CHAPTER 5 • SECTION 1
or cheese making. Orphaned girls and boys
worked as apprentices for families who housed
and fed them until adulthood.
Education and Literacy The colonies dif-
More About . . .
Children in the Colonies
The life expectancy of children in colonial
America was very low. Most families were
large. Nine family members was a typical
number, though some families had as many
as 16 to 25 children.
Unit 2 Resource Book
• Interdisciplinary Projects,
pp. 171–172
Colonial schoolroom
More About . . .
Colonial Newspapers
James Franklin (Benjamin’s older brother),
had the idea of publishing a newspaper that
encouraged political debate and presented
views other than those of the royal
government.
Franklin started the New-England Courant
in Boston in 1721. In the first few issues,
Franklin presented opposing viewpoints
on using inoculation to protect against
smallpox, and he later accused the royal
government of not doing enough to protect
colonists from piracy. Soon, his criticisms
were so sharp that the royal government
imprisoned him for a month and forbade
him to publish a newspaper. The Courant
was then published under Benjamin’s name,
who wrote for and ran the newspaper while
James was in prison. Benjamin was still a
teenager.
fered from European societies in level of education. Colonial America had a high rate of
literacy, or the ability to read and write. In
New England, 85 percent of white men were
literate, compared with 60 percent of men in
England. In the Middle Colonies, 65 percent
of white men were literate, and in the South,
about 50 percent were.
Most colonists thought that it was more
important for males to be educated. In each
region, roughly half as many white women as
men were literate. Educated African Americans
were rare. If they were enslaved, teaching them
to read was illegal. If they were free, they were
often kept out of schools. Some colonists defied these rules. Eliza Lucas
Pinckney educated enslaved children on her plantation.
Children were taught to read so that they could understand the Bible.
Education varied according to region. New England had free public schools
and a high level of education among the population. Urban areas also provided more free education for the young.
Colonial Literature Literacy also helped unite the colonies. In the early
1700s, the colonies had only one local newspaper, the Boston News Letter.
But over the next 70 years, dozens more newspapers appeared.
Gradually colonists began to publish their own books. Almanacs were
very popular. A typical almanac included a calendar, weather predictions,
star charts, farming advice, home remedies, recipes, jokes, and proverbs. In
1732, Benjamin Franklin began to publish Poor Richard’s Almanac. It contained
sayings that are still repeated today, such as “Haste makes waste.”
Colonists also published poetry, regional histories, and autobiographies.
A form of literature unique to the Americas was the captivity narrative. In it,
a colonist captured by Native Americans described living among them. Mary
Rowlandson’s 1682 captivity narrative, The Soveraignty and Goodness of God,
was one of the first colonial bestsellers. It described how Native Americans
held Rowlandson hostage for 11 weeks during King Philip’s War in 1676.
A Growing Diversity The American colonies were notable for the diversity
Hornbooks such as
these were used to
teach children to count
and read.
of their population. Immigrants came into contact with people of different
ethnic groups, races, and nationalities. In some colonies, there was religious
diversity as well. Settlers had to learn how to adapt to this new situation. In
the Middle Colonies, for example, many settlers adopted Quaker principles
of equality, cooperation, and religious tolerance.
SUMMARIZE Describe daily life in the colonies.
Answer: Most Americans lived and worked on farms; boys became apprentices
at an early age; the colonies had a high rate of literacy, and there were many
publications. The colonies had a diverse population: people came into contact
with a variety of ethnic groups and races.
130 Chapter 5
INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES
CONNECT
130 • Chapter 5
to Math
CONNECT
to Language Arts
Create a Literacy Graph
Create Poor __________ ‘s Almanack
Have students create a bar graph comparing
literacy rates for white men in New England,
England, the Middle Colonies, and the South,
using the percentages provided in the text.
Students should also prepare a graph comparing
literacy rates for white women in each colonial
region with those of white men, using the basic
comparison provided in the text. (In each region,
roughly half as many white women as men were
literate.)
Discuss the popularity of Benjamin Franklin’s
Poor Richard’s Almanack. Have students suggest
current books that might compare to Franklin’s.
Then have students create their own version
of an almanac, substituting their first name for
Richard’s in the title. Students should include
some of their favorite sayings, jokes, weather
predictions, recipes, farming advice, and home
remedies. Allow volunteers to share their
almanacs with the class.
CHAPTER 5 • SECTION 1
Religious Revival
KEY QUESTION How did the Great Awakening change American society?
As colonists developed a new society in America, they drew inspiration from
two cultural movements:
Awakening a Christian religious revival
• the Great Awakening,
Enlightenment, a movement stressing human reason
• the Enlightenment
While the Great Awakening appealed to faith and emotions, the Enlightenment was based on reason and scientific observation. However, both movements offered people ways of changing themselves and their world—which
is exactly what the colonists needed as they created a new society.
Teach
Religious Revival
Reader, Recorder, Reporter
• What was the basic religious premise of the
Great Awakening? (that each person could
break from the past and begin a spiritual
relationship with God)
The Great Awakening In the 1730s and 1740s, a religious movement
called the Great Awakening swept through the colonies. Traveling ministers
preached that inner religious emotion was more important than outward
religious behavior. Huge crowds gathered outdoors to hear famous preachers
like Jonathan Edwards promise that all could be saved.
• How did the Great Awakening help pave the
way for revolt against British authority?
(It encouraged colonists to question authority
and traditional practices.)
PRIMARY SOURCE
“
And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ
has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying
with a loud voice to poor sinners. . . . How awful is it to be left behind at
such a day!
”
• Main Ideas and Details How did the
Great Awakening threaten the social system
in the South? (Some churches baptized African
Americans and welcomed Native Americans;
others allowed slaves to preach and women to
speak in church.)
—Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of
an Angry God”
The Great Awakening offered hope that each person could break from
the past and begin a spiritual relationship with God. This would happen
during a sudden conversion, or rebirth. This is the doctrine, or belief, of
Evangelicalism. The evangelical idea of spiritual renewal or rebirth would
be very influential in American culture.
The movement led congregations to argue over religious practices. Some
left their churches and joined other Protestant groups such as Baptists. As
religious diversity increased, it became more difficult
for one “established” church to control a colony’s religious life. In colonies like Virginia, the
established Anglican church was weakened.
More About . . .
Reenactors portray
African-American
worship in the South.
Religion and Social Change In the South,
the Great Awakening’s focus on spiritual
equality threatened the social system.
Against the wishes of many plantation
owners, the Presbyterian minister Samuel
Davies baptized African Americans. Meanwhile Baptist congregations welcomed
African Americans and Native Americans. They allowed slaves to preach and
women to speak in church.
Colleges and the Great
Awakening
Although the Enlightenment and the
Great Awakening appealed to different
areas of human belief and activity, both
led to the establishment of more colleges
in America. The mostly college-educated
leaders of the Great Awakening shared a
passion for learning. As a result of the Great
Awakening, either directly or indirectly,
Dartmouth College and the universities of
Brown, Princeton, and Pennsylvania were
founded.
Beginnings of an American Identity 131
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
Struggling Readers
Pre-AP
Compare Technology in
Religious Revivals
Identify Religious Doctrines
Ask students what technology helps
religious leaders today share their
teachings with the public. (television,
radio, CDs, Internet) Lead a discussion
about the challenges religious leaders
in the Great Awakening faced due to
a lack of technology. (spoke outdoors
because there were no large venues, no
microphones so they had to speak loudly,
advertised personal appearances by
word of mouth or handbills)
The Great Awakening and the doctrine
of Evangelicism contributed to change
in some churches in America. Have
students conduct additional research to
identify the doctrines that underwent
change because of Evangelicism at
that time. Students should then write a
paragraph contrasting the new and old
religious doctrines.
Teacher’s Edition • 131