Life in the 13 Colonies: New England Region
The people of the New England
villages were very close. The
colonists were united by the
same religion. Many of the
villagers spent Sunday's
together in the Puritan Church,
and the Puritan children spent
time together learning to read
the Bible.
In the New England towns
along the coast, these colonists
made their living fishing,
whaling, and shipbuilding. The
fishermen would catch the fish
to be eaten, but they also spent
time preparing the fish so it
could be shipped to other
places.
The farmers could not grow
wheat, so instead they planted
rye, corn, pumpkins, squash,
beans, peas, carrots, and
turnips. New England farmers
also kept sheep, pigs, cows, and
chickens. Every member of the
family had to help with the
work. There is a lot to be done
on a farm.
Small farms and villages were typical of the New England Colonies.
Most of the villages looked very similar: they had a common where
livestock grazed and along the edges of the common were the
houses, the shops, and a school. The farms were located just outside
of town. The farmers had to work hard because New England's cold
winters made farming difficult.
The whalers hunted whales instead of fish because whale oil was a
valuable resource. Whale oil could be used in lamps. As the whalers
began searching for whales farther from home, the shipbuilding
industry grew. The whalers needed the ships to go on their long
journeys. Also, Europeans began to buy these ships.
New England grew as a trading town and the cities along the coast
grew as well. Life in these cites was very different from the "city
life" that we know today. The streets were narrow dusty roads. Pigs
and cows wandered through the streets. And candles were used to
light their houses.