Colonial Food and Puritan Church Services

Study Notes

The first colonists in North America traded with Native Americans for food, particularly corn which became a major part of their diet.
Colonists primarily ate cornmeal mush or cake daily.
Meat was a popular food, as colonists hunted wild animals and raised livestock.
Preserving meat was challenging without refrigeration, so colonists used salting, smoking, or pickling to keep it edible.
Fruits like apples, huckleberries, blackberries, blueberries, grapes, and strawberries were significant food sources.
Colonists learned to appreciate vegetables, and commonly cooked them into stews.
Food preservation was crucial, and stews were often cooked for long periods using iron pots.

Puritans in New England attended Sunday services in the town meetinghouse, a central building in their communities.
Services were held in the meetinghouse, which had wooden benches called pews and a pulpit.
Seating arrangements reflected social status, with wealthier and older people enjoying better seating.
Services could last for up to five hours, with a break at midday for socializing and eating.

Began in the 1730s, a significant religious movement known as the First Great Awakening spread across the colonies.
The movement was fueled by a perceived decline in religious devotion, aiming to rekindle spiritual fervor.
Preachers travelled from town to town, holding outdoor revival meetings with powerful sermons that stirred the souls of many colonists.
The Great Awakening promoted that all individuals are equal in God's eyes and that understanding God's will is possible through faith.
Its emphasis on liberty, equality, and resistance to authority contributed to the American Revolution.

Formal education was most prevalent in New England, with communities obligated to provide public schools.
The Puritans emphasized education to ensure children could read the Bible.
In 1647, Massachusetts passed a law requiring towns with 50+ families to hire a teacher and those with 100+ families to build a school.
Parents contributed to schools financially and through resources and land.
Schools were typically one-room buildings with a fireplace.
Students learned spelling, arithmetic, and memorized prayers using simple materials like bark and the "New England Primer".

Religious differences among Quakers, Catholics, Jews, Baptists, and others limited public education in the Middle Colonies.
Each group typically decided on their own education approach for children.
Some groups established church schools, while others left education to parents.

Formal education was less widespread in the Southern Colonies due to their dispersed settlements.
Families sometimes hired tutors or sent children to schools in larger cities or abroad for further education.
Wealthy planters often hired private tutors for their children.

It was commonly believed that boys deserved more education than girls.
Formal education for girls usually covered writing, arithmetic, and sometimes music and dancing.