Life in colonial times

By: Faith Deweese

Who I am

• I am comparing my daily life to the life of a colonial child who’s father is a tobacco farmer.

Trades and Farming

• My father owns a tobacco farm. The slaves work the farm to trade with the locals.

• In my life we don’t have to trade with local people we can just go to the store to buy items we need or want.

Family life

• Father is also a large landowner. I am the youngest of 7 children all boys and me. Mother and Father own 3 personal slaves and over 100 working slaves, and treat them badly.

• In my life I believe that all people should be equal. Also I am an only child.

Pastime/ hobby

• I am not allowed to go to grammar school or to college like my older brothers. Instead I am in etiquette classes that teach “women's work” like knitting and cooking.

• In my life I get to go to school and I am horrible at cooking, cleaning, knitting etc. If I was enrolled in a class like that I would fail.

Communication

• I am friends with some of the girls in my class. I also like to play games with my older brothers.

• In my life I am friends with people at my school. I don’t have siblings to play games with.

Relations with other people

• We live a mostly isolated life. Most families of colonial times do. My family is very close to one another.

• In my life my family enjoys parties and getting together with other families, and friends.

Religion

• Most families in colonial times are Christians. We live too far away from town to make an extra trip to church so we read the bible and have sermons as a family. I can read and write because of the bible.

• I am a Christian in my life as well.

Education

• I wish that I could go to grammar school like the boys. It is not fair that girls are subjected to life as a housewife. Yet etiquette school is my only means of learning.

• I am given the opportunity to go to school unlike girls in colonial times.

Daily Life

• We make most of the things we need but we can trade for things we cannot make. We have a horse and buggy to transport us to town and back. We play a ball and cup game to have fun.

• In my life we buy the things we need, use a car, and play electronic games.

Conclusion

• Life was very different for children as well as adults in the colonial times than it is now.