Directions: For this activity, you will create a brochure advertising the English colonies to those back in England who are thinking of making the journey.
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Shape Divider - Style triangle
Directions: For this activity, you will create a brochure advertising the English colonies to those back in England who are thinking of making the journey.
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Directions, Part 2 - The Cover needs to be creative and informative.
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The colonies developed different forms of government, depending on the settlement’s purpose. Most of the colonies were self-governing. Colonists elected members of their community to make their laws. In many colonies, the king also appointed a governor, who could overrule the elected officials.
In many ways, the colonies were more democratic than England, but not all colonists had a voice in the government. Usually, only free, white, landowning men were allowed to vote. In some colonies, voters also had to belong to the preferred church. Other colonists (including women, servants, and slaves) who were not landowners had no voting rights. |
To revive people’s religious spirit, preachers traveled from town to town holding outdoor “revival” meetings. They delivered passionate sermons to huge crowds. Benjamin Franklin wrote about the change he observed in Philadelphia: “It seemed as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms (Bible songs) sung in different families of every street.”
The Great Awakening had a powerful effect on the colonies. It helped spread the idea that all people are equal in the eyes of God. By promoting ideas of liberty, equality, and self-reliance, the Great Awakening helped pave the way for the American Revolution. |
Family Life: The concept of family has changed often throughout history. Today, most people think of a family as being made up of parents and their children. In colonial times, however, families often included grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and stepchildren.
Colonial men and women generally married in their early to mid-20s. Those who arrived in America as indentured servants were not allowed to marry until they had gained their freedom. Men outnumbered women throughout the colonies. As a result, almost every woman was assured of receiving a marriage proposal. However, life as a wife and mother often proved to be even harder than life as an indentured servant. |
In the Southern Colonies, most families were spread out along rivers. A few neighbors might get together to hire a teacher for their children. Wealthy planters often hired tutors to educate younger children at home. Older children were sent to schools in distant cities, or even England, to complete their education.
In the Middle Colonies, different beliefs among the many religious groups slowed the growth of public education. Each religious group or family had to decide for itself how to educate its children. Some groups built church schools. Others were happy to teach their own children at home. |