colonial America, the experiences of women and children varied widely, among ethnic and social groups, and from colony to colony. They had fewer rights than women and children do today, yet 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 unit was headed past a man who presided over his family unit and business while his wife only worked inside the home, this model did not work well in the early Southern colonies. Merely surviving was hard, so all hands were needed to ensure that the colony could go on. As a result, the social structure flattened a bit, with land-owning men and women doing the same work of farming and building settlements (alongside their servants and those they had enslaved, who were working on the same projects). As the Southern colonies became more established, lodge 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 true in every colony, however. The people who founded the northern colonies, like the Puritans, adhered to strict religious rules, and brought their European gender roles into the new earth from the very commencement.

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. In the 18th century, social classes began evolving, and a new "middling" class arose. Sometimes women in that form 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 property rights). Childbearing in colonial times was unsafe, and women and children often died during childbirth.

White children in colonial America besides had many responsibilities. In most colonies, they were taught to read by their parents, usually so they could written report the Bible (the Christian holy book). Boys learned additional skills so they could become into business, farming, or trade, while girls learned household skills which varied depending on the family'south social status. For example, a girl from a higher class—a privileged socioeconomic groundwork—would larn etiquette and manners, hosting guests, and dancing, while a girl from a lower class—a resource-poor background—would learn applied skills like lather-making. There was also time for play in middling and loftier-class families. Children played with board games, puzzles, and cards, and did activities like rolling hoops and playing an early on version of bowling. Overall, the main goal of parents in colonial America was to prepare their children for adulthood.

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 background. Here, a Dutch colonial family from a relatively privileged background is illustrated sitting around their tea table in the New York colony of the 1700s.

colonialism

Substantive

type of government where a geographic expanse is ruled by a foreign power.

colony

Substantive

people and land separated by distance or civilisation from the government that controls them.

elite

Adjective

exclusive or the all-time.

ethnic group

Adjective

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

etiquette

Substantive

the rules indicating the proper and polite way to behave.

indentured servant

Substantive

person nether contract to work for some other over a period of time.

pious

Describing word

total of virtue and devotion.

privilege

Noun

benefit or special right.

settlement

Noun

community or hamlet.

socioeconomic

Adjective

combination of social and economic factors.

socio-economic form

Noun

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

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    Tyson Brown, National Geographic Club

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    National Geographic Society

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    Plan Specialists

    Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society
    Margot Willis, National Geographic Society

    Producer

    Clint Parks

    Last Updated

    April 28, 2020

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