tenancy in the New England colonies as it did in England. He argues that, unlike the common notion of the prosperous effects of land in New England, not all towns in the settlements experienced economic and social growth. In Springfield, Massachusetts tenancy, economic difficulty, and socioeconomic divisions were prominent characteristics of the town. He states, “tenancy was both a consequence and a cause of economic inequality… Rather than evolving toward the one-class or middle-class social structure
Chapter 4 | American Life in the Seventeenth Century 1. “Describe the basic population structure and social life of the seventeenth-century colonies.” The social structure in the South started with the plantation owners on top, then small farmers, followed by landless Whites, and finally Black slaves. In 1676 in Virginia, a rebellion occurred that was led by Nathaniel Bacon who tried to combat their low social standing and were also dislikes Governor William Berkeley’s friendly policies towards the