Life in Colonial America (Building America)

From the moment Europeans stumbled across North America at the end of the fifteenth century, monarchs and investors sought to exploit the land s riches. With high expectations, colonists sailed across the Atlantic, seeking a better life and perhaps even fortune. But life in America was harder than they thought. Several colonies failed, and without the help of friendly Native Americans, others may not have made it, either. Even after the colonists learned how to build houses, hunt, and farm, life remained hard for all concerned. Men had to plant and tend crops, hunt wild game, and fix anything that broke. Women had to take care of the children, sew, cook, and perform dozens of other duties. Children also had a list of chores that they had to perform every day. There was so much work, in fact, that colonists began using indentured servants and then slaves from Africa to plant and harvest their crops. Learn what daily life was like for the colonists, and how their successes affected the Native Americans and governments in other countries.