The Wonders of Life in the 1700s
By: Allee Petro, Fredda Carwell, and Mary Mac Trammell
School life in Colonial America
Fredda C.
Schooling for most children in the 1700’s was a privilege. Children were taught reading, writing, math, and geography. Poor families would teach their children reading and writing from the bible. Most girls would not go to school, but do housework instead. Summer schools were popular in the 1700’s, and small children and girls would attend classes in the summer. During this time, men worked in the fields. Usually only the wealthy children could afford to attended schools, which was a disadvantage for poor families. Supporting a family was important in the 1700’s because people got married young. In the 1700s, people had to work very hard just to get the education they deserve.1
1“Life of Children in the 1700s” http://andersonuniversity.libguides.com/content.php?pid=267041&sid=2290034
Religon in Colonial America
Mary Mac T.
In the 1730’s and 1740’s the colonists had The Great Awakening in their religion. The Great Awakening was in the New England and Southern colonies. It was a reaction against society. Churches were becoming more corporate and materialistic. Preachers were preaching about fearing the sin in your life and respecting God as all-powerful. 1 The Great Awakening was mainly among Presbyterians. One of the most well now preachers who preached this was Jonathan Edwards. He spoke of terrifying images of the corruption of human nature. One of his most well known sermons was, “ Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” where he called sinners loathsome spiders. 2
1"United States." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 7 Feb. 2013.
<http://school.eb.com/eb/article-77697>.
2 Heyrman, Christine Leigh. “The First Great Awakening.” Divining America, TeacherServe©. National Humanities Center. Sun. 10 Feb. 2013 http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/grawaken.htm
Jobs in Colonial America
Allee P.
In the colonies life went pretty well for them, people who lived in towns were mainly merchants, blacksmiths, furniture producers, shopkeepers, wheelwrights, and artisans. The people who lived on farms had big families; they often had six to eight children. The women couldn’t own their own property so they got married, had a lot of children, they made lots of candles and soaps, they churned milk to butter, they knitted sweaters and stockings, they spun yarn, and they did chores. Families in New England basically only lived in small wooden houses because there was a large supply of trees. The farmers were always men and they grew corn raised cattle and did much more on the farm. The 1700s was a great period of time, because we were finally starting to look like a country.
Schweikart, Larry.”Everyday Life in America: A Patriots History”.2013