Titled families came from European nobility.
Though the Creoles lacked the advantages granted to the Peninsulares, many became wealthy owners of ranches, mines, and farms.
Many Mestizo men held supervisory roles in Spanish households. Mayordomos managed haciendas (large plantations) and served as mediators between the Spanish owners and the Indian laborers.
Some Indians lived separately in their own villages and kept lands they owned before the Conquest. However, corrupt Spanish officials stripped many Indians of their lands.
The Spaniards introduced new diseases to the colonies. Indians died of smallpox, measles, the common cold, and other diseases. When the Spanish conquered Mexico, there were between 15 million and 25 million Indians living in Mexico. By 1600, the population of Indians had dwindled to about one million.
About 200,000 slaves were imported to Mexico between 1520 and 1810. African slaves were thought to withstand harsh work conditions better than the Indians.
Manumission is the formal act of liberating a slave, usually after the master's death. Some slaves could also be freed if they were subjected to extreme cruelty.
The British made little effort to integrate the Native tribes into their colonial society even in an inferior role. Native Americans were usually pushed out of areas of colonial settlements.
Plantations are very large farms or estates that grow one crop.
Trades are occupations that require mechanical or manual skills. The Middling worked in such trades as silversmithing, printing, and blacksmithing.
Professional positions required specialized knowledge in a field and, sometimes, academic study. Some of the Middling worked as lawyers and doctors.
Farmers could sell cash crops for money or credit. Currency allowed farmers to buy goods that could not be generated on the farm, including tools and livestock. Tobacco was the most popular cash crop grown before the American Revolution.
The first United Stated Census, taken in 1790, showed that eight percent of the black population was free.
These slaves lived in close quarters with their masters, often in lofts over the kitchens, stables, and laundries. Their access to local markets allowed them to exchange information with other slaves.
Female slaves did the laundry and the cooking in homes. Male slaves served as blacksmiths, gardeners, and other types of tradesmen.
Virginia relied heavily on slaves to support its agricultural and economic systems. Most field slaves worked on tobacco plantations. They were considered less valuable than enslaved house servants, making them more vulnerable to severe punishments.
Slave quarters consisted of cabins that were grouped together. Enslaved field hands lived with their families under the watch of an overseer.
The Native population of the Caribbean islands was annihilated during the first century of colonization. By the time the French took control of Saint-Domingue, there was no identifiable Native population left.
Saint-Domingue is present-day Haiti. At the time of French colonial rule, Saint-Domingue was the richest and most productive colony in the Western Hemisphere.
The plantations produced about 60 percent of the world's coffee and about 40 percent of France's sugar imports.
Some affranchis became wealthy enough to lend money to white plantation owners.
Statutes introduced through legislation forbade affranchis from marrying white people, wearing clothing from Europe, and practicing certain professions.
Slaves were imported when the indigenous people died of new diseases introduced by the colonists or were worked to death. Because of the harsh working conditions and the high death rate, new slaves were continually imported from Africa.
About 80 percent of slaves toiled in the fields. These slaves were born in Africa.
About 20 percent of slaves worked as house servants or held managerial positions. These slaves were born in Saint-Domingue.