Chapter five of The American Promise details the realities of life in Colonial America. It deals most principally with the single force that helped to build the colonies – the brutal slave trade. Roark writes of this, “Both groups illustrate the undertow of violence and deceit beneath the surface of...

Colonial America had three main colonies which were grouped into three; the Middle Colonies, the Southern Colonies, and New England. In addition to the three main colonies, there was an area known as the Backcountry which was mainly swampland where making a living was very difficult. Each of these colonies...