How was life really in the colonies TCI Lesson 4

​The English people had won the right to participate in their government only after a long struggle, the key victory to this struggle being the signing of Magna Carta, or “Great Charter,” by King John in 1215, which established the idea that the power of the monarch, or ruler, was limited. Not even the king was above the law.

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

​1215 Magna Carta

​

Multiple Choice

What was an effect of Magna Carta in England?

• A. It limited the power of the king.

• B. It established a democratic government.

​ Rights of the colonists

​Proud to be British subjects

Some text here about the topic of discussion

​Colonists in America considered themselves to be English citizens. They expected the same rights that citizens enjoyed in England, the most important of which was the right to have a voice in their government.

​More rights 1265 and 1685 no more king- at least for a short time

The next major victory was the founding of Parliament in 1265. Parliament was made up of representatives from across England. Over time, it became a lawmaking body with the power to approve laws and taxes proposed by the king or queen.

In 1685, James, the Duke of York, became King James II and did not want to share power with an elected assembly in New York nor an elected Parliament in England. When he tried to rule without Parliament, James was forced off his throne. This change in power, which took place without bloodshed, is known as the Glorious Revolution.​

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

How did the establishment of Parliament strengthen the rights of English citizens

• A. Citizens were able to choose the monarch.

• D. Laws were made by representatives of the citizens.

Multiple Choice

What occurred as a result of the Glorious Revolution?

• A. Parliament abolished the monarchy.

• C. Parliament retained lawmaking powers

​ Following the Glorious Revolution, Parliament offered the crown to Prince William of Orange and his wife, Mary in 1689. After being crowned, they approved an act, or law, known as the English Bill of Rights. This act said that the power to make laws and impose taxes belonged to the people's elected representatives in Parliament and to no one else. It also contained a bill, or list, of rights that belonged to the people. Among these were the right to petition the king (request him to change something) and to have a trial by jury. English colonists saw the Glorious Revolution as a victory not only for Parliament, but also for their colonial assemblies. They wanted to select those individuals who made their laws as well as those who set their taxes. After all, this was a cherished right of all English citizens.

​English Bill of Rights

Multiple Choice

Which right did the English Bill of Rights provide?

• to petition the king

• to choose the kind of school children would attend

Multiple Choice

Why was the English Bill of Rights important to the colonists?

• It spelled out what was due to the colonists as English citizens

• It gave the colonists the ability to choose members of Parliament.

Religion

​Puritans in New England!

In New England, the sound of a drum or horn called Puritans to worship on Sunday morning. “Captains of the watch” made sure everyone was a “Sabbath-keeper.” Sometimes houses were searched to ensure that everyone was at the church service.

Church services were held in the town meetinghouse, the most important building in the community that was used for all public gatherings. Inside were rows of wooden benches, called pews, and a pulpit (a platform where the preacher stood). A “seating committee” carefully assigned seats, with the best ones going to older, wealthy people, while colonists with less influence sat farther away.

Services could last as long as five hours. At midday, villagers would go to “noon-houses” near the church to warm themselves by a fire, eat, and socialize before returning to church for the long afternoon sermon.​

​Great Awakening of 1730

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

​The Great Awakening had a powerful effect on the colonies because it helped spread the idea that all people are equal in the eyes of God. Ordinary people could understand God's will if they had an open heart and a desire to know God's truth. By encouraging ideas of liberty, equality, and self-reliance, the Great Awakening helped pave the way for the American Revolution.

Multiple Choice

Which belief spurred the Great Awakening?

• Farm life is better than city life.

• Women are not as educated as men.

• People have lost their faith.

Multiple Choice

How did the Great Awakening in the 1730s prepare the colonists for the American Revolution?

• It encouraged the ideals of liberty and equality.

• It created anti-colonial sentiment.

• It required colonists to pay heavy taxes.

​In 1750, about one out of every 20 colonists lived in a city.
The heart of the colonial city was the waterfront.
The nearby streets were lined with shops.
Cities were often noisy, smelly places. Church bells rang out several times a day, while carts clattered loudly over streets paved with round cobblestones where animals ran loose.
City homes were close together on winding streets.
With torches and candles lighting homes, fire was a constant danger. To counter the threat of fires, colonists kept fire buckets hanging by their front doors

​Life in the cities TCI L4 S 2

Parents were asked to contribute whatever they could to the village school. Contributions included money, vegetables, firewood, or anything else the school needed. Often, land was set aside as “school meadows” or “school fields” which could then be rented out to raise money for teachers' salaries.

Schools were one-room buildings with a chimney and fireplace. There were no boards to write on or maps of the Americas, and pencils and paper were scarce. Students shouted out spelling words and wrote sums in ink on pieces of bark. There was usually one book, the New England Primer, which was used to teach the alphabet, syllables, and prayers.

Most colonists believed that boys needed more education than girls. “Female education, in the best families,” wrote First Lady Abigail Adams, “went no further than writing and arithmetic; in some few and rare instances, music, and dancing.”​

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

​Leisure

​Bees and Frolics When possible, colonists combined work and recreation by organizing “bees” and “frolics.” New settlers might hold a “chopping bee” in which all the neighbors helped clear the trees off their land. Other frolics included corn-husking bees for men and quilting bees for women. Sharing the work increased the production of goods while also making the work more enjoyable.

Other people participated in house and barn raisings throughout the colonies. At these events, neighbors joined together to build the frame of a house or barn in one day. The men assembled the four walls flat on the ground and then raised them into place. Meanwhile, the women prepared a huge feast. At the end of the day, everyone danced on the barn's new floor.

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

​Toys and Sports

​Colonial children had a few basic toys, such as dolls, marbles, and tops. They played tag, blindman's bluff, and stoolball, which was related to the English game of cricket (a game like baseball). Children in New England also enjoyed coasting down snowy hills on sleds, although adults must have thought coasting was dangerous because several communities forbade it.

Adults enjoyed several sports. One popular sport was lawn bowling where men would roll egg-shaped balls down a lane of grass toward a white ball called a jack. Colonists also played a game similar to backgammon called tick-tack and a form of billiards (pool) called trock.

In the Southern Colonies, fox hunting with horses and hounds was a popular sport. Card playing was another favorite pastime, one that New England Puritans disapproved of strongly. Horse racing, cockfighting, and bull baiting were also popular in the South.

Fairs were held throughout the colonies where colonists could compete in contests of skill and artistry. There were footraces, wrestling matches, dance contests, and wild scrambles to see who could win a prize by catching a greased pig or climbing a greased pole.

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

​Let's review

Multiple Choice

What English document called the "Great Charter" limited the power of the king and gave more power to the people?

• The Mayflower Compact

• The Magna Carta

• The Salem Trials

• The 10 Commandments

Multiple Choice

Which of these documents is most similar to the Mayflower Compact?

• the Bible

• the Constitution

• the Gettysburg Address

• the Declaration of Independence

Multiple Choice

Which of these shows the chronological order of the founding of these concepts? (Think back to the timeline in your notebook).

• Parliament, English Bill of Rights, Magna Carta, Great Awakening

• Magna Carta, Great Awakening, English Bill of Rights, Parliament

• English Bill of Rights, Parliament, Magna Carta

• Magna Carta, Parliament, English Bill of Rights, Great Awakening

Multiple Choice

How did the colonist combine work & play?

• by having "bees & frolics"

• they went coasting & sledding

• they wrestled & bull baited

• they played cards & billiards

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is true about colonial marriage & families?

• most colonist married in their 20's

• colonial famillies were usually large

• family members took care of each other

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

In the colonies, why were most women guaranteed a marriage proposal?

• getting married was not allowed in the colonies

• there were more men than women in the colonies

• men lived much longer than women in the colonies

• women were treated better than men in the colonies

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is true about colonial marriage & families?

• most colonist married in their 20's

• colonial famillies were usually large

• family members took care of each other

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

The slave's ocean journey from Africa to the colonies is called the __

• Disney cruise

• Great Revolt

• Middle Passage

• Magne Carta

Multiple Choice

Cities were ......

• crime filled & dangerous

• open & spacious

• smelly & crowded

Multiple Choice

Most colonists lived ....

• on small family farms

• in crowded cities

• in wealthy colonial homes

• near factories

Multiple Choice

What was the main goal of education for students in the New England colonies?

• to be able to read the Bible

• to be prepared to attend college

• To learn how to run a business

• To keep the kids busy during the day.

Multiple Choice

What did colonial public schools use the New England Primer for?

• to teach reading & writing

• to prepare students for paying taxes

• to attract new teachers to schools

Multiple Choice

What slowed the growth of public education in the Middle Colonies?

• lack of materials

• discipline problems

• religious differences

Multiple Choice

Which of these is true about slavery in the colonies?

• laws were written to abolish slavery

• it expanded throughout the colonies

• it was limited to the Southern colonies

• Northern slaves were freed and returned to Africa

Multiple Choice

What were the expectations of English colonists in America?

• they were expected to be governed by the English king

• they expected the same rights as English citizens

• to expected to denounce their English citizenship

Multiple Choice

Which was a common belief among the colonists regarding education?

• home schooling was forbidden

• the ability to read was not necessary

• girls needed less education than boys

• girls needed more education than boys.

Multiple Choice

The Great Awakening taught people that...

• all people were equal in the eyes of God

• All people were sinners and would be punished

• People needed to beg God for forgiveness

• People should do whatever ministers told them to do.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following rights was provided by the English Bill of Rights?

• to choose punishments for crimes

• to choose the kind of school their children would attend

• to choose the kind of music played in church services

• to allow citizens to petition the king.

Multiple Choice

Who both wrote and published Poor Richard's Almanac?

• Benjamin Franklin

• William Penn

• Benjamin Button

• George Washington