Colonial Societies: Culture in America

The New England Primer

The Chesapeake Tobacco Plantations

Throughout Northern America, most colonists continued the traditional European lifestyle of working the land. Commercial Agriculture mainly took place in the Chesapeake and the Lower-South, where most of the slave plantations were located. Eventually agriculture spread to the north where Pennsylvania became the bread basket of North America. Although agriculture spread to the north, it was not a business that was highly influential in the region as it was in the south; farmers raised their own crops and livestock for their own purposes and needs. Colonial cities became the centers of commerce, where most of the trade was occurring. Most of the people located in New England and Pennsylvania were skilled laborers such as ship-builders, rope-makers, carpenters, and iron-makers. Colonial Culture varied in each area where different colonists resided, such as Pennsylvania, New England, the Back-country, the Chesapeake, and the Lower-South.  For example, in New England mostly Puritans emigrated there; causing a society which was very religious and strict. The people did not tolerate other ways of life nor other ideas that would be potentially dangerous to their society's structure. America at the time, did not include that much theater or musical influences, but colonial societies did have plenty of acclaimed and published works of writing such as newspapers like the New England Primer, captivity narratives, almanacs, and the bible. There were not that many pass-times that were created during this time that were specifically highlighted, but there was plenty of emphasis on kinship, family, the church, and the local community surrounding the colonists.