Life in the American Colonies
Life in the Established Colonies:
o Families were very large. A dozen or more children was not uncommon
o Men provided for the Family
§ Death rate as a result of disease much lower in America than in England and Europe
§ Highest in cities
§ Common diseases
1. Yellow Fever
2. Plague
3. Smallpox
4. Malaria
5. Typhoid Fever/Dysentery
§ Much more dangerous to Native American population
o Childbirth/Childhood
§ Between 1% and 1.5% of childbirth ended in the mother’s death
§ 9 out of 10 children survived childhood. 10% child mortality rate
1. In England at the time: 50% of children died by the age of 15
o Dame-schools
o Public/private schools
o Materials:
§ Horn books
§ New-England Primer
o Higher Education (age 14 or 15)
§ Harvard (1636)
§ College of William and Mary (1693)
§ King’s College (1754)
§ Queen’s College
§ “I Sent a Letter to my Love.” It’s like a mix of Duck-Duck-Goose and Hot Potato. The “letter” is passed around the circle of children while the song is sung. When the song ends, the one holding the letter must run around the circle while being chased by the person to his/her right.
1. “I sent a letter to my love and on the way I dropped it. One of you has picked it up and put it in your pocket. Please, please, drop it, drop it. Please, please, drop it, drop it.”
§ Shuttlecock: Like badminton
§ Hoops
§ Whoop-and-Hide: like hide and seek
§ Hopscotch
§ Dolls: made from corn husks, scraps of fabric, and sometimes a dried apple for a head
o Farming Entertainment:
§ Barn-raisings
§ Corn-huskings
§ Quiltings
o Literature and Publications
§ Newspapers
§ Almanacs
1. Poor Richard’s Almanac
o Other:
§ Taverns
§ Clubs
§ Parties/balls
o Later, as settlements grew to towns and towns to cities, society began to change.
o Men and women could make a living practicing trades or specialized jobs
o Still, the most common “trade” in America was farming
o Evolution of Society: From the beginning of American History, the stage is being set for the societal conflicts that would spark the Civil War
§ The Southern climate and soil were better suited for farming, and thus began forming a society of large farms or Plantations spread out in the vast land whereas in the North, cities began forming with a large concentrated population. This would eventually grow into the population imbalance of the 19th Century and issues with representation.
o List several trades that were common in Colonial days
o Women’s Work:
1. Soap-making
2. Sewing/mending
3. Baking/cooking
4. Candle making
5. Washing
6. Caring for children
7. Teaching (dame schools)
- Marriage:
o Families were very large. A dozen or more children was not uncommon
o Men provided for the Family
- Death:
§ Death rate as a result of disease much lower in America than in England and Europe
§ Highest in cities
§ Common diseases
1. Yellow Fever
2. Plague
3. Smallpox
4. Malaria
5. Typhoid Fever/Dysentery
§ Much more dangerous to Native American population
o Childbirth/Childhood
§ Between 1% and 1.5% of childbirth ended in the mother’s death
§ 9 out of 10 children survived childhood. 10% child mortality rate
1. In England at the time: 50% of children died by the age of 15
- Education:
o Dame-schools
o Public/private schools
o Materials:
§ Horn books
§ New-England Primer
o Higher Education (age 14 or 15)
§ Harvard (1636)
§ College of William and Mary (1693)
§ King’s College (1754)
§ Queen’s College
- Play/Entertainment
§ “I Sent a Letter to my Love.” It’s like a mix of Duck-Duck-Goose and Hot Potato. The “letter” is passed around the circle of children while the song is sung. When the song ends, the one holding the letter must run around the circle while being chased by the person to his/her right.
1. “I sent a letter to my love and on the way I dropped it. One of you has picked it up and put it in your pocket. Please, please, drop it, drop it. Please, please, drop it, drop it.”
§ Shuttlecock: Like badminton
§ Hoops
§ Whoop-and-Hide: like hide and seek
§ Hopscotch
§ Dolls: made from corn husks, scraps of fabric, and sometimes a dried apple for a head
o Farming Entertainment:
§ Barn-raisings
§ Corn-huskings
§ Quiltings
o Literature and Publications
§ Newspapers
§ Almanacs
1. Poor Richard’s Almanac
o Other:
§ Taverns
§ Clubs
§ Parties/balls
- Employment:
o Later, as settlements grew to towns and towns to cities, society began to change.
o Men and women could make a living practicing trades or specialized jobs
o Still, the most common “trade” in America was farming
o Evolution of Society: From the beginning of American History, the stage is being set for the societal conflicts that would spark the Civil War
§ The Southern climate and soil were better suited for farming, and thus began forming a society of large farms or Plantations spread out in the vast land whereas in the North, cities began forming with a large concentrated population. This would eventually grow into the population imbalance of the 19th Century and issues with representation.
o List several trades that were common in Colonial days
o Women’s Work:
1. Soap-making
2. Sewing/mending
3. Baking/cooking
4. Candle making
5. Washing
6. Caring for children
7. Teaching (dame schools)