Blog #2

(1)
When the Europeans arrived in North America, there were approximately 200 Native American tribes living there. Each had distinct methods and customs but they were very alike in their regard of women as superior in decision making. We can draw generalizations about the powerful economic roles they played, along with their sexual power and influence. Economically, women satisfied such roles as planters and preparers of food. Food production was regarded as a spiritual task. They also made clothes and other necessary items such as pottery. In these tribes, women had a lot of sexual equality and power. This is evident in the views they had on reproduction; it was viewed as a ritual or spiritual act with religious ties. Women, particularly older ones, were listened to and followed. When the Europeans came, women served as the catalyst through which their tribes began to adapt and communicate with the colonizers.

(2)
White womens lives were tied up with slavery in a few ways, one being that some were actually indentured servants as well. In England, employment opportunities were few, so young people decided to go into contracts with masters in the New World who promised that they would only be indentured for a certain amount of time. In Chesapeake, ¾ of the women who came from England were indentured. It was not ideal for the indentured white women to be working the fields and doing groundwork but such was the case most of the time. When African slaves were brought to North America, certain laws were created that allowed the white servants to have some more rights while the African slaves were additionally restricted. On another note, white women who had enough wealth to house a large group of African slaves for tasks around their homes, devoted more time for leisure and their children. It is evident that white women were largely tied with slavery.

(3)
The European women colonists had significant differences relating to where they were settled and the religious ideas they brought with them. In the Chesapeake colonies, it was difficult to maintain the patriarchal system the settlers had in England because of such circumstances as high mortality rates due to disease and other harsh conditions. Married women were property of their husbands and had limited rights, but single women had some more rights. Some even owned land or had political power. This was the case for only a small amount of women, a lot of the women who came to Chesapeake were indentured. Women who lived in Charleston, South Carolina, had more money and played host to parties and engaged in other leisurely activities. The New Enland colony women were Puritans who lived with strict rules which held specific beliefs of the womens role in the family. These women had high birth rates and stable marriages which lasted long. Women in the Middle Colonies were diverse and lived in societies that encouraged new ideas. They were considered as an equal partner in marriages.