Rachel M. 2015

In Colonial America, punishment would be based on your race, gender, and class. Punishments were given for three reasons: to attempt to ensure the hierarchy that was in place at this time, to function as a deterrent, and to keep the community balanced. If offenders weren’t punished, the settlers thought that they wouldn’t learn their lesson, and they would continue to disrupt the community. If punishments weren’t given out, then it would have been more complicated to keep order in the colony. Although these laws and punishments were unfair, they did stimulate productivity and keep the town in order.