FREE ESSAY ON WHAT OUR HOMES TELL US

WHAT OUR HOMES TELL US

What Our Homes Tell Us
Our nation was built on ideals of freedom and prosperity for those settlers who wished to
journey to a new land. Part of that prosperity was in preparing a home for themselves and
their families. Homes tell rich stories about society and the values and principles
within that society. The hovel-to-house home patterns that exist in the early stages of
our historical development show the regional and social differences between the people
settling the America's. In studying the housing of our ancestors we can discover what
types of resources were available at the time, the priorities of the time, family
make-ups, permanence of people, and what type of skilled workers were available within a
geographic zone. We also can learn about the hardships that may have been endured.
When studying the housing differences between colonial New England and the Chesapeake Bay
region of our country we discover a sharp contrast in the time frame within which people
built and made substantial dwellings for themselves and their families. The Chesapeake
Bay region remained largely made up of shanties, lean-tos, and rough simple cabins for
nearly one century as opposed to New England where by the 1680's many settlers had built
strong dwellings of finished brick and timber. The reason for the differences between
these two regions lies in the economics and family structures of the immigrants. In the
Chesapeake region the men outnumbered the woman and disease killed many settlers in the
area. Families were rendered unstable and stunted. The New England region, however, was
rich with intact families that were hearty and healthy. Survival in New England was
easier and the family unit was essential in strengthening the Puritan's colonies. Also in
the Chesapeake regions were the tobacco growers. A large stable dwelling was not the
focus of their settlements. The number of slaves one could put to work and the amount of
tobacco one could produce determined position in the Chesapeake area. A settler was much
more likely to spend any extra money he had on a new slave rather than a more comfortable
living environment. Families were a pieced together collage of widows, orphans, and
stepchildren. This region was plagued with death and lack of permanence. Some historians
argue that the south was also "lazy" and 
had not desire to build more permanent housing. It is also true that tobacco only thrived
on fresh land so relocating was probably common among the tobacco growers of the
Chesapeake area. 
New England's puritan population was thriving. The accumulation of wealth and the
stability of the family determined social status. The Puritans were after a Utopia in
which the intact family played a large role. The goal of the Puritan settlements was a
long and carefully thought out plan of purity and permanence. The puritans came with and
intent of staying and thriving by any means possible. The Chesapeake Bay people came
seeking immediate wealth and riches. The Puritans had many skilled artisans and a very
productive work ethic. They believed that by working on their homes, families, town,
etc., they were doing God's work and they were closer to reaching their pure Utopia. The
people of the Chesapeake had to economize any wealth toward the purchase of fieldhands.
The Puritans were a self-sufficient society, which did not have slaves. The economy was
not based on how many people were working the fields. As we analyze the housing in both
these regions we see how large an effect the social values and principles of a people can
affect the quality of life of those people. Both these groups of people were seeking
entirely different things from the America's. Success came later for the people in the
Chesapeake region because they had to emerge from a long period in which men outnumbered
women and disease was rampant. Once these factors were under control and eliminated then
the Chesapeake colonies began to see more permanence and less suffering. Families were
able to grow and people were able to diversify and delve in industries other than
tobacco. This region began building more substantial housing and dwellings after about
1720. New Englanders were permanently established and settled by this time. In studying
the past we can compare to present day the values and ideals that were present 200 to 300
years ago. Today we see that people still show their wealth by buying and displaying
wealth. Houses are not merely a place to eat and sleep but also a showcase for ones
material success and prosperity. 
Bibliography
.
Nash, Jeffrey ,Howe Frederick, Davis, and Winkler, The American People,Addison Wessley
Educational Publishers, 1998