Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Today we're going to give you some background information on Life in the Colonies. This
presentation will discuss the differences between living on a farm and living in the
city, as well as the different social classes of the colonial time period. Hopefully after
watching this presentation, you'll have a lot more background knowledge on what life
in the colonies was like, and you'll be prepared for class tomorrow.
The vast majority of colonists lived on small family farms. Most farms either raised or
made everything that they needed. Starting a farm was not easy work, and it began with
clearing out all trees from the land that you wanted to farm. After this, you had to
build your house, barns and fences to keep unwanted people out. Most homes consisted
of a single large room for an entire family. The fireplace would be the only source of
heat for warmth and cooking, and it was important to keep the fire burning at all times. Life
on a farm started before sunrise, and chores included cutting wood, feeding animals, clearing
land, tending crops, building fences, making furniture and tools, gathering eggs, spinning
thread, sewing clothes, making candles and soap, cooking, cleaning, and caring for babies.
Compared to quiet farm life, cities were exciting places. At the waterfront, ships brought news
from England and new supplies, such as paint, carpets, furniture and books. Near the docks
was a bustling marketplace where fishermen and farmers could sell their products to make
a living. Cities also contained taverns where people could meet and socialize as well as
shops such as blacksmiths, shoemakers, clockmakers, and tailors. Cities were full of the noises
and smells of animals and colonists, and the homes were built close together. Because of
this, fire was a huge danger and could easily spread from one house to the next. Therefore,
colonists reacted quickly to any potential fire scare, even if it wasn't their house.
Now that we've discussed the differences of living in a city or on a farm, let's learn
more about the different social classes on Colonial Society.
The first group we're going to talk about was called the Gentry. The gentry were the
upper class and consisted of the Governor of a Colony, the Council members, plantation
owners, doctors and the clergy. The Gentry were a very small portion of the population,
less than 5%. They jobs they worked required that they use their minds, and the controlled
political and societal affairs of the colony. Oftentimes they lived in elaborate homes or
on plantations. They would have furniture imported from Europe or made by craftsmen.
They might have luxurious items like a feather mattress or a canopy bed. This group was generally
well educated by tutors and men attended college and managed the money. Women managed the home
and slaves, they also organized parties. This was important because the Gentry's favorite
pastime was dancing!
Our next group is lower on the social hierarchy than the Gentry, and they are known as the
Middling Sort. This group consisted of a little less than half the population and would include
merchants and shop owners, skilled tradesmen, yeomen farmers and apprentices. They mostly
worked with their hands and learned their trades through apprenticeships. Since many
of them were craftsmen, they would often make their own furniture. In contrast to the Gentry's
feather mattresses, the Middling Sort might have a mattress made of horse hair. Since
this is such a large social group, there was great variation in the group. Some of the
Middling Sort were barely able to get by in life, while others were extremely successful.
Some owned slaves, and if the men owned land, they were allowed to vote. This group did
not have much leisure time and were not well educated. They attended school to learn reading,
and math until between 7 -- 10, and after that boys would apprentice and girls would
learn the skills of a homemaker from their mothers.
Beneath the Middling Sort was the Lesser Sort. This sort, along with slaves, consisted of
a little more than half the population. They were mostly made up of white indentured servants
and farmers living on the frontier. They usually were renting their land and lived very difficult
lives. Indentured servitude would last from 3 -- 10 years and after that they were free
to try to improve their position. However, they had very little education, if any.
The last group we're going to discuss is the Slaves. Slave population varied depending
on the Colony. Some colonies had more than 50% slave population, whereas in others slavery
was relatively uncommon. Slaves were considered as the property of their owner. And if they
had furniture it was self made or cast-offs from their owner. They lived hard lives and
had no rights. Slaves were divided into two groups; those that worked in the house and
those that worked in the fields. Within these two classifications, the slaves who worked
in the house were normally better dressed and in some cases elegantly dressed. Slave
leisure time consisted of singing songs, telling stories, and gathering to socialize. Education
would come from their parents and very few were taught to read or write. Sometimes slaves
were allowed to purchase their freedom, but even if they were free and managed to own
land, they were still not allowed to vote.
So that was your brief lesson on Life in the Colonies. We discussed the difference between
living on a farm and living in the cities and went over the different social classes
of the time. Hopefully this lesson was informative, and now you will have some background knowledge
as we continue our colonial unit in class.