​4.1 Life on a Farm

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​Land was the center of most economic activity in the colonies. Some colonists, like miners or plantation owners, worked the land to increase commerce (buying and selling of goods) between the colonies and Great Britain.

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Resources, like iron or cotton, were sold to companies in Great Britain, which would then use these materials to manufacture goods that could be sold back to the colonists.

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Others developed an economy based on agriculture. In fact, nine out of ten people lived on small family farms and strove to be self-sufficient by raising or making nearly everything they needed. One farmer wrote with pride about a typical year, “Nothing to wear, eat, or drink was purchased, as my farm provided all.”

Most farming families faced the difficult task of clearing the land of thick vegetation, like trees, using only the rudimentary tools that they had, such as axes and saws. Then using the same simple tools, the farmers would cut square timbers and flat planks from this lumber to build houses, barns, and fences.

​Imagine living on a colonial farm. Your home is a single large room with a fireplace at one end. In this room, your family cooks, eats, and sleeps. Your parents sleep in a large bed built into one corner, while your younger siblings sleep in a smaller trundle bed, a bed that can slide under the big bed during the day.

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At bedtime, you climb a ladder next to the chimney to sleep in an attic or a loft. As your family grows, you help to build another room on the other side of the chimney.

​The fireplace is the only source of heat and is used for both warmth and cooking. It is important to store a supply of firewood to keep the fire burning all the time because, without matches, it is very difficult to light a new one.

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​Since food is cooked in heavy iron cauldrons hung over an open fire, cooking is one of the most dangerous jobs on your farm. While lifting or stirring these cauldrons, your mother might burn her hands, scorch her clothes, or strain her back.

​Everyone wakes up before sunrise to share the labor on the farm. Chores include cutting wood, feeding animals, clearing land, tending crops, building fences, making furniture and tools, gathering eggs, spinning thread, weaving cloth, sewing clothes, making candles and soap, cooking, cleaning, and caring for babies.