Why Community Matters: The Colonists Unite
Community: How did the American colonists demonstrate community?
Community is a feeling as well as a set of relationships among people. People form and maintain communities to meet everyday needs. Community members should have a strong sense of trust, belonging, safety, and caring for each other.
A common definition of community is a group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives, and live, learn, and work near each other. Trust, safety, teamwork, togetherness, and belonging are essential parts of a community and a ‘sense of community’.
Communities from Europe and Africa moved to the original 13 colonies and created new communities there. Some of these people were there for religious reasons, others for financial and business reasons, and sadly, some were even there against their will.
Now, let’s think about the word and idea of community through a historical lens.
What did it mean to be in a community in early America?
The colonists did not have big cities or neighborhoods like we do today. Many colonists lived miles and miles away from their nearest neighbors. Community to them meant bonding together over shared interests, the exchange of goods and food, beliefs, and a desire to have freedom.