Colonial Life

2 Pages 620 Words

How was colonial life? Many historians ponder this thought even today. Did the economy flourish or was it horrific? Was society even based or was it determined by birth? How was the government picked? Was there a king over the colonies, or was there somewhat of a democracy?
I would like to start this paragraph with a quote from the father of electricity, Ben Franklin, which said “beware of small expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship. Colonial economy was mostly based on mercantilism. The kings loved the thought of mercantilism, because the kings thought they were going to make a huge profit off the colonies. The Triangular Trade was another way that the early colonist traded with the mother country and also other countries. After the Triangular Trade started to pickup, England passed a Navigation Act that said the colonies could only sale certain goods to England, and other goods required a tax before being sold. The result of the Navigation Act was salutary neglect. England did not enforce the laws and allowed the colonies to develop mostly on their own.
Unlike today’s semi-equal society, colonial society was based on who your parents were. The highest class of people in colonial America was the Gentry, Aristocrats, and the wealthy landowners. In colonial America wealth was based on how much land you owned. The upper class was very mannerly and wanted to be respected at all times. The society of colonial America was especially hard on women. Women had no legal rights, which means they could not vote and in no way could they hold legal office. Women mostly ran the household and taught the children how to read and write so they could learn the Bible. Everyone in colonial America worked all day everyday. Work and home were together. The only times that the colonists were not working was on Sunday while they were in Church.
In colonial America, politics were much, much different f...