Life in the English Colonies

artisan

A skilled crafts person

apprentice

A person who works for another for several years in order to learn a trade and gets little time off.

triangular trade

A system in which goods and slaves were traded among the Americas, Britain, Africa, and the West Indies. (The continents of North America, Europe, and Africa)

Poor Richard's Almanac

Benjamin Franklin's highly popular collection of information, parables, and advice

Olaudah Equiano

sold into slavery at age 11; after gaining freedom, he spoke out against slavery and published his autobiography

Benjamin Franklin

He got a job as a printer and started the first newspaper, hospital, fire department and public library in Philadelphia.

What are disadvantages of being an apprentice?

-worked long hours 12 hours a day

-very little free time

-hardly had a day off

-worked for little or no pay

away from family for long periods

What are the advantages of being an apprentice?

learned a skill, had a place to live and food to eat

Name some colonial jobs.

cooper, surveyor, miller, cobbler, silversmith, tailor

Why were the middle colonies known as the "breadbasket"?

They milled flour and shipped it to other colonies.

What were the cash crops of the southern colonies?

rice, indigo, and tobacco

What did all colonial towns have in common?

They were self-sufficient.

What was the most important building in a colonial New England town?

the meeting house

Describe school in colonial times.

Students of all ages were taught in a one room school with a coal burning stove.

Why did many colonists leave Europe?

Religious freedom

Where did most slaves work?

Southern plantations

How did the slaves contribute to the colonies?

They knew a variety of skills and could work in the cities, towns, or plantations.

How did slaves resist slavery?

They pretended to be sick, broke tools, worked slow, and planned escapes.

How did New England colonies use trees?

They used trees to build houses, ships, and barrels.

What was it like in a New England town?

Families owned plots of land where they grew crops and raised animals. The town common was an open area where cattle and sheep grazed. Workshops were often found around the town common. The meeting house was the most important building in town.

How did children spend their days?

They attended school in a one room school house. Then they worked on their family's farm doing chores. They had very little free time, but if they had free time they would play cards, hide and seek, sports, or fly a kite.

Why were laws passed that denied slaves many rights?

Their owners wanted to restrict their freedom so they wouldn't try to escape because they were considered property.

How is communication today similar and different from how colonists communicated?

We both stay in touch with people by writing letters as colonists did, but today we also use phones and the internet.