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Religioncontinuedtobeahallmarkof
theNewWorldduringthe1700s.Between
1700and1740,itisestimated75to80%of
theColonialpopulationattendedchurches,
whichwerebeingbuiltatarapidpace
(ReligionandtheFoundingof the
AmericanRepublic,2006).
ReligiousfreedomintheNewWorld
tooksomeinterestingturnsduringthis
time.WhiletheGreatAwakening(1730-
1740s)wasoccurring—astrongevangelical
thrustof Protestantism(theantithesisof
evangelicalism—Deism)wasarisingamong
someupper-classAmericans.Though
Deistsneverbecamemorethan“aminority
withinaminority,”theyarejustone
indicationof whatwouldbecomeapillar
ofAmericanideology—religioustolerance
(ReligionandtheFounding,2006).
Familylifeinthecoloniesslowlybegan
toimproveatthistime.Bythemid-1700s,
conditionsadverselyaffectingthefamily
structureof bothEuropean-bornand
Africansettlerswerechanging,and
childrenwerelesslikelytospendaportion
of theirchildhoodinafamilywitha
stepparentandstepsiblings(Kulikoff,
1986).Aslifeexpectancyrose,thenumber
of menandwomenbegantoequalout.
Competitionforavailablewomenwas
morecivil.Thedownsideof thischangefor
womenwasthatitalsoreducedsomeof the
powerwomenhadmanagedtoobtain
whentheyhadmorechoiceinamarriage
partner.Aslifeexpectancyincreased,the
populationof theEuropeansettlersbegan

toreplaceitself.Whitesettlerswere

marryingearlierandhavingmore

survivingchildren.Theoverall

environmentbecamemorestable,andthe

whitesettlerswereenjoyingamorestable

courseof familydevelopment.Nationally,

theColoniescontinuedtogrowbecause

religiouspersecutioninEnglandandother

Europeancountriescontinuedtodrive

peopletotheNewWorld,wherereligious

freedomwasheralded.

Twokey,butverycontradictory,

elementsbegantotakerootinthe

burgeoningAmericanconscience:(1)a

desireforindependencefromtheOld

World(EnglandandEuropeasawhole)

and,(2)agrowingdependenceonslavery

asaninstitution.

African-Americans

WhileNative-Americanswerebrutally

uprootedfromtheirhomesandmovedto

reservations(wheretheywererelegatedto

second-classstatus)theyatleastremained

intheirhomelandandoftenremainedin

familyortribalgroups.

Africansexperiencedevenmore

shockinginjustices.Tornfromtheir

homelands,separatedfromtheirfamilies,

forcedintoslavery,andgivenlittlemore

statusthanananimal(atbest,twothirdsof

ahumanbeingduringColonialtimes),

African-Americanssurvivedandeventually

overcametheterriblewrongsdonetothem.

The Changing Face of theAmerican Family: Early History