Life for the individuals who chose to come to New England during the Colonial Period was anything but easy. This reference resource explores the everyday details of colonial life in New England and exposes as myth much of what we might believe about this era, environment and people. How exactly and why did their religious beliefs help structure their lives? What roles did women play in this society? How were people tried and punished for their crimes? Students can find thoroughly researched answers to these questions and others to help them learn exactly what everyday life was like for New Englanders during the Colonial Period. Students may be surprised to find what a large role the environment played in these people's lives, from the structuring of their homes to their diet and health. Religion was a driving force for most of them, in ways that may be difficult for modern-day readers to understand. Here readers will find an excellent description of how religion could play the role it did and how it affected the details of everyday living. Details of the lives of the Native Americans in New England during this era as well as Africans who had been brought to this location by the settlers are also provided.

Author Biography

CLAUDIA DURST JOHNSON is Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama, where she served as chair of the English Department for twelve years. She is the series editor of the Greenwood Press Literature in Context series, for which she has authored numerous works, including Understanding The Scarlet Letter (1995), Understanding The Crucible (1998) and Understanding The Call of the Wild (2000).