chapter 3 i.the rhythms of life ii.at home iii.at work iv.at play

Chapter 3

I. The Rhythms of LifeII. At HomeIII. At WorkIV. At Play

Population• Non-English• Scots-Irish• Germans

• Frontier• Great Wagon

Road

Population• Germans• Often Protestant• Pennsylvania

Dutch• Most immigrants

adapted to English ways

Marrying• 1700: 250,000• 1775: 2,500,000• High birthrate• Women married at

younger ages

Marrying• Large families

helped provide farm labor

Burying• Childbearing was

dangerous• Infant mortality

rate was high• Even higher in

Europe

Burying• Epidemics became

more common with growth of cities

• Colonies generally flourished

Housing

• The first homes built in an area were usually primitive

• “colonial style”

Housing

• Materials used often depended on location

• Most lived in simple homes

Diet

• One’s diet often related to his social standing

• Frontier foods• Hard cider and rum

Diet

• Foods transplanted from other parts of the world included potatoes, coffee, and farm animals

Education

• The purpose behind education was to provide basic skills and the ability to read the Bible

Education

• Puritan New England had many college graduates

• Education was highly valued in New England

Education

• Hornbook• New England Primer• Some taught at home• Dame schools

Education

• Outside New England, literacy and education were limited• Geography• Less enthusiasm

Education

• Some hired private tutors

• Charleston, SC• Free schools• Public library

Rice Farmer

Louis TimothyEdisto Island, SC

1718

House Servant

Debora RiedhauserGermantown, PA

1747

Slave

AkachiVirginia

1720

Wigmaker

Jeremy ShrimptonBoston, MA

1735

At Play• Leisure time existed• Americans did enjoy

life in colonial times• Different leisure

activities in cities and on frontier

At Play• Worship services

were also social occasions

• Newspapers

At Play• Children usually

had few toys• Homemade• Highly prized