Write a note on the sport-related activities prevalent in the mid-Atlantic region during the colonial period.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The Quakers of Pennsylvania influenced sport in much the same way as the Puritans did in New England. Dutch Calvinists in the New York area, in contrast to the Quakers and the Puritans, were somewhat more friendly toward playful activities.
Benjamin Franklin was very concerned about the educational environment that pupils would be emerged in. He called for a healthful environment that featured a garden, meadows, orchards, and playing fields where students could participate in sports such as running races, wrestling competitions, leaping, and swimming.
Horse racing was popular from the beginning, ostensibly for the improvement of the breed but also because New Yorkers loved to watch the races and gamble on the outcomes. New Yorkers also enjoyed bowling, golf, and early versions of croquet, tennis, and cricket. Shooting matches were popular, and in the winter, many New Yorkers enjoyed sleigh rides and skating. The sporting life evident in New York City in the early twenty-first century can trace its origins to the early days of the city in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.