New World Traditions and Slavery Paper Example

Why was family life in New England in the seventeenth century so different from family life in the South?

The family lived in the New England and its colonies were structured in close knitted bonds with a perception of communal support of each other. The family elements were democratically founded as the fundamental principle of life. This properties of the New England family life differed from the Southern because the family lived close to each other within the same proximity.

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Why did slavery grow to be such an important institution in colonial America?

Slavery was founded on unethical and immoral foundations because of the ill-treatment that the white masters according to the black slaves. However, the practice was regarded as a very significant institution in colonial America because it offered cheap labor for the plantations, higher disease resistance of the African slaves as compared to Indian or white laborers, as well as less maintenance cost of the slaves.

What were the effects of slavery on the Africans who were brought to the New World?

Africans captured from their native homeland and transported to New World in the slave trade were faced with multiple challenges and exposure to a different kind of life. Initially, they were exposed to different social and economic lifestyle that made a huge difference in their lives. The New World's way of life was different from the communal perceptions they enjoyed in Africa. Again, they were treated ruthlessly in the new lands where they were whipped mercilessly for no apparent reasons, made to work under very hard conditions, as well as exposed to the diseases and hazardous working situations.

What were the effects of the Africans on the New World in the seventeenth century?

The introduction of Africans to the New World in the early 17th century increased human resources for the industrial production that changed the majority of the aspects of life. Although very little was borrowed from the African culture into the New World's aspects of life, the introduction of mixed race and culture gave rise to different perspectives in the new community. The increased of African slaves in the new world increased production of plantation produce as well as reduced cost of production due to the oppression suffered by the slaves who endured long hours of hard labor.

Were the Salem witch trials a peculiar, aberrant moment in an age of superstition, or did they reflect common human psychological and social anxieties that could appear in any age?

The Salem witch trials provided a vivid psychological and social isolation of the Puritan New world's society. Although there were peculiar superstitions attached to the practices they reflected the psychological appeal of the people and age borrowed from the traditional roots of the immigrant societies. The practices caused the witched to be convicted and hanged for illegalities of the practices in the new world.

How harshly should those who prosecuted the witches be condemned?

The prosecutors of the Salem witches had their share of rights and wrongs on their actions. Although they receive condemnation because of the harsh judgment they perpetrated to the witch, they did not adhere to the believes that instigated the practices of the witches. Despite their ill-treatment of the witches, they acted in accordance with their traditions and moral obligations prompting to anybody understanding their cause of redress.

How did African Americans work to adapt their native traditions under the conditions of New World slavery?

African Americans adopted new methods learned in the new world to preserve their native traditions. They received a lot of negative ethnicities therefore, they used the benefits of education to ensure that they were able to voice the element of their culture that was under the threat of extinction. They also formed movements that were based on the roots of socialization like night parties to ensure the continuity of their culture.

What kinds of traditions were most successfully preserved?

During social gathering and night parties, the African Americans were able to preserve their native song and dance successfully, as well as documenting narrative stores and myths after adopting the new ways of life. They also told stories to the children that ensured the continuity of their culture.

References

Edmund Morgan, American Slavery, American Freedom (1975).