Settling the Northern Colonies Chapter 3
Subject:
Chapter 4 (11th) American Life in the Seventeenth Century I. The Unhealthy Chesapeake Life in the American wilderness was harsh. Diseases like malaria, dysentery, and typhoid killed many. Few people lived to 40 or 50 years. In the early days of colonies, women were so scarce that men fought over all of them. The Chesapeake region had fewer women and a 6:1 male to female ratio is a good guide. Few people knew any grandparents. A third of all brides in one Maryland county were already pregnant before the wedding (scandalous). Virginia, with 59,000 people, became the most populous colony. II. The Tobacco Economy The Chesapeake was very good for tobacco cultivation.
