African women first came to America mostly as indentured servants, not as slaves since Europe did not engage in slavery. They were free to marry, own property and to maintain that property. THey tended gardens in which they grew food their faqmilies as weel as for the family they worked for. They also made clothing for their families, as well as pottery to exchange with others.
European women who could afford to have an indentured servant had frew activities and responsibilities in Colonial America. Often the area in which a familiy settled controlled what activities were necessary for Colonial women to perform. In areas where the land was not fertile or conducive to growing crops,fishing became a major industry. Native women worked in the industry as well as in the home. European women tended to,leave the operation of the industry to the male and confined their efforts to the necessary activities in the home. Indentured servants performed the activities set out for them by their employers. Meanwhile, in all cases, the men did all the hunting and fishing for the families.
