Waking Up in a Plantation House
What life was like living in a colony during colonial times
The average plantation house sat on a piece of land that consisted of one main house and maybe, if they had enough money, another small shed-like building or two to hold the farming supplies, act as a small house for the slaves, or be used for a kitchen. The average house didn't even have a kitchen inside of it! The average houses only had one to two rooms. Imagine having five other siblings and having to share one bedroom with them? And thier houses were only about the size of a garage! The houses were also only one floor, but may have had a small loft that the family could store things in. There was also a fireplace and chimney is these houses to warm it during the winter. Wooden floors were considered a luxery, most houses only had floors made of dirt!
All this information is from historyisfun.org
Colonial America. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.historyisfun.org/
Similar to many families today, the average colonial family consisted of a mother, a father, and anywhere from four children to six children. That was a lot of kids to feed and take care of! The father of the house was very busy, whether it was caring for his farm and crops or hunting and fishing to feed his famly. Sometimes the men during colonial times were skilled in certain areas, such as trading, being a merchant , or a carpenter. Besides these laboring activites, men during colonial times were also required to serve in the milita , vote, act as a juror , and pay taxes. Although many people think women did not have such an active role in colonial America, women were just as busy as men! Besides having to care for thier house, family, and children as well as cook, women made candels and soaps for thier families to use. Women spun thread that they then used to make quilts, sheets, and clothing with. Women also grew different herbs, including lavender and peppermint, that they used both in thier cooking and in medicine!
Children's lives were very different from lives children appear to have today. Education was not required. In fact, there were not many schools avilable duing colonial times. This meant that most children learned mathematics, reading, and writing right in thier very home from thier parents, if thier parents were educated enough! And boys only! The most girls learned was how to write thier names and read the Bible, other than that they only learned how to do house work. How fair does that sound?! Sometimes if a boy was pursuing a trade, such as a carpenter, they would become an apprentice to a master tradesman and learn this skill from him.
All this information is from historyisfun.org
Colonial America. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.historyisfun.org/
The most important thing on a colonial man's farm was his cash crop . The cash crop during colonial America was mainly tobacco, while wheat and corn were also very popular. Corn was an important crop becuase it served as food for both humans and animals and the corn husks were used to build things in the house, such as mats or mattresses. Other vegetables the farmer grew included cabbage, carrots, beans, and peas. The colonial farmer relied on his cash crop to earn a living and needed the help of the slaves to harvest his crops.
The average colonial farm also had many animal living on the farm. Animals were useful for food and to help in the fields. Horses and oxen , which were strong, helped the farmers plow thier fields. Pigs, chicken, and cows were used as food and to supply eggs. Other animals, like sheep, were used to provide wool for the women to spin into clothing and blankets.
All of this information is from historyisfun.org
Colonial America. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.historyisfun.org/
Most colonial families owned slaves. These families needed the slaves to help them on the farms or help the women take care of the house. Slaves would not get paid, but the families that owned them considered thier payment by allowing them a place to sleep and providing them with some type of food to eat. Some families were not very nice to thier slaves, but others treated them with respect and looked out for them. Often times slaves would try to run away and become free, but if they were caught they would receive a horribe punishment. Slaves were allowed to practice thier own religion and were not required to follow all of the same beliefs as thier owners.
All of this information is from historyisfun.org
Colonial America. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.historyisfun.org/
The colonist came to America looking for religious freedom. The main religion in the colonies was Protestantism. As time went on, different branches of Protestantism evolved, such as Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians. Two religions that were not very common within the colonies was Catholocism and Judaism.
Most towns within the colonies would hold a service on Sunday that the average colonial family would attend. Sometimes if the towns did not have a building to use as a chuch, they would hold the worship service outside for all to attend. The churches were supported by taxes that the average colonial man was required to pay. Most slaves worshiped thier own religion and followed thier own beliefs different from their owners.
All of the information on this page is from historyisfun.org
Colonial America. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.historyisfun.org/
References used within the book:
Colonial America. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.historyisfun.org/
F. (2014, September 19). Life of a Colonial Slave. Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5zk2HlVXM
S. (2013, September 25). Religious Tolerance in Colonial America by Shmoop. Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hslcCfUGoSI
Who were the first English colonists in America? - Check123, Video Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.check123.com/videos/10507
If you want to know where each picture is from, under the picture you can click "Source" to see the link where I found the picture!
All of the sounds are from soundbible.com
Koenig, M. (n.d.). SoundBible.com. Retrieved February 27, 2018, from http://soundbible.com/