Sport in American Colonies
Immigrants'reasons for coming to the colonies varied by region，and a range of physical activities and sporting pursuits emerged in the various colonies.The cultural traditions these colonizers broughtwith them—and their interactionswith the indigenous peoples and Africans in North America—shaped the development of active recreation，physical exercise，games，and sport in colonial American society.
Differences between traditional British culture and that of the American colonies became apparent in the first settlement at Jamestown5，Virginia，founded in 1607.Colonists faced death and hardship，lack of supplies，conflictbetweenmen of the upper rank and those of the lower rank over labor with young men resisting hard physical tasks，while some of the English settlers engaged in hunting and fishing for their sustenance，resulted in disease and malnutrition.All of this led to a struggle to survive，known as a“starving time”.At times，sport divided groups，serving as a site of conflict between slave owners and slaves，or between lower-class laborers and plantation owners；at other times sport united peoples of the same race or class in maintaining their power and status over other groups in colonial American society.
6-3 Upper-class Sport in the Starving Time
On plantations，masters used horses to traverse their land holdings，to oversee their slaves and crops，to travel to other locales，and to engage in sporting contests.Many wealthy Southern planters used sport as a way of asserting and enjoying their socioeconomic status，and the development of horse racing and cockfighting was in turn intertwined with socioeconomic developments.The planters of both the wealthier and the poorer ranks hunted birds，squirrels，and other animals using various hunting equipment such as pistols and bows and arrows.
6-4 Cock fighting
The prohibition on sport and recreation on the Sunday Sabbath remained the custom in colonial South Carolina，and a provincial law enacted in about 1712 sustained observation of“the Lord's Day，commonly called Sunday”and listed prohibited activities：“No public sports or pastimes，as bear-baiting，bull-baiting，football playing，horse-racing，interludes or common plays，or other unlawful games，exercises，sports or pastimes whatsoever shall be used on the Lord's-Day”.Puritan attitudes espoused by the leaders on sport and recreation emphasized that sport as a lawful activitymust serve a useful purpose for one's health，whether physical ormoral，in the community.They protected Sundaywith their“blue laws6”that restricted popular recreations，sports，games，and pastimes.Puritan leaders did allow sports such as fishing，fowling，archery，and hunting，which they viewed as useful since they provided food and wholesome bodily recreation for church authorities and residents in the community.
New immigrants，including Germans，Scots-Irish，and nonbelievers froMengland settled into the colony and challenged the stern moral codes and blue laws that restricted sport and recreation.Some of the newcomers formed lower classes of laborers and enjoyed tavern sports，drinking，gambling，and boisterous social gatherings.Other new Anglicans desired to partake of sports and display their social status.Dutch settlers came to New Netherlands in the New World in 1624，where in New Amsterdam（later named New York City）a trading post drew newcomers to the colony.The Dutch people brought sportand pastimes to the new colony as partof their culture and social customs.In the Dutch settlements along the Hudson River，taverns served as the principal site of recreation.There，both men and women played a game similar to handball.The Dutch also introduced a game called kolf7，which bore some similarity to both golf and ice hockey in using a ball and a club to project the ball.The colony's outdoor environs provided venues formen and women to participate in winter sports on the snow and ice，such as skating，sleigh riding，and hockey.