Ch. 6, Lesson 3 Outline
III. Everyday Life in the Colonies
A. Studying and Playing
1. MA passed a law requiring towns to
establish free public schools
2. Schools were small, 1 room, all ages
were together, learned math, reading, &
writing
3. learned rules of polite behavior
4. in their early teens, many children left
school to work full time, work on family
farm, or become apprentice
5. Colleges: Harvard in Boston (1636) and
College of William and Mary in
Williamsburg, VA (1693) were where some
students went
6. Children not in school did chores or
played games and sports
7. Kids did not have a lot free time
B. Religion in the Colonies
1. some colonies continued to be refuges
for religious groups that were facing
religious persecution (Jews settled in NY,
RI, and SC)
2. 1730’s the Great Awakening—led by
Protestants, many new churches were built,
colleges were established to train ministers,
many colonists’ interest in religion was
revived
3. an important figure during the GA was
George Whitefield because he traveled from
colony to colony to collect $ to build an
orphanage
C. Reading
1. 1st newspaper of the colonies to be
published regularly was the Boston News
Letter
2. Reading was an important form of
entertainment; families read to each other
as other members listened
3. Two of the most popular “books” were
Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac and
the Bible
4. Letter writing was also important
because it helped colonists stay in touch
with people living far away
D. Colonial Meals
1. used corn to make breads, puddings, &
pancakes
2. cooked stews made of fish or meat with
veggies
3. desserts=ice cream, donuts, & fruit pies