DAILY LIFE
This is what a church /meeting house looked like in the colonial times!!!!!
INTRODUCTION
Colonial times was a very interesting period in United States history. I will be telling you about their daily lives such as, Sunday traditions, schooling, work, rules they needed to follow, and taverns and their importance. Did you know the life expectancy in colonial times was 33-40 years old!!!
Chapter 1
Church and Sundays
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Church and Sundays were big in the colonial days. They had some very strict rules because Sunday’s were considered the lord’s day. There were many laws or rules they had to follow. Some were you couldn’t do work or chores, you couldn’t make your bed, and you couldn’t hug your loved ones. It you broke these laws, there would be harsh punishments given and it was considered a sin. In Church, if you whispered or talked you had to pay a fine to the Priest at the Church. The fine that you would need to pay for talking, whispering, being rude, and talking back to someone, is that you might have to pay with food, resources, and other things. For church requirements you would have to go to two LONG church sessions. I think that church was way to long because you just sit in one big room for pretty much the whole entire day and you only get a lunch break at noon. If I was there I would probably be bored sitting there and singing for the whole day because I usually can't just sit in a area for that long without getting up and moving around. One was early in the morning that lasted all the way to lunch and you had a one hour break until you had to go back to church for your second session at that lasts for the rest of the day until night time when the day is over.
Chapter 2
Education
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School was very important for kids in the colonial days. The moms and the dads were very serious about children and their education. Laws back then for schools stated that if there were more than 50 families living in the town, the town had to build a schoolhouse . Unfortunately the rule did not state if the school had to be nice and sometimes they weren’t. Usually the schools was a one-room structure. They had one fireplace and the boys attending the school would have to bring in the firewood. And if they didn’t they would be punished by sitting farthest from the fireplace where they would end up cold for the day most of the time. There was a law that the teacher of the school had to be verified by the government to be a teacher. The one-room schoolhouse had students of all ages. The smaller children sat in the front and the older children in the back. At the beginning of the school day you started off reading the bible and saying prayers. The more advanced kids did more challenging things like reading passages of the bible and doing harder things while the other kids did math and read easier material. They did lessons until 12:00 pm and then it was lunch. The kids that lived close to the school ran home to eat lunch and the kids that lived farther away brought their own lunch.They ate things like bread sandwiches, and apple or corn bread with honey. After lunch they did lessons until around 4:00pm and then school let out. In school they had many harsh punishments(well I think) for bad behavior. They might get whipped by their teacher (that punishment was only for boys) if you didn't remember the lessons or they may call you a “dunce.” You would also have to sit on the dunce stool and you would wear a dunce cap. It was very hard to memorize a lesson because they didn't have paper to write notes down on and only a few schools in the colonial days had chalkboards. A boy would sometimes be the teacher which they would call him the schoolmaster. His punishment for kids may be to make you get a stick and shove it up your nose for a hour or more. I think that these punishments were kinda weird and very bad for the kids just because they couldn’t memorize a lesson. For me it would be very difficult to memorize a very long lesson and not be able to write any notes down because I didn't have paper. Also, you had more than one lesson a day and you were in school for over 6 hours.
This is a picture of a school in the colonial days. It is very small and only has one room
Chapter 3
Work
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Women
They were many things to do around the house that woman needed to do to survive in the colonial times. Some of the things women did in the colonial days they still do now. Some of the things women had to do around the house was they had to make things like knit clothes, blankets, and other things the family needed. They had to make candles in order to be able to see at night since there was no electricity. They would have to maintain a fire to keep the house warm and it was their main source for cooking meals with. They had to make soap for washing clothes and themselves. Young girls helped their mothers knit make candles and soap and all the other things there was to do all around the house. I think that the mother's did a lot to help the family survive back in colonial times.
MEN
The men hunted, grew crops, and fished for their main sources for food. The most important crops that they grew were tobacco, for selling, corn for eating, and cotton for clothing. Since their were limited resources such as stores back then, and most people had limited funds, doing their own hunting was a necessity. They hunted such animals as deer, rabbit, and turkey. They would also fish for food and would catch fish like cod, mackerel, herring, and bass. Men would also have to chop down a ton of wood a year for the fireplaces to keep their houses warm and for cooking what they hunted. The boys learned through their fathers about hunting, fishing, farming, and shooting their weapons.
Craftsmen
There are many different types of craftsmen. T Blacksmiths made objects out of iron like horseshoes and plows. Coopers made barrels and other containers. Millers grounded grains into flour. Gunsmiths made muskets. They were also carpenters, cabinet makers, candle makers, and many more craftsmen. Three different types of craftsmen that worked in trade shops were Master craftsmen, Journeymen , and Apprentices. Mastercraftsmen owned their own shops and they were very experienced. They did the most difficult parts of work and often hired a couple journeymen. Journeymen were skilled workers who didn't own their own stores. Apprentices were people who wanted to become journeyman or master craftsmen. They usually did the simpler jobs as well as watching and learning the harder jobs. Apprentices didn't get paid but they were given food, a place to stay, and a chance to learn their craft. Apprentices usually worked for seven years, or until they turned the age of 21. I think that the apprentices got a very fair payment for what they did because the main reason why they were there in the first place was to learn. They are learning a trade that will enable them to always have a job and the means to support their families.
This picture is woman working and watching the little kids play while the men were at work. This combination made the people of the colonial days survive.
Chapter 4
Taverns
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Taverns were important in the colonial days. This is where people would go and hang out. A tavern was where all the people would go to get food and a drink and talk to others about happenings in town and throughout the area. In the colonial times, beer was very expensive for the people back then. It was only a couple of cents which might seen cheap to us now, but not back then. Prices went up during wars so it was a hard life keeping a tavern running back then. They had a lot of odd jobs to keep the tavern running. They needed people to get supplies for food such as meat from hunting and corn from farming. They also had to have someone make the beer. They need people to clean the place so it's neat and they need someone to wash the dishes. They need people to get the beer out to the people at the tavern and serve the people their food. A lot of travelers went to taverns to get some beer and some taverns had extra rooms so that you can stay a night. Its kinda like a hotel where you can get food for a cost and you can sleep there. Also a lot of people that live nearby like to go to taverns to hang out or drink. I think taverns were useful if you were traveling and you had no where to stay. You could just go to the local tavern..
Raleigh Tavern
This is Raleigh tavern in Williamsburg Virginia. It was the most famous taverns in the colonial days. A lot of people worked at this tavern and it was a good job to have. The tavern was the best place for travelers to stay the night or to get some beer when they are passing by. It was a good gathering spot for men. On certain days they would have nice dinner and fancy balls. Dinners at Williamsburg tavern might start off with peanut soap, celery and cream. A popular main course was shepherd's pie,a lamb stew with potato and egg topping. I think some of those foods seem good but some other foods seem gross but I guess they liked it in the colonial days.They also had a room where men would play board games and dice. I think its cool how they still have the tavern still open after all this time.
This is a picture of Raleigh Tavern!!!!!!!
This is where Williamsburg, Virginia is if you didn't know where Raleigh Tavern was located!!!
Conclusion
The daily life in colonial times was very hard but also very rewarding. Everyone learned how to survive by using their own hands. We see those sacrifices they made today and should be grateful for it. My family relatives lived back then here in America and I know they made sacrifices so that we would have a better way of life today. I hope you found this information on colonial times as interesting as I did studying and researching it!!!!!!!!!!
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