Key Ideas
1. Women were integral to the formation and evolution of early colonial settlements in the Americas.
2. The experiences of women in the early colonial period varied widely based on race, class, age, gender identity, and geographic region.
3. The full story of the early colonial period cannot be properly understood without considering the experiences of women.
Teaching Materials
Get Deeper into Relevant Topics
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Dutch Colonies
Under the direct control of the Dutch West India Company, the New Netherland territory covered most of present day New York State, as well as parts of Connecticut, New Jersey, and Delaware.
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English Colonies
The history of the early English colonies in North America can be divided into two familiar stories: the southern colonies of Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas; and the northern colonies known today as New England.
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French Colonies
Most citizens who immigrated to the French colonies went to the Caribbean, leaving the vast territory of New France that stretched south from the St. Lawrence River along the Mississippi River, and west along the Great Lakes, sparsely populated.
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Spanish Colonies
After the early years of invasion, two colonial territories were established: New Spain in North America, and Peru in South America.
Resources in this Unit
Elizabeth Key Grinstead
Fighting for Freedom in Colonial Virginia. The story of a mixed-race woman who sued for her freedom in 1655.
Lady Frances Berkeley
Elite Society in Colonial Virginia. The story of an English woman who was part of the highest social and political circles in colonial Virginia.
Cockacoeske
Pamunkey Leader in Colonial Virginia. The story of a chief who led her people during the crisis of colonization.
Mary Dyer
A Quaker Martyr in Boston. The story of a Quaker activist who was hanged for her religious beliefs in Puritan Boston.
Margaret Brent
Businesswoman and Leader. The story of a Maryland property owner who was the first woman in the English colonies to request the right to vote.
Women’s Labor Agreements
Labor agreements between Indigenous women and their employers.
Women and the Code Noir
Excerpts from the French legal code governing enslaved people that deal specifically with enslaved women and reproduction.
Vermeer’s Portrait of Wealth and Trade
This painting demonstrates the wealth, power, and extent of the trade network of the Dutch Republic in the 1600s.
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