War Of 1812 Essay, Research Paper
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US History 1
10 Mar. 2000
Life and Times in Early America
The era that was seventeenth century colonial America was very different from
today?s times. The society that existed at that time had very different views on life and
how it should occur. The daily routines were very unlike ours even tough it may be hard
to believe. Even families, which seem to be a non-changing faction in history, were also
distinct in size and order. (Thomas XIII)
John Demos commented that ?the colonial family was ?extended? rather than
nuclear. False.? John Demos, who in a study of Bristol , Rhode Island, came up with
conclusions about family life in early America that contradicted ideas previously accepted
by historians.(Hawke 58).
An extended family includes the core group of males which are a grandfather,
adult sons and sons? sons, their wives, and their unmarried daughters. (Brooks 27)
Demos?s idea is basically this one. The house in the colonial times shaped the home.
What he means by this is that you could not have an extended family that included
servants, apprentices, and other non-kinfolk in a house that measured twenty feet by
twenty feet and rose only a story and a half. Even if you added another room, you would
only have enough livable space for a nuclear family which consisted of parents and
children. This was due to the high number of children in a family. The average number
was about seven to ten. Some far exceeded that, others barely managed having two or
three. (Hawke, 58-59).
In the early colonial families, every member had a different ?job.? The
head of the family was mostly the father. He presided over family prayers
and worked on the family farm. Mothers usually raised the children, acted as
midwives to other women in town, and tended to household chores. (Walker 86).
Up until about the age eight, boys and girls wore the same thing. They
only wore wool or linen dresses. After a boy reached the age of eight or nine, he would
begin to help out with the father?s job, which was farming, and a dress would not suit the
job very well. Girls usually wore their hair long, but always pulled tightly back and up
under a bonnet or hat. The reason for this was that social and religious custom did not
approve or look kindly upon women or girls being in public with an uncovered head.
The women were given a workload since their early days. For example, while boys
were off with their fathers, girls would stay home with their mothers, mostly helping out
with the cooking, sewing and laundering (89). Some daughters, however, went in to the
services of families in the neighborhood, and were apprenticed to a certain skill, such as
lace making or cleaning. (Smith,73)
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were very fair sunny days, as if it had been
in April, and our people, so many as were in health, were cheerful. (Brown, 56) The
overall health of early Americans was far better in the Northern colonies than in the South.
For example, a young male adult from Massachusetts, who had reached the age of twenty
could expect to live about forty-five years more. A female, about, about forty-two. It
was a different story in the colony of Virginia. A male of twenty would expect to live
about twenty-nine more years
and a female, only twenty. That is a large difference, a female from Massachusetts
could live to be about 62 years old, and one from Virginia could live to be forty years old.
In the later half of the 17th century, though, health amongst all colonists improved, and
was even better than England?s. (Tucker 467)
One of the most surprising facts about hygiene in the colonial society was the lack
of oral care. John Josselyn, a visitor to the early American Colonies, noted that ?the
women were pitifully tooth-shaken?. He didn?t know whether it was the climate or by
sweet meats which were plentiful. This evidence shows that the colonists were not well
advised on matters such as these and that no real dentists served of purpose(Hawke,72).
Food and it?s preparation in colonial times was extremely different from
what it is like today. It was hard enough to prepare the food. Everyone was supposed to
help and had different tasks such as grinding, hewing, and churning. The people with
more money and advantages had slaves cook their meals for them. After the food was
cooked and ready to eat, it wasn?t that exciting. The reason for this being that foods were
mostly bland and tasteless because there weren’t as many spices and other means of adding
flavor available. Many people ate the same kind of meal for days straight because of lack
of variety (Everyday Life in Colonies,3).
The Indians who were here long before the settlers, even though they despised
them, helped them out greatly in teaching the settlers how to cook and what to cook. The
colonist adapted, for example, the Boston baked beans of today. The Indians taught them
how to cook the beans in earthen pots. (Hawke,76)
The Native American tribes had been growing corn for thousands of years. When
the colonists came to America, the Indians not only introduced them to it, but also showed
them how to cook and cultivate the corn. It then became one of the staple foods of North
American colonists. Without all the help and instruction from the Native Americans,
colonists would have never survived. (Brooks 291)
The Southern ideal was country life. Instead of a meeting house being the
center of the community, the waterways and roads became a place of social life
A brief moment for colonists to sit back and relax was very rare and very savored. It was
usually on holidays that people would invite family and friends over to get together and
just have a good time. At Christmas time, much like today, families would have a feast
and exchange gifts at dinner. They would have such activities as husking bees, greased
pole climbing, greased pig chasing, hopscotch, jump rope, marbles, or tag. (Walker 102)
Hunting was a very popular pastime in colonial America. There were all
kinds of animal hunts, like for instance, hare hunts, fox hunts, raccoon bunts, and opossum
hunts. Other animal-related included horse racing, cock fighting, and bull baiting. In the
winter, when outdoor sports that involved animals didn?t come in to play, colonists, found
other means of entertainment. They danced, played cards, and sang. There wasn?t too
much of this on though, because dancing, singing, and gambling were shunned by religious
leaders. Some other winter recreation involved ice skating, sledding, and sleighing
(Hawke,96-99)
One of the most important traditions that settlers brought from their native
countries was courtship and marriage. Girls were expected to marry at thirteen
and boys at fourteen. At this point, they were considered adults. If a girl was twenty five
years old, and still was not married, it was considered a disgrace to her family. Marriages
were arranged by the parents and couples. In almost every case, the couple that was
married didn?t love each other, they were supposed to just grow on each other. Most of
the time, they didn?t . This is why the wife, especially was so unhappy. Her husband
often beat her if she ?misbehaved? in his eyes. He had control over all of her possessions.
If her husband did not want to separate, the court wouldn?t allow it, and the couple would
go on fighting forever because they couldn?t divorce. (Stevens 14)
In the colonies, death is very common. This is because of so many diseases
attained, so many cold winters, and the lack of medicine to help solve these problems.
Some common killers were, diphtheria, yellow fever, scarlet fever, and smallpox. Mostly
it?s children that die because their little weak bodies cannot stand too much. Funerals are
attended by family and close friends. It gives those with wealth a chance to show off, sort
of a social event. Besides all of this, though, it was a time to grieve ad show pity and
respect for the dead.
(147)
Settlers who had come from England had been in different classes or ranks. When
they came to America, they still kept classes and titles, but changed them a bit. For
example, a farmer?s wife was known as ?good wife? or ?goody? and her husband was
?goodman?. But if Goodman Smith was to be chosen for a justice of the peace, which did
not exist in England. He became ?Mister Smith?. If he moved up to an even higher
office, he would be ?Mr.Smith, Esq.? and his wife might call herself madam. (Everyday
Life in Colonies). Some others stood by more strict class distinction. They were as
follows:
highest class was also known as gentry. These people were rich, as they held jobs such as
judges, governors, and plantation owners. They were treated with utmost respect and had
good education. Middle class had jobs like silversmiths, ironsmiths, blacksmiths, and
other kinds of skill and trade. They were treated with some respect and lived in
comfortably nice homes. Lower class people were mostly slaves, Indians, and poor
whites. Neither had large homes or money. They had to work for other people to barely
survive. They had no education whatsoever.
I think that we are all grateful that we were able to learn from the mistakes and
discoveries of early Americans. We kept many traditions, and altered other according to
our present-day society. Most importantly, we greatly benefited from those who lived in
the very early stages of this great country, which is also known as colonial America.. In
addition, I extremely appreciate the road that they paved for us. (Colonial Family Life?
The First English Settlers 1)
Just think of all the set-backs we would have had if they hadn?t thought of certain
things before we did. It would?ve taken us more time to realize important factors, when it
comes to subjects such as dental hygiene. They also gave us a foundation in which social
classes were to be built, which recently has caused the poor to become poorer, and the
rich to become richer. (Everyday Life in Early America 283)
What I greatly disapprove of, is the unfair treatment that women received during
those times. It seems to me that males, had more ?rights? than the females.
Unfortunately, this also set up a foundation for a somewhat male-dominated country,
which still hasn?t given women an equal chance at success. (Payton 347)
In concluding with the discussion on the everyday trials and tribulations
of colonial America, it is easy for one to note the very extreme differences between that
time and today?s modern society. Deep down inside, though, their values and traditions
are still the same.