Life in the Thirteen Colonies

What was it like?

It wasn’t modern.

• They had no cars. No trains. No telephones. No electricity. No lights. No heaters. No dishwashers. No washing machines. No running water. No toilets. No factories to make toys, clothes, or anything. No supermarkets, malls, or department stores.

So, how did they live?

There were only two ways to travel on land.

• The first was walking. The second was on horses. Sometimes people rode on wagons pulled by horses.

• When it got dark, people usually went to bed because they couldn’t see. If they needed light, then they would use candles or oil lamps. The oil lamps burned oil that came from whale blubber.

• When it got cold, they had to get wood to burn in a fireplace.

• When they needed water to drink, cook with, clean with, or bathe in, they had to walk to the well and carry the water back to their house.

• If they needed to use the toilet, then they would just go outside.

Most people grew their own food in a garden.

• Most people had their own chickens, pigs, and cows.

• Farmers would carry their extra food to the towns to sell. The farmers had small markets where they could sell their produce.

• Most people had to make their own things. People made their own clothes, candles, shoes, or dishes.

Some people, called craftsmen, made products to sell in the towns.

Candle makers made candles.

Cooper made buckets and barrels.

Potters made pots and dishes.

Wrights made wheels and wagons.

Blacksmiths made metal things such as horseshoes or forks and

knives.

Bakers baked bread.

Many people owned guns.

• The guns were called muskets. They took a long time to reload and didn’t shoot straight.

There were many English soldiers in the colonies.

• They fought against the French, the Spanish, and the Indians. The English soldiers were called “redcoats”.

What did they wear?

• Rich people wore fancy silk clothes, wigs and makeup. Even men.

Puritans wore plain clothes.

The thirteen colonies had three parts:

• The New England Colonies

• The Middle Colonies• The Southern

Colonies

The New England Colonies had cold weather. It was too cold for farming.

• Some people built ships. Some were merchants. Others worked on ships that hunted whales. The whale blubber was used to make oil for lamps.

Hunting whales was dangerous work.

Many people in New England were Puritans.

• The Puritans had their own government. They voted in town meetings.

• These meetings helped start democracy in America.

• These meetings also started the Revolution in America. They wanted to be free and independent.

The Puritans believed everybody should read the Bible.

• They started the first public schools, so everybody could learn how to read.

In the Middle Colonies, the weather was warmer.

• It was better for farmers. They grew a lot of food. They sent their food to the cities to sell in the markets.

• People in the Middle Colonies often came from Germany, Holland, Sweden, France, and Scotland. They spoke many different languages.

In the Southern Colonies, the weather was very warm.

• There were many large plantations.

The plantation masters were very

rich.

Plantations had many slaves.

• They often grew tobacco or rice.

Slaves had no rights or protection. They worked hard all day.

• Women had few rights. They did all the cooking, cleaning, and childcare.