Colonial Society Structure¶
Learning Objective¶
Interactive social pyramid comparing the layered social hierarchies of New England, Middle Colonies, and Southern Colonies — showing legal rights, occupations, and regional differences for each social group.
- Bloom Level: Understand (L2) — Describe
- Library: p5.js | Chapter: 3 — Colonial America (1607–1754)
Interactive Sim¶
About This MicroSim¶
A triangular social pyramid for each of the three colonial regions shows 4–5 social layers from planter/merchant elite to enslaved Africans. Clicking a layer opens a panel showing legal rights, typical occupations, approximate population percentage, and how that layer differed across regions. Switching regions resizes the pyramid proportionally — the enslaved layer visually expands from 2% (New England) to 40–50% (Southern Colonies).
Embed This MicroSim¶
<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/us-history/sims/colonial-society-structure/main.html" height="532px" width="100%" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Lesson Plan¶
Duration: 15–20 minutes | Grade: High School | Subject: U.S. History
Before: Ask students to predict: "What percentage of colonial Virginians were enslaved?" Then reveal the answer through the sim.
During: Students compare the same layer (e.g., enslaved Africans) across all three regions, noting differences in rights, population %, and occupations.
After: Discussion: Why did the Southern planter elite give yeoman farmers political access (House of Burgesses) while denying it to others? What does Bacon's Rebellion reveal?
Extension: Students write from the perspective of one social layer about a specific event (e.g., how a yeoman farmer vs. an indentured servant experienced Bacon's Rebellion).
References¶
- Alan Taylor, American Colonies: The Settling of North America (2001)
- Edmund Morgan, American Slavery, American Freedom (1975) — Classic analysis of Virginia's shift from indentured to enslaved labor
- Kathleen Brown, Good Wives, Nasty Wenches, and Anxious Patriarchs (1996) — Gender and race in colonial Virginia