This book paints a picture of daily life in cities in the United States in the years 1800 to 1860. During this time, cities did not look like the cities we know today. Most Americans lived on farms, while a growing number were migrating to developing cities. The book defines a colony, and describes the colonization process using a timeline and informative maps. It lays out the colony-building process, and the typical buildings you would see in a colony. Life in a Colonial Time also mentions how news was spread throughout colonies, as well as the different rooms in houses and what their purposes were. The book informs the reader of a typical day in the life of an adult colonist, such as the work that had to be done. Children carried many of the same responsibilities as adults, and when they did not work they went to small, one-room schoolhouses. It also points out the types of garments that colonists wore, how they were made, and the differences between boys and girls clothes. The book informs us on what American’s ate during this time, where they got their food, and how it was prepared. Lastly, the book mentions how the thirteen colonies came together to win the Revolutionary War.
This book is a great resource for students to use when studying colonial life during the Revolution. Many students might not realize how different life was during this time. As an activity, you could separate students into groups and make each group responsible for researching a different aspect of colonial life, such as food, clothing, homes, towns, jobs, etc. They could use this book, similar books, and online sources to research information. Then they could participate in a “Colony Walk”, where they walked around to each group to learn about that particular subject.
