Verna Fisher
TOWNs
Verna Fisher
Nomad Press
A division of Nomad Communications
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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ISBN: 978-1-936313-60-0
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Contents
Map & Timeline ~ iii
Chapter 1 ~ page 1
Busy Towns
chapter 2 ~ page 7
Getting Around
chapter 3 ~ page 13
The Arts
chapter 4 ~ page 17
Spread the Word
chapter 5 ~ page 21
Native American Villages
Glossary ~ Further Investigations ~ Index
Colonial
America
Middle
Colonies
New York,
New Jersey,
Pennsylvania,
Delaware, and
Maryland.
Southern Colonies
Virginia, North Carolina, N
South Carolina,
and Georgia. W E
iii S
New England 1607
Massachusetts, 1. Virginia
New Hampshire, Connecticut,
and Rhode Island. 2. Massachusetts
3. New York
4. New Hampshire
In the 1600s, people
began leaving Europe 5. Maryland
to settle in America. 6. Connecticut
Some were explorers
searching for gold, 7. Rhode Island
while others came 8. Delaware
looking for freedom.
9. North Carolina
Jamestown in Virginia
and Plymouth in 10. South Carolina
Massachusetts were
11. New Jersey
two of the earliest
settlements where 12. Pennsylvania
these people came
13. Georgia
to start a new life.
1733
iv
Busy
Towns
In Colonial America, many families lived
in towns. These towns had shops, churches,
taverns, schools, and houses. Colonial towns
also had a central park. Here families could
relax, talk with friends, and play. In most
towns, the church was located by the park.
1
Colonial America: tavern: a place to get
the name given to this food or spend the night.
country when talking about
the years 1607–1776.
Boston Common was built in
1634. It is the oldest public
park in the United States.
2
coast: the edge of colonist: a person who
the land near the sea. came to settle America.
seaport: where New World: what
ships unload and load settlers from Europe
goods for sale. called America because
it was new to them.
Towns along the coast and on
large rivers grew quickly. These
were busy seaports where ships
from Europe stopped. The ships
brought the colonists sugar, tea,
cloth, books, and other goods not
available in the New World.
The largest seaports were Boston
in Massachusetts, New York City
in New York, and Philadelphia in
Pennsylvania. Other important
seaports were smaller. These
included Newport in Rhode Island,
Baltimore in Maryland, and
Charleston in South Carolina.
3
Did You Know?
The name of Philadelphia comes
from the Greek word for “brotherly
love.” Philadelphia was the United
States capital from 1790 to 1800.
4
crop: a plant population: timber: wood
grown for food. the number of used to build
people living homes, ships,
goods: things in an area. and other things.
to use or sell.
In New England, many families could not earn
money by farming. The soil was poor and the
weather was cold. They could only grow enough
crops to feed their families. In Boston, men
worked building ships or fishing. They sold
goods like furs to ships going to Europe.
5
In colonial times, Philadelphia
grew to a population of
40,000. It was the largest
city in the colonies.
Today, New York City has
more than 8 million people.
It is larger than any other
city in the United States.
In the Middle and
Southern Colonies, the soil
and warm weather was
better for growing crops. These colonists
sent farm products on the ships to Europe.
They also sold animal skins and timber.
6
Getting Around
In Colonial America, transportation
was hard. Most travel was by men who
needed to get to other colonies to sell
their goods. Many colonists never left
the place where they were born.
7
transportation: waterway: a stream
moving people or or river that is wide
goods from one and deep enough for
place to another. a boat to travel on.
Roads were rough and full
of ruts. Often, colonists had
to walk slowly while pulling
a horse. The roads were
muddy when it rained.
They were dusty when
it was dry. Getting to
another colony could
take days, or even weeks.
Travel by water was
common. Most of the
larger towns were by the water.
Sailing ships carried passengers and
goods by sea between seaports.
Smaller boats and canoes travelled
waterways throughout the colonies.
8
stagecoach: a heavy, closed
vehicle on wheels, pulled by horses.
In 1730, German settlers in
Pennsylvania invented the
Conestoga wagon. Up to six
horses pulled these covered
wagons. They carried people
and hauled heavy loads of flour,
wheat, and other goods.
The wagon’s wide wheels
helped it get through mud
without getting stuck.
By the end of the colonial
period, stagecoaches
carried passengers between
towns and cities. Early
stagecoaches were not comfortable.
Colonists bumped along on benches
without backs to lean against.
9
In colonial times, it took
more than three days to go
from Boston to New York
City by stagecoach.
Today, we can drive
between Boston and New
York City in four hours.
10
produce: farm wheelwright:
products, especially someone that builds
fruits and vegetables. and repairs wheels.
Around town, colonists used simple carts
with two wheels. The carts carried items
like produce and firewood to shops in
town. A colonist building a house
could haul bricks in a cart.
11
A wheelwright
fixed wheels, like
mechanics repair cars
and trucks today.
Because almost every family needed
a cart, wheelwrights had an
important job. Wheelwrights
built wooden wheels that
handled rough roads
and bumpy fields.
12
The Arts
In the larger towns, people went to
the theater to enjoy acting, singing,
and dancing. Early theaters in
America were built in the Southern
Colonies in Williamsburg, Virginia,
and in Charleston, South Carolina.
13
In the Puritan towns of New
England, it was forbidden
by law to put on a play.
The wealthiest colonists sat in fancy
raised boxes on the sides of the stage.
Other colonists sat on wooden benches in
the center of the theater. Students, sailors,
and slaves sat in the gallery above.
14
traveling artist: portrait: a painting of
a painter, actor, singer, one or more people.
or dancer who travels
from place to place.
canvas: cloth used
for paintings.
15
Did You Know?
There were no cameras in
Colonial America. A portrait
was the only way to have
a picture of yourself.
Traveling artists
came from Europe to paint
portraits for wealthy
families. Soon, colonists
learned to paint portraits.
There were no art schools
in Colonial America, so
most painters taught
themselves this new skill.
It took a long time to
paint a portrait. To be faster
and cheaper, artists painted
bodies and backgrounds on canvases
during the winter. In summer, they traveled
around to different towns and quickly
painted the heads to finish the portrait.
16
Spread the Word
Most colonial towns had a town crier
to spread public news. The town crier
got people’s attention by ringing a
bell and shouting “hear ye, hear ye.”
17
town crier: a person breeches: tight pants
who shouted public that go to the knees.
news in the streets.
The town crier
usually wore robes
with bright colors,
as well as white
breeches and a
three-cornered hat.
He would walk through the
streets shouting the news.
People wanted to know
who was getting married or
the details of an upcoming parade.
18
printing press: a Benjamin Franklin: a
machine for printing famous colonial inventor. He
ink onto paper. was known for discovering
the lightning rod.
publish: to print
newspapers or books.
Before long, newspapers replaced
town criers. The first printing
press was brought from England to
Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1639.
Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania
Gazette became a popular newspaper
throughout the colonies. He also
published Poor Richard’s Almanac each
year, starting in 1732. The almanac was
filled with weather forecasts, puzzles,
and poems the colonists enjoyed.
19
In colonial times, the town crier was
an important job because it meant
being able to read and write.
20
Native American
Villages
Native American tribes lived all over
America. They were there for thousands
of years before the colonists arrived. As
colonial towns spread, many tribes were
forced to move their villages. They needed
space to hunt, plant crops, and fish.
21
tribe: a large wigwam: a longhouse:
group of people with dome-shaped a house shaped
common ancestors house made like a rectangle
and customs. Today, with poles, with round
Native Americans covered by corners, covered
use the word bark or grass. with bark.
nation instead.
The Wampanoag tribe in New England
lived in small, round houses called
wigwams. They built their wigwams
around a central square. The Iroquois in
New York and the Powhatans in Virginia
lived in longhouses. As many as
ten families shared each longhouse.
22
nomadic: when a tipi: a house like a
group moves around tent built from poles,
to find food. covered with bark
or animal skin.
Some tribes, such as the
Cherokee of the South, were
nomadic. They had summer
and winter villages. These
tribes lived in tipis that were
easy to build and move.
In any village,
children helped gather
food. They looked
for wild nuts, fruits,
and vegetables. They
found eggs laid by birds and
turtles. Native American kids
played with balls, marbles,
and dolls. They hid in houses
and trees for hide-and-seek,
just like kids do today.
23
Did You Know?
Many American states and cities
are named after Native American
words or names. Chicago is
Algonquian for “garlic field.”
24
Glossary
Benjamin Franklin: a famous seaport: where ships unload
colonial inventor. He was known and load goods for sale.
for discovering the lightning rod. stagecoach: a heavy,
breeches: tight pants closed vehicle on wheels,
that go to the knees. pulled by horses.
canvas: cloth used for paintings. tavern: a place to get food
coast: the edge of the or spend the night.
land near the sea. timber: wood used to build
Colonial America: the homes, ships, and other
name given to this country things.
when talking about the tipi: a house like a tent
years 1607–1776. built from poles, covered
colonist: a person who with bark or animal skin.
came to settle America. town crier: a person
crop: a plant grown for food. who shouted public
news in the streets.
goods: things to use or sell.
transportation: moving
longhouse: a house shaped people or goods from
like a rectangle with round one place to another.
corners, covered with bark.
traveling artist: a painter,
New World: what settlers actor, singer, or dancer who
from Europe called America travels from place to place.
because it was new to them.
tribe: a large group of
nomadic: when a group people with common
moves around to find food. ancestors and customs.
population: the number of Today, Native Americans use
people living in an area. the word nation instead.
portrait: a painting of waterway: a stream or river
one or more people. that is wide and deep enough
printing press: a machine for a boat to travel on.
for printing ink onto paper. wheelwright: someone that
produce: farm products, builds and repairs wheels.
especially fruits and vegetables. wigwam: a dome-shaped
publish: to print house made with poles,
newspapers or books. covered by bark or grass.
25
Further Investigations
Books
Bordessa, Kris. Great Colonial America Projects You Can Build
Yourself. White River Junction, VT: Nomad Press, 2006.
Fisher, Verna. Explore Colonial America! 25 Great Projects,
Activities, Experiments. White River Junction, VT:
Nomad Press, 2009.
Museums and Websites
Colonial Williamsburg Native Languages
[Link] of the Americas
Williamsburg, Virginia [Link]
National Museum of the Social Studies for Kids
American Indian [Link]
[Link]
Washington, D.C. and The Mayflower
New York, New York [Link]
Plimoth Plantation Virtual Jamestown
[Link] [Link]
Plymouth, Massachusetts
America’s Library
[Link]
Jamestown Settlement
[Link]
Native American History
[Link]
26
Index
A N
the arts, 13–16 Native American
villages, 21–24
B New England Colonies,
Baltimore, Maryland, 3 iv, 2, 3, 5, 10, 13, 22
Boston, Massachusetts, Newport, Rhode Island, 3
2, 3, 5, 10 news delivery, 17–20
C newspapers, 19
carts, 11–12 New York City, New
central parks, 1–2 York, 3, 6, 10
Charleston, South Carolina, P
3, 13 painting/portraits, 16
churches, 1 parks, 1–2
Conestoga wagons, 9 Philadelphia,
F Pennsylvania, 3, 4, 6
farms/farming, 5–6 port cities, 3–6, 8, 13
food, 3, 5, 9, 23 R
Franklin, Benjamin, 19 roads, 8, 12
G S
goods, trade/sale settlement of colonies,
of, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 iii–iv
H ships, 3, 5, 6, 8
homes, 1, 22–23 Southern Colonies, iii, 3,
6, 13
M stagecoaches, 9
map of colonies, iii
Middle Colonies, T
iii, 3, 4, 6, 10 theaters, 13–14
town criers, 17–19, 20
transportation, 7–12
traveling artists, 16
W
wagons, 9
wheelwrights, 12
Williamsburg, Virginia, 13
27
Children’s Education Resource
Compare Life Today to
Life in Colonial Times
What were towns like in Colonial America? How
did people travel around town and between towns
without cars, trains, and planes? Were colonial
towns different from one area of the country to
another? How were colonial towns different from
Native American villages? Find out the answers to
these questions and more.
Guided Reading Level: N
Interest Level: 1–3
$6.95 USA | $7.95 CAN
ISBN: 978-1-936313-60-0
Did You Know?
Colonial America is the name
given to America when talking
about the years 1607–1776. Printed in China.
