Lesson 5: Town and Country
Getting Started
In this lesson, you'll learn more on life in the country on farms large and small throughout the colony and also about life in colonial towns. You'll learn details about farming practices, discover trades, and consider the reasons why communities might encourage tradesmen with different skills to migrate to their towns.
Stuff You Need
- Great Colonial Projects You Can Build Yourself! by Kris Bordessa
Ideas to Think About
- Why do individuals, families, and communities decide to migrate from one location to another?
- How do religion, culture, government, and economics interact in decisions about whether to remain in one location or migrate to a new place?
- In what ways can the change of place of a physical migration inspire or make possible changes in culture, community, and ways of life?
Things to Know
- Colonial farmers grew subsistence crops (crops grown to provide food or other necessary supplies for their own families) and many also grew cash crops (crops grown to sell for money). Tobacco and indigo were important cash crops in colonial America.
Skills
- Analyze the important geographic, political, economic, and social aspects of life in the region prior to the Revolutionary Period. (SS)
- Identify geographic and political reasons for the creation of various colonies and evaluate the effects on the government and economics of the colony. (SS)
Introducing the Lesson
In this lesson, your child will learn more on life in the country on farms large and small throughout the colonies and also about life in colonial towns. He'll learn details about farming practices, discover trades, and consider the reasons why communities might encourage tradesmen with different skills to migrate to their towns.
Materials: Great Colonial Projects You Can Build Yourself! by Kris Bordessa
Read Chapters 5 and 6 of Great Colonial Projects You Can Build Yourself! by Kris Bordessa and then answer the following questions.
Questions
- How did colonists use milk?To make butter, cheese, or puddings. It wasn't typically used for drinking.
- How did colonial people store food to keep it safe to eat?They stored food in a springhouse, which used water from underground springs to chill the air. Some foods were salted or smoked for preservation as well.
- Why did colonial tradesmen use pictures on their signs?Since some people couldn't read, images were added to signs to help potential customers find the appropriate shop.
- What were some colonial punishments for breaking laws?Punishments could include public humiliation, imprisonment (although that was generally considered cruel and wasteful), being placed in the stocks or pillory, whipping or ducking, paying fines, branding, or death.