Apush Ch. 4 Notes
Chapter 4 Growth and Crisis in Colonial Society 1720-1765 Freehold Society in New England Puritans created a yeomen society of independent farm families who owned their land as freeholders- without feudal dues or leases by 1750, rapidly increasing population outstripped the supply of easily farmed land, challenging the freehold ideal.
A. Farm Families: Women's Place Men were head of the household no time for anything. They did many labors by 1750, family sizes decreased due to shrink in farm sizes had some more time but still under cultural and law restrictions under men
B. Farm Property: Inheritance male colonists escaped Europe and got land parents with small farms had to put children up as indentured servants to provide them food. When they turned 18, they were free to climb up the agricultural ladder luckier children from successful farm families received a marriage portion (land, livestock, or farm equipment) when they reached 23-25. It repaid children for past labor and allowed parent to arrange marriage family's prosperity and parent's security relied on finding a wise choice mate falling in love was not a luxury they could afford when married, the wife gives up her land and personal property to her husband after his death, she receives her dower right- the right to use but not sell a third of the family's estate. Widow's death or remarriage cancels this right and property given to the children father's cultural duty to provide inheritances to children. Failure to do so, he loses his status usually family farm goes to the oldest son, while the others gets money, apprenticeship contracts, or uncleared land along the frontier yeomen families moved to the New England frontier or to other unsettled regions where life was hard but land cheap accomplishment was creation of communities composed of indentured property owners
C. The Crisis of Freehold
A. Farm Families: Women's Place Men were head of the household no time for anything. They did many labors by 1750, family sizes decreased due to shrink in farm sizes had some more time but still under cultural and law restrictions under men
B. Farm Property: Inheritance male colonists escaped Europe and got land parents with small farms had to put children up as indentured servants to provide them food. When they turned 18, they were free to climb up the agricultural ladder luckier children from successful farm families received a marriage portion (land, livestock, or farm equipment) when they reached 23-25. It repaid children for past labor and allowed parent to arrange marriage family's prosperity and parent's security relied on finding a wise choice mate falling in love was not a luxury they could afford when married, the wife gives up her land and personal property to her husband after his death, she receives her dower right- the right to use but not sell a third of the family's estate. Widow's death or remarriage cancels this right and property given to the children father's cultural duty to provide inheritances to children. Failure to do so, he loses his status usually family farm goes to the oldest son, while the others gets money, apprenticeship contracts, or uncleared land along the frontier yeomen families moved to the New England frontier or to other unsettled regions where life was hard but land cheap accomplishment was creation of communities composed of indentured property owners
C. The Crisis of Freehold