Life in Colonial Williamsburg
by Trisha Fortner
Grade Level: 5" grade
Background Information:
The students will have knowledge of early explorers
and settlers. They will be able to draw upon their knowledge of the early settlements of
Roanoke and Jamestown. They will be aware of some of the hardships the early colonists
faced when trying to settle in America The students will also be aware of the help the
Native Americans provided to the early settlers, allowing them to survive the winters.
The students have been introduced to the importance tobacco played in the economy of
early settlements.
Time Required:
Four 45-minute sessions
Materials: Reading Material and Pictures related to topic (be sure to include both
primary and secondary sources)
Material Items related to topic (may be to size or miniature replica)
Student Graphic Organizer
Student Presentation Evaluation
Student Self-Evaluation
Computers (day 2)
Objectives: Students will identify how ideas, concepts and traditions have changed
over time in the United States. Students will apply
- - - the tools of social science inquiry
(such as primary and secondary source documents and photographs) to their study of
United States history. Students will compare artifacts and ways of life fiom Colonial
Williamsburg to their lives today. Students will choose an area of interest to explore for
the purpose of reproducing a component of the colonial lifestyle.
National Standards: 1A; 2C; 2F; 4A
Missouri Grade Level Expectations:
6F(6) Identify how ideas, concepts and traditions have changed over time in the U.S.
- t A m ~ w = - t . - . ; . . . . s i n g * ~ m c e %
such as oral interviews, artifacts, journals, documents, photos and letters
7D(4) Use technological tools for research and presentation
Essential Questions:
1. How was daily life in Colonial Williamsburg different fiom your life today?
2. How does technology cause change in societies?
Setting the Stage:
An Introduction to Williamsburg by Valerie Tripp pages 2-3;
"Walk down Williamsburg's deep-shaded streets and walk back into history. Back to the
eighteenth century, when ladies in elegant gowns and gentlemen in powdered wigs rode
in horse-drawn carriages down the dusty streets. Back to colonial times, when the king
of England ruled America and the British flag flew above the housetops you pass. Back
more than two hundred years in the footsteps of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
and Patrick Henry, to the Williamsburg they knew-a bustling, prosperous place, the
lively capital of Virginia, the largest British colony in America" (Valerie, Tripp. An
Introduction to Williamsburg. Madison, WI: Pleasantry Press, 1985.)
StrategiesProcedures: Day 1: Five centers will be set up around the classroom:
gardens, clothing, tools, gamedrecreation, and meals. Each center will include primary
and secondary sources (artifacts, documents and/or pictures) about the center topic. The
students will look at the sources provided and make a list of observations and questions.
The students in each group will then divide the questions or tasks among each other for
the purpose of finding out enough about their topic to be able to reproduce it in colonial
style. Make sure some of the students' generated questions include why, "Why did they
use the tools they did? Why did they eat dinner in the middle ofthe afternoon? Why was
it important for boys to learn to dance? The students should explore how and why life in
Colonial Williamsburg was the same and different than life today through their topic.
Day 2: Students will work on computers to research the answers to their generated
questions. They may work alone or in partners for the day's research. The students
should have questions from the previous day. The students will use the internet to access
primary sources through libraries, find additional images, andlor email Colonial
Williamsburg craftsmen.
Day 3: Students will work in their groups compiling their information. Each group will
prepare a demonstration for the class. The demonstration should include what they have
i e k e d , how or why it was done that way in colonial times, and why they think it has
changed today. Along with the oral presentation the students need a product to share.
The product can be made from materials, if possible, or construction paper replica.
Day 4: Group presentations
Alternate Plan:
Each group could bringlprepare materials for the whole class to experience every
colonial topic. For example, the group researching gardens could bring foil
baking pans, soil, and plants or other colorful materials for the class. They could
teach the class the details of planning a colonial garden, provide the class with a
plan, and assist their fellow students in making a replica of the colonial garden
with the provided materials.
After the students present to the class, they could invite younger students into the
classroom to take a "walk around Williamsburg" and share some of the
differences of colonial life.
The students could create a brochure depicting how gardens, clothing, tools,
gameslrecreation, or meals have changed over time.
Evaluation/A~sessrnent:The group presentations will be the students'
assessment, along with a self-evaluationlisting hisher questions and research found
which benefited the group, and hisiher part in the group presentation.
Appendix:
Student Graphic Organizer
IGroup Topic:
Fact:
Fact:
Fact:
Fact:
Picture:
Picture:
Picture:
Picture:
Question:
Question:
Question:
Question:
1
1
Student Self-Evaluation
Name:
Icontributed to the group in these ways:
Circle the best answer to the following:
Iworked well with
of the members in my group.
a. all
b. most
C. one
d. none
Why did you or did you not work well with your group?
What did the group help you with?
Why was it better to do this activity with other students?
If you could do this activity over again, what would you change?
(please attach all your questions and research to this sheet)
Grou~
Presentation Evaluation
Group Member Names:
Fill in the evidence answering the following questions:
I.How was daily life in Colonial Williamsburg different from
your life today?
2. How does technology cause change in societies?
All students participated in the presentation. @=most, l=least)
5
4
3
2
Students were easily heard and understood.
5
4
3
2
1
Gardens:
www.historv.org
www.ladiesofreenactina.com
Gardens provided fresh vegetables, herbs for cooking
and medicines, flowers for decoration.
Colonial gardens of merchants and townsmen
The gardens of the merchants and townsmen in the cities
and towns of colonial America differed greatly from those in
the country. The gardens of merchants and townsmen were
usually formal, laid out in a symmetrical pattern with each
side of a central walkway reflecting the other. These
gardens imitated the formal patterns which many of the
merchants and townsmen were familiar with in Europe.
Since these gardens were located within the colonial cities
and towns, the plots of land were constricted by streets and
buildings. Because of these constraints, a formal garden
design worked well within this location. These formal
gardens were placed near the home and were usually
surrounded by a fence, wall, or a hedge to provide some
privacy along with protection against the wind and animals.
The walkways within the garden determined the size and
shape--rectangular, triangular, or round, of the flower and
garden beds. While the set up of the merchants and
townsmen colonial gardens were similar in design, the plant
material varied with the owner. Native trees, fruit trees,
shrubs, herbs, fruits and vegetables could all be found
within these gardens. Also specimen plants such as
evergreen topiary, arbors, statues, and sundials were used in
the colonial gardens of merchants and townsmen.
Colonial gardens of wealthy landowners
The country estates of the wealthy landowners usually
exemplified a combination of both naturalistic and formal
garden designs. The popularity of Lancelot "Capability"
Brown's naturalistic landscape styles in England influenced
the garden styles of wealthy colonial American landowners
like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Both
Washington and Jefferson incorporated Capability Brown's
landscape style of open lawns and groves of trees into their
gardens at Mount Vernon and Monticello. Washington and
Jefferson, as were the other wealthy landowners of the
time, not completely taken by Brown's naturalistic
landscape style as most kept formal garden designs around
their mansions. (scottdallen.tripod.com)
Clothing:
www.histow.org
www.ladiesofreenactin~.com/Colonial.html
Tools:
www.histow.org
Games/ Recreation:
www.histow.ore;
www.ladiesofreenactina.com/Colonial.html
Colonial Games & Toys:
When children had time to play, they enjoyed the same games that
their parents and grandparents had played when they were young.
We still play many of these games today, like tag, hide-and-seek, and
hopscotch.
Popular Colonial Games & Toys
Which Do You Know?
Yo-Yo
Puzzles
Hoops
Kite Hying
Jump Rope
London Bridge
Tennis
Spinning Tops
Hopscotch
Jacob's Ladder
Leap Frog
Bow & Arrow
Blind Man's Bluff
See Saw
Bubble-Blowing
Marbles
Rocking Horses
Swinging
Cards
Ice sliding
Jack Straws
(or pick-up sticks)
In the colonial period, these games helped children learn skills that
they would need later in life as farmers and parents. Games taught
children how to aim and throw, how to solve problems and do things
with their hands, and how to follow di~ctionsand rules. They also
learned to be fair, to wait their turn, and to use their imaginations.
What games do you usually play?
When your parents and grandparents were young, did they play any
of the games that you like to play?
Where Did Colonial Children Get Their Toys?
Colonial children had to make do with what they had. There were no
factories for making toys or toy stores. Toys had to be found in
nature or in the house, or adults and children had to make them.
They made dolls from corn husks and rags. Leftover wood and string
could be used to make spinning tops. Hoops from barrels could be
used in races and a variety of games. Many times, they made up
games at the spur of the moment and needed no equipment at all.
What kind of game would you invent ifyou were chopping wood or
picking up stones in afield?
Who Did Colonial Children Play With & Where Did They
Play?
Since many families had six or seven children, brothers and sisters
could always rely on each other as playmates. If neighbors lived
close by, even more children could share the fun and join in the
games. Since adults did not have time to watch their children closely,
they were often left alone to play in the gardens, fields, or in the
house when their chores were done.
On a winter day, a colonial family would gather around the fireplace
in the kitchen to stay warm. The father would work on fixing his
tools for the spring, the mother would spin, and if the children did not
have to card wool or churn butter, they would probably play a board
game or practice tongue twisters. In warmer weather, as the father
tended the field and the mother did the laundry or made soap in the
yard, the children would play outside with marbles, hoops, or
battledores (a game like badminton).
Who are your playmates?
Do they live close by?
How does the weather @ect your play?
A Colonial Board Game
Nine Men's Morrice was a board game that could be played on a
board, a piece of paper, or even drawn in the dirt. Simple markers of
corn, stones, or beans could be used for play.
You may draw or print out the pame board. Monice is a game for
two players. Each player has nine markers. Players may select coins,
beans, or whatever they would like for their markers, so long as their
markers are different from their opponent's.
Object of the Game: The object of the game is to make rows of
three markers on a line, and to prevent the other player fiom doing
the same.
The players take turns putting down one marker at a time, always
placing them at the point where the lines cross or connect to each
other. This means markers can be placed horizontally, vertically, or
even diagonally at one of the board's four comers. Three markers in
a straight line make a row, and if they are cleverly arranged, one may
form a part of two rows.
When all the markers have been placed on the board, the players
may begin to move. Players take turns sliding one marker at a time
along the lines, from one point to the next The object is still to make
rows by sliding the markers to different points on the board, and
blocking the other player. Whenever one player makes a new row of
three markers, he or she chooses one of the other player's markers,
picks it up off the board, and lays it aside. If a player is reduced to
only two markers leR he or she may give up the game as lost since
three markers are always necessary to complete a row.
Nursery Rhymes
Colonial children, like children today, also told nursery rhymes. Do
you know what some of these nursery rhymes really mean?
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick.
After dipping candles, a colonial woman would hang them from two
long horizontal sticks to allow them to harden and cool. These sticks,
and not the candles themselves, were referred to as "candle sticks."
Lucy Lockett lost her pocket, Sally Fisher found it, Not a penny was
there in it Just a ribbon 'round it.
Most colonial clothes did not have pockets in them A colonial
pocket was a detachable cloth bag used for holding pocket books
(wallets), sewing, and other things that girls and women would like
to have on hand throughout the day. Pockets were tied around the
waist with a tape, or ribbon, and they were often decorated with
embroidery.
Tongue Twisters
Here are some colonial tongue twisters for you to try!
The skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk But the stump
thunk the skunk stunk.
Bluebirds bring bright berries.
She sheared six shabby sick sheep.
Riddles
Riddles were also popular in the colonial period. Can you figure out
some of these? The answers are at the end of the last question!
I. What flies up, but is always down? 2. When is a boy most like a
bear? 3. What kind of room is not in a house? 4. What has teeth but
cannot eat? 5. What has a tongue but cannot talk? 6. What has 3 feet
but cannot walk? 7. What has a mouth but cannot talk? 8. What falls
down but never gets hurt?
1. Goose feathers. 2. When he is barefoot 3. A mushroom. 4. A
comb. 5. A shoe. 6. A yardstick 7. A river. 8. Snow.
(~~~.noahwebsterhouse.ora/aames.htmI)
Meals:
www.historv.org
www.ladiesofreenactinn.com/Colonial.html
BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER?
Colonial meal structures/times were also different from what we
know today. Breakfast was taken early if you were poor, later if you
were rich. There was no meal called lunch. Dinner was the mid-day
meal. For most people in the 18th century it was considered the main
(biggest) meal of the day. Supper was the evening meal. It was
usually a light repast. It is important to keep in mind there is no such
thing as a "typical colonial meal." The Royal Governor of Virginia
ate quite differently from the first Pilgrim settlers and the West
Indians laboring in Philadelphia's cookshops.
"Breakfast The Colonial American breakfast was far from the juice,
eggs and bacon of today. The stoic early settlers rose early and went
straight to the chores that demanded their attention. In frontier
outposts and on farms, families drank cider or beer and gulped down
a bowl of pomdge that had been cooking slowly all night over the
embers...In the towns, the usual mug of alcoholic beverage consumed
upon rising was followed by cornmeal mush and molasses with more
cider or beer. By the nineteenth century, breakfast was served as late
a 9 or 10 o'clock Here might be found coffee, tea or chocolate,
wafers, muftins, toasts, and a butter dish and knife...The southern poor
ate cold turkey washed down with ever-present cider. The size of
breakfasts grew in direct proportion to growth of wealth. Breads, cold
meats and, especially in the Northeast, fruit pies and pasties joined
the breakfast menus. Families in the Middle Colonies added special
items such as scrapple (cornmeal and headcheese) and Dutch
sweetcakes, which were fried in deep fat. It was among the Southern
planters that breakfast became a leisurely and delightful meal, though
it was not served until early chores were attended to and orders for
the day given...Breads were eaten at all times of the day but
particularly at breakfast." ---A Cooking Legacy, Virginia T. Elverson
and Mary Ann McLanahan [Walker & Company: New York] 1975
(P- 14)
"Dinner. Early afternoon was the appointed hour for dinner in
Colonial America Throughout the seventeenth century and well into
the eighteenth century it was served in the "hall" or "common
room." While dinner among the aftluent merchants in the North took
place shortly after noon, the Southern planters enjoyed their dinner
as late as bubbling stews were carried into the fields to feed the
slaves and laborers... In the early settlements, poor families ate from
trenchers filled from a common stew pot, with a bowl of salt the only
table adornment The earliest trenchers in America, as in the Middle
Ages, were probably made from slabs of stale bread which were
either eaten with the meal or thrown after use to the domestic
animals. The stews often included pork, sweet corn and cabbage, or
other vegetables and roots which were available...A typical
comfortably fixed family in the late 1700s probably served two
courses for dinner. The first course included several meats plus meat
puddings and/or deep meat pies containing fruits and spices,
pancakes and fritters, and the ever-present side dishes of sauces,
pickles and catsups...Soups seem to have been served before of in
conjunction with the first course. Desserts appeared with the second
course. An assortment of fresh, cooked, or dried b i t s , custards, tarts
and sweetmeats was usually available. "Sallats," (salads) though
more popular at supper, sometimes were served at dinner and
occasionally provided decoration in the center of the table...Cakes
were of many varieties: pound, gingerbread, spice and cheese."---A
Cooking Legacy (p. 24-28)
"Supper. What is there to say about a meal that probably did not
even exist for many settlers during the early days of the Colonies and
later seemed more like a bedtime snack made up of leftovers? In the
eighteenth century supper was a brief meal and, especially in the
South, light and late. It generally consisted of leftovers from dinner,
or of gruel (a mixture made from boiling water with oats, "Indian,"
(corn meal) or some other meal). One Massachusetts diary of 1797
describes roast potatoes, prepared with salt but no butter. Ale, cider,
or some variety of beer was always served. In the richer merchant
society and in Southern plantation life, eggs and egg dishes were
special delicacies and were prepared as side dishes at either dinner or
supper...Supper took on added importance as the nineteenth century
wore on. This heretofore casual meal became more important as
dinner was served earlier in the day."---A Cooking Legacy (p. 79-
8 l)[NOTE: This book as far more information than can be
paraphrased. Ask your librarian to help you find a copy.]
We also recommend Hung, Strung, & Potted: A History of Eating
Habits in Colonial America, Sally Smith Booth.
(http:llwww.foodtimeline.or~oodcolonials)
Early American candy
Sugar candy (including molasses and maple), candied fruits &
flowers (a Renaissance-era favorite), sugar coated nuts (comfits),
marzipan (almond paste), brittles, and toffee were all enjoyed by
Americans in 17th and 18th centuries. Period cooking texts typically
group candy with "sweet meats" or confectionery. Sweet meats also
included preserves, jams, jellies, syrups, small cakes/cookies, ice
cream and sherbet. Some of the candies we Americans enjoy today
(liquorice, marshmallows, hard candies, peppermint) were originally
used for medicinal purposes. "Recipes" for these items were often
included in medical texts as well as cookbooks. A wide variety of
diierent types of
were used to make these candies.
What kinds of candy did the first Americans eat? Native Americans
in the northern regions were adept at tapping maple trees f o r m .
European settlers introduced the foods they enjoyed in the Old
World. The following confections were known in Medieval and
Renaissance Europe:
. Liquorice
0. Marshmallows
0. Manipan
0. Pralines
0. Sugar plums & comfits
The Industrial Revolution made possible many new candies.
Advances in food technology, scientific knowledge, and cooking
apparatus made possible items such as jellv beans and chocolate.
Most 19th century American cookbooks do not include recipes for
making chocolate candy because it was primarily made by
professional confectioners. "Penny candies" were a direct result of
cheaper ingredients and mass production.
A survey of candy recipes published in early American
cookbooks
[1753]Red crisp almonds or Prawlings (pralines)Iced almonds (iced
with sugar)Candied cherries Candied orange peel Candied ginger
Barley sugar (a precursor to toffee)March-pane (marzipan) Pastils
(soft gum-like candy)Comfits---The Lady's Companion, [London:
175316th editionWOTE: Colonial-era cooks used books they
brought from home. Many of these were published in London.]
[1749-1799lCandied flowers (roses, marigolds, violets, rosemary-yes! Real flowers!)Candied ginger Suckets (candied fruits, oranges
and lemons were most popu1ar)Sugar candy (boiled refined sugar)
Losenges (diamond shaped sugar candy...think of today's throat
lozenge..flavored with orange, lemon, rose water)Fruit pastes (dried,
thin sheets of pounded fruit..think of today's "Fruit Roll-ups"...made
with real apricots, peaches, raspberries, gooseberries, apples, plums,
quinces, oranges, lemons) Marchpan (aka marzipan; almond paste
which was often colored and decoratively shaped)---Martha
Washington's Book of Cookery, transcribed by Karen Hess
[Columbia University Press: New York] 1995[NOTE: If you want
to see these recipes ask your librarian can help you find a copy of
this book.]
[1847]Kisses & meringues (sweet, frothy egg white confections;
some have hazel nut or cocoanut centers) Coconut candy Lemon
candy (rock candy)Cream candy Common twist (like candy
canes/sticks)Peppermint, rose or horehound candy Molasses candy
(taffy)Candied orange or lemon peel---Mrs. Crowenls American
Lady's Cookery Book, Mrs. T. J. Crowen [Dick & Fitzgerald: New
York] 1847
Background information I n colonial times a recipe book was kept by
the mistress of the household. I t was her guide t o cookery as well as
her treasury of family recipes. Most women did not own a printed
cookbook such as the ones we see today. Cookbooks were expensive
and of limited availability. When a young woman left her home t o be
married, she would copy her mother's recipes to take with her. This
recipe is from a collection started by Isabella Morris Ashfield (17051741). The collection was passed on to her daughter-in-law Elizabeth
(1729-1762). These recipes are usually for large social family or
ceremonial gatherings such as weddings.
(Resource for the recipe - The Ashfield Recipe Book, Collections of The
New Jersey Historical Society. Background information from Pleasures
of Colonial Cooking Prepared by the Miller-Cory House Museum and The
New Jersey Historical Society. NJ: New Jersey Historical Society,
1982.)
Guiding Questions: Look closely a t the recipe page. What clues show
that this recipe page might have come from a long time ago? (Page
looks worn on edges, handwritten, some of the terms are unfamiliar spinage, tansey, loaf sugar, in blood pudding penny loaves, unfamiliar
measurements - either a grated nutmeg, or 1/2 nutmeg, instruction to
-
"stir it over the fire")
How does this recipe page look compared to recipes today? Give
examples (handwritten, splotches of ink on page, the recipes are listed
in a number order, not by topic, measurements are larger -18 eggs,
quart of milk; less exact measurements such as "one spoonfull" and
"sweeten to taste, " "1/2 nutmeg, " "a little thyme, winter savory" etc. )
What might these non-exact measurements tell us about the cook?
(experienced in cooking, know how much "a little" is or how big a
"spoonfull" is. )
How would you find a specific recipe in this book? Could you find one
of a specific type? (Would have to know the book or flip through the
pages, the recipes are only in order of when they were written in)
How many recipes did the owner have by the time of this page? (82
80, 81, and 82 are marked on the left side of the page) How many
recipes might one find in your home?
-
Look at the "To make a Tansey" recipe
To make a Tansey A tansey is an omelet-like pudding flavored with
tansey, an aromatic, bitter herb. (transcription below)
Take the yolks of 18 eggs, the whites of 4, half a pint of cream, half a
pint of the juice of spinage and tansey together, one spoonfull of
grated bread, and a grated nutmeg, a little salt, and sweeten it to your
fancy. Then beat it well together and put it into a skillet and stir it over
the fire till it yellows. Then put it into a hot frying pan and turn it
quick. Then put it into your dish and strew loaf sugar over it. Garnish it
with oranges cut in quarters and serve it up hot.
How many people do you think this is for? How can you tell? (A guess
- 2-3 eggs per person 18 eggs in total, 6-9 people. The saved recipes
were usually the special recipes used for large social family
gatherings)
-
What do you think spinage is? (spinach) The other unfamiliar term
is tansey - tansey was an aromatic, bitter herb not available today.
Tansey is both the name of the recipe and the herb used in the recipe.
Look at a picture of a whole nutmeg (in an encyclopedia or a book
about spices) and compare it to already grated nutmeg. How do these
compare? How would you use the whole nutmeg mentioned in recipe?
(grate i t )
Why don't people usually buy a whole nutmeg today? (easier to buy
already grated, recipes call for exact measurements)
Why do recipes have exact measurements? (more people cooking, with
different levels of experience. Also, people experiment with cooking
unfamiliar to them, helps to have exact measurements when trying
something you don't know)
What hint is there that the tansey was cooked over a flame in an open
hearth? ("stir it over the tire")
What are the last toppings t o be put on the tansey? (loaf sugar and
orange quarters)
Look at the sugar tongs in the kit box. These were used t o get sugar
pieces from the loaf sugar. Loaf sugar was a compact cone of sugar.
How do you think the tongs were used? (The pincers were used to
break off smaller pieces from the loaf sugar)
One spice is used t o make Tansey which was not available t o everyone
in Colonial America. Which do you think this is? (Nutmeg was
imported from Grenada and Brazil and available to upper classes)
Where do we get spices today?
(http://www.jerseyhistory.org/images/recipe~smaII.jpg)
-
The first cookbook ~rintedin the American Colonies was E. Smith's
,
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:
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.
The Compleat Housewife published by
William Parks. Williamsburg VA, 1742. Like most of the other
cookbooks used in colonial-kmerica it was a reprint of a European
cooking texts, Colonists used cookbooks published in their native
countries.
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