5 Colonial Influences on Modern America
Colonial Influence on Modern America The colonial time period in America was a time of rich development for our country. Many things from the culture of the colonists have carried on through generations, influencing our current day and age. These traditions are found in all aspects of life, from laws, immigration policies, settlement methods, to architecture. In the New England colonial region, many of the government officials also played a roles as church officials, making the church and government the same if not very closely related in many New England colonies. Certain laws known as “Blue Laws,” named for the color of paper they were printed on, were laws passed by churches and enforced by the government. There were two more prominent “Blue Laws” from that era that we still recognize today. One such law is restricting alcohol, especially hard liquor; it cannot be sold before noon on Sundays. This law influenced the colonies by helping centralize the church and regulate “sinful” behavior on the Lord’s Day. Today this law has held true with only mild adjustments in some areas like beer and wine is okay to sell, no hard liquor can be sold at all on Sundays, and some places don’t enforce that law at all. Another Blue Law that affects our society today is the one saying prostitution is illegal. This law was passed by the churches because sex is viewed as a sin and a very terrible thing. By eliminating prostitution in the colonies you reduced the corruption level of the communities of New England, and kept them closer to God and the church. This law still is enforced today for other reasons aside from its immorality, like it can be unhealthy if not closely regulated, and the government cannot tax it. However, there is one exception to this law, that being some places in Nevada, where it is supposedly very healthy and some statistics have proven you’re more likely to contract a sexually transmitted infection from your spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend than a