Learn <ome hand<-on hi<tory! Great Colonial America Project< You Can Build Your<elf! Kri< Borde<<a
Nomad Press A division of Nomad Communications 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright 2006 by Nomad Press All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. The trademark Nomad Press and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc. Printed in the United States. ISBN: 0978503783 Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to Independent Publishers Group 814 N. Franklin St. Chicago, IL 60610 www.ipgbook.com Nomad Press 2456 Christian St. White River Junction, VT 05001 www.nomadpress.net Image Credits: p. viii, John Smith map: wikipedia; p. x, map of colonial North America: www.loc.gov; p. 56, mobcap: www.probertencyclopedia.com; p. 57, gentlemen: www.costumes.org; p. 70, woman working: www2.world66.com; p. 71, old Philadelphia map: www.loc.gov; p. 82, Cotton Mather: www.loc.gov; p. 83, Ben Franklin: www.photolib.noaa.gov ; p. 87, Witch Trials: wikipedia.org; p. 94, cipher: courtesy of the NSA; p. 99 printing press: www.fromoldbooks.org Courtesy of Historic Deerfield, Inc.: p. 42, clothing; p. 51, pocket; p. 60, footwear; p. 70, cook; p. 86, barometer; p. 88, firebucket. Illustrations by Shawn Braley: p. v, clipper ship; p. 1, colonists sailing; p. 14, Fort Necessity; p. 15, firing line; p. 20, planting; p. 24, Pocahontas; p. 25, house; p. 26, privy; p. 27, wattle and daub; p. 30, bed; p. 38, laundry by fire; p. 41, colonists; p.45, woman spinning; p. 67, Eliza Lucas; p. 72, mansion; p. 88, pillory; p. 101, bookbinder; p. 105, child; p. 109, school scene. Illustrations by Jeff McAllister: p. 12, farm workers; p. 21, wampum; p. 33, dipping candles; p. 44, Daniel Boone; p. 48, weaver at loom; p. 59, woman with fan.
Content< Introduction-v Colonial America Timeline and an Overview of the Thirteen Colonies vi Chapter 1: How It All Began-1 The New World 2 The Mayflower Voyage 5 The Colonies 8 Indentured Servants and Slavery 11 European Influence and Conflict 13 Colonial Law and Order 16 Chapter 2: The Fir<t American<-19 Native American Trade 21 Make Your Own Wampum Native American Games and Toys 23 Make Your Own Ball and Triangle Game Make Your Own Ring and Pin Game Chapter 3: Life in a Colonial Home-25 Colonial Homebuilding 27 Build Your Own Miniature Wattle-and- Daub House Build Your Own Bricks The Colonial Bedroom 30 Make Your Own Straw Tick Colonial Lighting 31 Make Your Own Dipped Candles Make Your Own Candleholder Picture This! 34 Make Your Own Silhouette Keeping House 36 Make Your Own Broom Make Your Own Braided Rug Chapter 4: Colonial Clothe<-41 Making Clothing 44 Make Your Own Yarn Make Your Own Marigold Dye Make Your Own Finger Knitting Make Your Own Oatmeal Box Loom Make Your Own Cloth Colonial Accessories 50 Make Your Own Colonial-Style Pocket Make Your Own Tricorn Hat Make Your Own Mobcap Make Your Own Cuffs Make Your Own Fan Make Your Own Pomander Chapter 5: Colonial Farm< and Garden<-63 Colonial Crops 63 Make Your Own Apple Cider Make Your Own Johnny Cakes Make Your Own Applesauce Farm Animals and Game 69
Chapter 6: Life and Work in a Colonial Town-71 Colonial Trades 71 Make Your Own Sign Make Your Own String & Bead Puzzler Make Your Own Liberty Bell Puzzler Colonial Craftspeople 76 Make Your Own Tin Plate Make Your Own Tin Lantern Make Your Own Pump Drill Colonial Medicine 81 Weather Watchers 83 Make Your Own Weathervane Make Your Own Barometer Crime and Punishment, Colonial Style 86 Firefighters 88 Make Your Own Fire Rattle Chapter 7: Colonial Communication-91 Colonial Letters 91 Make Your Own Old-Fashioned Letter Colonial Codes 94 Make Your Own Cipher Wheel Make Your Own Simple Paper Cipher Make Your Own Secret Mask Colonial Printers 98 Make Your Own Printing Press Bookbinding 101 Chapter 8: Colonial Kid<-105 Colonial Fun 105 Make Your Own Marbles Make Your Own Whirligig Make Your Own Apple Doll Colonial Education 109 Make Your Own Hornbook Glo<<ary-112 Re<ource<-115 Index-117 iv
Chapter 1 How It All Began Hundreds of years ago, the country we now know as the United States of America was mysterious, wild, and untamed. It had deep forests and rugged terrain. Europeans only knew a little about this new world. They learned about it from bold explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Ponce de León. During the 1400s and 1500s, these early explorers sailed from Europe in search of gold, silk, and spices. They hoped to find an easy route to the Orient, where they were sure they would find riches. They did find some of these things, but while they searched, they also discovered parts of the world that were completely new to them. One of those places was the continent of North America. The explorers who arrived on the shores of this new continent were very curious about it. They anchored their ships and set off on foot hoping to find something valuable maybe even gold. But those explorers had no idea just how large North America is. They were only able to explore the area along the eastern coast where their ship had dropped them off. In the short time they were on land, they only saw a small portion of the country. In the southern part of the continent, a Spaniard named Hernán Cortés explored what is now Mexico and did discover gold. He conquered the people there, called the Aztecs, then Colonists sailing to the New World.
Great Colonial America Project< Columbus discovers the New World. claimed the land for Spain. Cortés brought treasure back to his homeland and told people about the new world and its riches. Cortés, Columbus, and Ponce de León were among the first Europeans to explore this new land, but they certainly weren t the last. Word of this new land trickled in to Europe from many different ships returning home to Spain, Portugal, and England. Sailors told of the lands they had explored. Most explorers only partially understood where other explorers had been. Different ships had traveled to different parts of the continent. Stories were passed by word of mouth as people traveled. As stories usually do, the tales grew grander as they were passed along. Many stories said that gold was plentiful, and with only a little work, a person could make a fortune. Many <torie< <aid that gold wa< plentiful, and with only a little work, a per<on could make a fortune. e The New World d In 1584, Queen Elizabeth I of England gave Sir Walter Raleigh permission to colonize America. One hundred men sailed to the New World in 1585 and formed the first English colony. They landed on an island off the coast of present-day North Carolina, and named it Roanoke. These colonists were not prepared for life in the New World. They didn t have enough supplies, and they didn t get along with their Native American neighbors. Their supply ship from England was delayed, leaving them short on food. The colonists became hungry, and desperate. When an unexpected explorer named Sir Francis Drake showed up at Roanoke, the settlers abandoned the colony and returned to England aboard Drake s ship. Sir Walter Raleigh wasn t ready to give up. He was determined to colonize the New World, so he sent a second group across the Atlantic in 1587. Thirty-seven days after the colonists arrived at Roanoke, their governor, John White, returned to England for Sir Walter Raleigh 2
Chapter One: How It All Began supplies. But a war broke out between England and Spain, and he couldn t sail The Powhatan< back to the Roanoke colony for almost three years. When he did finally return, White found the colony empty. A single word Croatoan was carved into a post. White suspected that this was a sign that the colonists had moved to Croatoan Island, but when he went to the island he couldn t find a trace of the colonists. No one ever found the missing colonists. The fate of the lost colony of Roanoke remains one of the great mysteries of American history. In 1606, England s King James I granted a charter to a group of 214 men who called themselves the Virginia Company. This group s plan was to settle in the New World. Like others before them, they hoped to find gold and a water route to the Orient. After five long months at sea, they arrived at Jamestown Island off the coast of Virgina on May 14, 1607. These men were really unprepared to live in the New World. The land was rugged and covered with forests of large trees nothing like London. The colonists had to cut down trees, build shelters, and prepare the land for planting. Colonial Word< to Know The Powhatan Indian tribe was part of the Algonquian nation. The Powhatan leader was Wahunsenacawh, but Powhatan was his common name. Chief Powhatan inherited six tribes that lived near present-day Richmond, Virginia. Powhatan ruled 30 tribes at the peak of his leadership. Each tribe was governed by a werowance, a leader who was faithful to Powhatan. These leaders paid tribute to Powhatan, making him a wealthy man. He was able to take care of a large family he had more than 100 wives! One of Powhatan s daughters, Matoaka, was nicknamed Pocahontas, meaning playful one. The Powhatan people lived in villages made of dome-shaped homes. Each home had a large garden area where the Powhatans grew corn, beans, peas, squash, pumpkins, and sunflowers. These homegrown foods were important, but the Powhatans also depended on hunting, fishing, and gathering wild foods for much of their diet. the Orient: the East, as in Asia colonize: to establish a colony colony: a settlement in a foreign place charter: permission from the king, allowing a group to settle a portion of land and govern it as the group sees fit New World: the continents of North and South America tribute: a sum of money or other valuable thing paid by one ruler or nation to another in submission, as the price of peace and protection 3
Great Colonial America Project< Spotlight on Famous Colonists Captain John Smith Captain John Smith was a member of the Virginia Company that first settled in Jamestown. He had strong beliefs about how to do things, and sometimes he offended or angered people. In fact, Smith s shipmates accused him of planning to overthrow the colony s leaders and put him in prison on the ship during their voyage to the New World. They dropped the charges against Smith when they landed, and he was one of seven men chosen to be part of the governing council of Virginia. When some of the colonists argued over the shortage of supplies and the laziness of some of the group, Smith went looking for a solution. He left the colony to explore the Chesapeake Bay region and search for food. When Smith came back, he became president of the colony. His strict leadership made some members of the colony dislike him. But his harsh policies, including his proclamation that He who does not work, will not eat, helped the settlement survive and begin to thrive. Smith was badly burned in a gunpowder accident in 1609 and traveled to England for medical treatment. He returned to the colonies for a short period in 1614 to explore the Massachusetts Bay area, where he coined the term New England. John Smith was stubborn. He didn t like to follow orders from England when he was in the New World. When Smith went back to England for a visit, the English government would not let him return to the colonies. He spent the rest of his life in London writing books. Smith died at age 51. Many of these first colonists were gentlemen who were used to the comforts of England. They were not very good at taming the wilderness, but they did their best to make the colony succeed. The men had to work very hard just to survive in this new wild land. It didn t leave much opportunity or time for treasure hunting. They quickly learned that the stories were a bit exaggerated anyway! They didn t find gold scattered 4