structure of the traditional Native-
American family and threatened its very
survival.The immigrants—who were to
become the dominant culture—
encroached upon Native-American lands
and killed or displaced the residents.
Eventually,by sheer numbers and with the
backing of the government,they
overpowered these firstAmericans.By the
end of the 1800s,most Native-Americans
resided on reservations.In the early 1900s,
many of their children were sent to
boarding schools to become
“Americanized.”This policy had disastrous
effects and was largely abandoned by the
mid-1900s.In chapter 11,we will look at
Native-American culture as it has evolved
in recent years.
The Young Nation: Family Life
in the 17th Century
European Immigrants
In 1602, a weary band of travelers
reached the rocky coast of Cape Cod
aboard theMayflower.William Bradford,
who would later become the second
governor of the Plymouth colony,
recorded his observations as the group
traveled across the ocean and established
a settlement (seeSidebar 2.1). They
began their first winter together as a
group of 102. By spring, half of them
were dead.
A Harsh Environment.People
immigrated to the NewWorld for many
reasons: for example,to find their
“fortunes,”to experience a great
adventure,or to escape religious or
political persecution.By the early 1600s,
England had become actively involved in
settling or colonizing the NewWorld.The
peak period of English immigration to the
young colonies was between 1630 and
1660.The rapid growth of the tobacco
industry meant there was a continual need
for cheap labor in the new colonies.
Indentured servants (not enslaved
Africans) were the main source of labor in
the tobacco fields the entire century
(Anderson,1992; Gemry,1980).Chapter 2
SIDEBAR2.1
WHATCOULDNOWSUSTAINTHEM“[I]standhalfamazedatthispoorpeople’spresent
condition. [Having] passed the vast ocean, and a
seaof troublesbeforeintheirpreparation...they
hadnownofriendstowelcomethem,norinnsto
entertain or refresh their weather-beaten bodies,
nohousesormuchlesstownsto[restore],toseek
for [comfort]... [All they could see was a]
hideousanddesolatewilderness,fullofwildbeasts
and wild men. and what multitudes there might
beofthemtheyknewnot...Iftheylookedbehind
them,therewasthemightyoceanwhichtheyhad
passed, and was now as a main bar and gulf to
separatethemfromallthecivilpartsof theworld
...Whatcouldnowsustainthembutthespiritof
Godandhisgrace?”
Source:Bradford 1850.