Life in the 13 Colonies
Review and Assessment – p. 128
1. All colonies in British North America had legislatures, which were groups of people who have the power to make laws.
2. The English Bill of Rights guaranteed habeas corpus, which is a procedure by which judges protect people against unlawful arrest or detention.
3. On colonial farms, it was important to have an extended family because then many members of the family could help perform the necessary work.
4. Many people came to the colonies from Europe as indentured servants, which were people who agreed to work for a certain period of time for a person who had paid their passage to North America.
5. After a time, slave owners enforced slave codes that restricted the rights and activities of slaves.
6a. What rights did the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights guarantee?
Trial by Jury and Habeas Corpus
6b.Why do you think colonists believed they were entitled to the rights guaranteed by the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights?
Most were either born in England or the children of English parents, and they were subject to English Laws.
6c. Which of these rights do Americans still enjoy today?
Americans today have all of these rights.
7a. What was life like on a colonial farm?
Possible Answers may include: descriptions of the enormous amount of difficult work, the modest amenities, and the closeness of families.
7b. How were the responsibilities of men and women similar? How were they different?
Both men and women had responsibilities for raising crops and tending animals. Women also were responsible for many tasks related to the care of children and the home.
8a. What were the various classes into which colonial society was divided?
Gentry, Middle Class, Indentured Servants, Free African Americans, enslaved people.
8b. In what ways were the poor better off in America than in Europe?
The poor in America had greater opportunity than in Europe to build wealth and social status over time.
8c. What were some of the limitations placed on free African Americans? Explain.
Free African Americans could not participate as equal partners in political life because they could not vote or serve on juries.
9a. What was the Triangular trade?
Trade between the colonies, the Caribbean, and West Africa in a variety of products, including enslaved people.
9b. Which groups benefitted from this trade?
Many New England merchants benefitted from this trade because they were able to make great profits by avoiding the requirements of the Navigation Acts.
9c. Which groups experienced hardships because of this trade?
Enslaved Africans experienced the greatest hardship from this trade.
10a. What were colonial schools like?
Students in colonial schools learned basic subjects such as writing and arithmetic, and often learned about religion.
10b. List at least three questions you would ask a colonial school – age child.
Answers will vary but should reflect knowledge of colonial schools.