Colonial America

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Colonial America
Although European countries hoped to widen their power over world affairs and grow their wealth, daily life in America was enormously harsh, especially for the first colonists and settlers. They faced the challenge of adjusting to a new country with no relatives, friends, or neighbors to help them. While they received some help from native communities such as the Powhatan Native Indians, the locals were unhappy with them trespassing on their native lands (Whitehurst 129). They stopped trading with them in order to starve them out, a decision that resulted in the eruption of conflicts and wars. When the colonists finally defeated the locals, they organized themselves, planted crops, and sow seeds (Whitehurst 129). Despite the consistent battles that made colonial life in America harsh, the determination and resilient work ethics of colonists enabled them to succeed and take control over the major aspects of the economy.
Colonial life in America encompassed the use of slavery to build political economies. It is critical to note that the ethnic and racial tensions common in the US today date back to the history of colonialism and imperialism. Colonialism materialized when global trade facilitated the growth of industrialism and capitalism. Colonial forces utilized the plantation system to support intense transformation of their colonies. They bought slaves from Africa as a means of cheap labor. Colonists encouraged a racialized system that was characterized by violence against people of color.

It is worth to note that racialized unjust circumstances continue to manifest in the contemporary US society. Non-white populations continue to suffer exploitation and discrimination in many spheres of life due to the colonial legacy of white supremacy. Stereotypes against these communities persist in mainstream society, and most people from racialized populations continue to work in low skilled manual jobs.
Work Cited
Whitehurst, Lucinda Snyder. “Daily Life in Colonial America/The Establishment of the Thirteen Colonies/Government and Social Class in Colonial America.” School Library Journal, vol. 57, no. 1, Jan. 2011, p. 129.