Slaves and Plantation Realities of Play
When plantation slaveswere not toiling in the fields from sunup to sundown，they enjoyed some free time to indulge their pleasures or engage in sporting activities that provided sustenance.When slaveswere in their own quarters，away from the master，in the evenings or on the Sabbath or holidays，they wanted diversions from their work.Slaves engaged in their recreation in the confines of their physical environment.Fishing supplemented their diets，butonly themost trusted slaveswere allowed guns for hunting.Slavesmaintained elements of African cultures in their dances and music.At times，slaves also had to entertain theirmasters as jockeys in horse races，and they sometimesworked as horse trainers or as boxers or wrestlers in rough physical contests wagered upon by their owners.With their lives inevitably rooted in physicality，slaves took pride in their physical prowess.They competed in horse and boat races，foot races，and jumping contests；utilitarian sports such as swimming also proved useful.Slaves used their swimming ability in the rivers and ponds on or near plantations for both competitive and practical purposes.Drawing on their parents'experiences，slave children often played games that emphasized the need to cooperate with，rather than eliminate，one another.The devastating loss of a family member sold by a plantation master meant that the pastimes of children emphasized loyalty and solidarity.
6-5 Slaves in Working
Three groups of people shaped the sporting heritage in colonial America：Native Americans（the original inhabitants of North America），Africans（forced against their will to come to the New World as laborers and slaves），and white Europeans（especially those from Great Britain）.People of diverse backgrounds inhabited settlements in the New World and engaged in sporting forms and pastimes during the colonial years.The presence of peoples of various religious，economic，social，and political perspectives，with their diverse racial，ethnic，and gender identities，meant that colonists participated in a range of recreations and amusements in their patterns ofwork and play.Sporting activity was often engaged in informally，but for colonists of higher status and wealth，sporting pursuits also took place in more formal incarnations.
Notes：
1 Colonization
Colonization is a process bywhich a central system of power dominates the surrounding land and its components.Colonization refers strictly tomigration，for example，to settler colonies in America or Australia，trading posts，and plantations，while colonialism to the existing indigenous peoples of styled“new territories”.Colonization was linked to the spread of tens ofmillions from Western European states all over the world.In many settled colonies，Western European settlers eventually formed a largemajority of the population after killing or driving away indigenous peoples.Examples include the Americas，Australia and New Zealand.These colonies were occasionally called“neo-Europes”.In other places，Western European settlers formed minority groups，which often used more advanced weaponry to dominate the people initially living in their places of settlement.
2 Antebellum
Antebellum means“before the war，”but it wasn't widely associated with the U.S.Civil War（1861—1865）until after that conflictwas over.The word comes from the Latin phrase ante bellum（literally，“before the war”），and its earliest known print appearance in English dates back to the 1840s.The term's earliest known association with the CivilWar is found in an 1862 diary entry：“Her face was as placid and unmoved as in ante bellum days.”The author of that line，Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut，recorded her observations of life during the CivilWar in ADiary from Dixie，often while accompanying her husband，an officer in the Confederate army，on hismissions.
3 Columbian Exchange
The Columbian exchange，also known as the Columbian interchange，named for Christopher Columbus，was the widespread transfer of plants，animals，culture，human populations，technology，diseases，and ideas between the Americas，West Africa，and the Old World in the 15th and 16th centuries.It also relates to European colonization and trade following Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage.Invasive species，including communicable diseases，were a byproduct of the exchange.The changes in agriculture significantly altered global populations.The most significant immediate impact of the Columbian exchange was the cultural exchanges and the transfer of people（both free and enslaved）between continents.
4 Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball.Players use the head of the lacrosse stick to carry，pass，catch，and shoot the ball into the goal.
6-6 Native American Lacrosse 2
6-7 Modern Lacrosse
5 Jamestown
In 1607，104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement.On May 13 they picked Jamestown，Virginia for their settlement，which was named after their King，James I.The settlement became the first permanent English settlement in North America.
6 Blue Laws
Blue laws，also known as Sunday laws，are laws designed to restrict or ban some or all Sunday activities for religious or secular reasons，particularly to promote the observance of a day ofworship or rest.Blue lawsmay also restrict shopping or ban sale of certain items on specific days，most often on Sundays in the western world.Blue laws are enforced in parts of the United States and Canada as well as some European countries，particularly in Austria，Germany，Switzerland，and Norway，keeping most stores closed on Sundays.
7 Kolf
Kolven（verb；or noun：kolf）is a game originated in the Netherlands，played by four people in which players hit the ball over a certain distance and the first people to reach their opponents'starting pointwins.The games lasted overmultiple days at times.
The aim of the game is to hit the ball across the court three times from one end to the other，each time hitting the postat the opposite end.So a player starts at the starting end and aims to hit the post at the scoring end.He or she then reverses play to hit the ball from the scoring end post back to starting end post and finally onemore shot across the court from the starting post to the scoring post.The idea is to use just three strokes；one for each length of the court.The posts are set atan angle of 85%towards each other，so that the balls don't jump when they hit the posts.
6-8 Kolf Players on Ice
6-9 Kolf in the Present
Kolf players on ice.Hendrick Avercamp（1625）V.SKolf in the present