The assigned articles and the text provide information about the early settlement of America and the organization of a colony. What it was like to first live in the area and start a colony is discussed in the articles. After meeting with the natives of the area and creating peace with them through a treaty, land was divided up by the settlers and colonization started. After this other powers started to control the area and the trade within.
William Bradford discussed some experiences that went along with first landing in Cape Cod and how the Puritan colony was started. The experiences seemed very frightening. They did not have the resources needed for survival. They came in contact with barbarians that did not speak their language. They were at this point they were trying to find a way to settle.
Soon, they met a native who vaguely spoke some English, Samoset, and became friends with him. He helped them feed themselves and spoke with the fellow natives on their behalf. He was eager to be friends with these newcomers as well as a little scared. They two sides mutually decided to not offend the others and try and make peace. They wanted to respect the belongings and life as much they could. They created a treaty that basically said they would respect the Natives as the Natives would respect them in return. .
After planting and cropping, by 1921 the Puritans had their first successful harvest. The men worked many of the fields while the women and children cleaned the hunted meat and washed the clothes. The women and children had their job in the families of the landowners. Many of the young men would work for other families doing work for no expense. This kind of apprenticeship was thought to be a social norm.
Much of this corresponds to the early lecture and class reading. The book "The Evolution of the American Economy" goes into the rules and regulations that came about through the rest of the world moving in the area and setting up trade.