Childrenin the North and South English Colonies

By Willie Gardner, Katie Mader, Nicole Backhaus, and Mo Hannan

North

• Connecticut

• Massachusetts

• New Hampshire

• Rhode Island

Lifestyle

• Lived with extended families– Grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.

• Taught morals – Laziness was a sin

• Taught to read– Often families taught grammar school– Had to be able to read Bible

• Girls could not go to grammar school or college, but were taught to read at home

Clothing

• Wore clothes made of wool

• Young boys under the age of 5 or 6 wore a loose dress

• Wigs were very important, and popular

• Girls were long dresses

Chores

• Boys shadowed their father when they were young– Hunted, plant, and harvest

• At a later age (around 9 years), some become apprentices

• Apprentice for long amount of time—7 years

Chores

• Girls help with household items– Make soap and candles

• Sheer sheep, make the wool, and weave it into cloth

• Prepare food– Especially meats for eating

• Learn from mother and grandmother how to knit and sew

Religion

• Quaker, Priesbyterian, Puritan, Baptist

• Were told to become focused during mass time

• Could not play or fool around

• Went every Sunday

Recreation

• Played games similar to baseball (stick and ball game)

• Flied kites

• Cat’s Cradle, and spin tops, checkers, tag, marbles, leap frog, hopscotch

• Made rag dolls, and corn husk dolls

• Played outdoor bowling

• Told folktales

South

• North Carolina• South Carolina• Virginia• Maryland• Georgia

Lifestyle

• All children were expected to work by the age of 11 or 12, unless you were part of the elite group

• Children dressed the same as adults

Schooling

• Only children of the middle and elite classes got any education

• Education primarily for male children

• Once they became teenagers, sent off to college or Europe

• Southern girls did not go to college

Recreation

• Mimicked activities of parents– Fishing– Cards– Dice– Dancing– Hunting

North Differences

• In the north, most of the settlers were Puritans • They taught a strict lifestyle for both children and

adults. The children were often required by their parents to read the bible

• This not only taught them about the origins of their religion, but it also taught them how to read and write

• Because of this, many of the children in the northern colonies were literate

North Differences

• Many of the villages with greater populations would set up grammar schools for the boys in the town

• There, they could learn math and Latin, along with other courses that would help them get into colleges and thus further their knowledge

• The girls in the northern colonies were normally literate, but they were not allowed to attend grammar school or colleges

South Differences

• Most children were home schooled by their parents

• They learned to read and write using 'hornbooks'

• They learned simple mathematics, and learned how to read and write

South Differences

• When the children were older, they would often leave for college, or go abroad to Europe

• As with the Northern colonies, girls did not go to college or go abroad

• Most of the children in the south were brought up as either Baptists of Anglicans

Similarities

• Both sides VERY religious

• Both groups of children mimicked what their parents did for recreation and jobs

• All children had recreational activities that entertained them

• The clothing was similar and daily routines were similar

Analysis

• This topic is about the children in the English Colonies and how their upbringing is important to American history today. Growing up in 1600's, children were busy all the time with chores and daily activities around the house. When comparing the lifestyle of children then and now, we can see how our country has developed and how much things have changed. The children's chores exemplify life in the early English Colonies. Life was hard and demanded a lot of work and effort from everyone. There were some differences between the children in the northern and southern colonies, but hard work was common ground.

Bibliography

• http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/34/a1/6e/girls-dancing.jpg

• http://homesteadtoys.com/files/QuickSiteImages/017-Oct_12_2008_-_photo_0017__2_Rag_doll.jpg

• http://www.pragmatism.org/american/puritanmigration.jpg

• http://www.williamsburgkids.com/images/spinwheel.jpg • http://z.about.com/d/honeymoons/1/5/-/O/

2ColNursery.jpg • http://www.virginia.org/images/GWBirthplace.jpg • http://library.thinkquest.org/J002611F/