Secondary Source: A Growing Nation

After the discovery of the Americas, many people were drawn to the New World in search of a better life. America represented hope for many who came to settle the Americas. They were motivated to escape poverty, religious persecution, and the unfair laws of kings and queens. They were also trying to escape a system of government where land ownership was impossible for the poor. The solution to their problems could be found in America for those willing to work, the solution was land. Due to conflicts with Native Americans and the diseases brought over due to the Columbian Exchange, North America was open to pioneers and settlers.

The goal for many settlers was to buy the cheap land of America and harvest its natural resources for raw materials. Natural resources are materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain. Once harvested from nature these natural resources are referred to as Raw Materials, which are basic materials that are taken from natural sources to produce goods. Colonists cut down trees to make lumber, which can be turned into ships and furniture. Many came to farm the land, which produced grains and animals that are then converted into food and other products. This took a great deal of work, and colonists struggled to succeed, but over time the cheap and abundant land meant colonists would become wealthier.

Life was not easy in early America. There were few roads and bridges, and farming goods had to be transported using homemade boats that could carry goods to a market near a river. Rivers were essentially the highway of early America, and as a result, many American towns are located along rivers, streams, or other sources of water. Conflict with Native Americans and each other was common, so many farmers had to protect themselves without the help of the government. Many farmers did not have access to schools, doctors, and stores to buy goods.

Farmers had to be self-sufficient and provide for themselves. Often if you could not make something you needed, then you had to trade with a neighbor. Americans did not have nearly the amount of comfort items we enjoy today. People made their own clothing tools, homes, and raised their own food. Mothers gave birth to children without doctors, and families taught their children what they could. Most were illiterate, or could not read or write. Young adults would get married to nearby neighbors, and arranged marriages were common.

American farming homes were often a one or two room log cabin, although sometimes a loft was built to serve as an additional sleeping room or storage area. The single room served as a bedroom, kitchen, dining room, and living-room. The home was also the place where people made clothing, tools, and finished other goods that could be sold for money. Cooking and heating were done on a central fireplace. Most families would eat from a central kettle on the fireplace or serve their food on a stale piece of bread known as a trencher.

Privacy was a luxury that many could not enjoy. Bathrooms were a simple outhouse over a hole in the ground outside of the house, and toilet paper had not even been invented yet. Bathing was rare, but often people would have a small metal tub that could be filled with water for washing. Beds were made of straw or a layer of blankets, and children often slept on the floor near the fireplace. Farming communities would often develop around a church, school, or popular trade destination.

Rural farming families often had periods of time throughout the year where there was not as much work that needed to be done, particularly the middle of summer when crops were growing, and the winter when no crops were planted and it was too cold to stay outside for very long. Since many of these families lived on farms, raising a few extra sheep to produce wool was not difficult for them. The spare wool and extra downtime became an opportunity for many families to begin spinning and weaving the wool thread into textiles, or fabric. They could then sell the textiles for an extra income. As families worked to increase their wealth, they choose to become industrious hardworking families.

Every member of the family would participate in the industrious, or hardworking, activity. After cooking, cleaning, farming, and other work was finished, the family would spend their remaining time weaving cloth, spinning thread, or cleaning raw materials that could be used to make textiles. Soon, families began to increase their wealth, allowing them to buy new things to make their lives more comfortable, pay for doctors to keep them healthy, open a business, or purchase new tools to make their farm easier to manage. Because most of the work was performed in the family home, or cottage, this type of work became known as the cottage industry.

This period between 1650 and 1750 became known as the Industrious Revolution. The Industrious Revolution was a period from about 1650 to 1750 when many families began to make products in their spare time in order to make additional income so they could buy more goods and services. There were no major changes in technology, no major changes in where people lived, but what changed was how people spent their free-time. Farmers began using their local resources to produce more goods at home. People worked in their homes to produce mainly textiles, or cloth. This cloth could then be sold to people in larger cities who would then trade the cloth around the world.