Study Guide for the test on Plymouth Colony
TEST on Monday, January 26
REMEMBER TO STUDY THE ITEMS IN BOLD AND THE VOCABULARY.
Part One: Students will match the vocabulary word to its definition on the test.
1. compact: an agreement between people or groups
2. cauldron: a large iron cooking pot
3. waistcoat: a woman’s coat or jacket
4. barter: to trade or exchange goods
5. marketplace: a place where people sell their goods
6. breeches: short pants
7. voyage: a trip or journey on water
8. hornbook: a paddle-shaped writing book
9. town crier: a man who announced the news to the villagers
10. bubble and squeak: a fish and vegetable stew
11. settle: a wooden bench with a high sides and a high back
Part Two: study the items in bold, as they will be questions on the test.
1. The Separatists wanted to worship God in a different way, their own way, a
simpler way, so they separated from the Church of England. They relocated to
Holland before coming to America.
2. Life aboard the Mayflower in 1620 was difficult, with about 130 people in a space
the size of a basketball court. The Mayflower was 90 feet long.
3. The Mayflower Compact was an agreement to work together, elect
leaders (the main leader would be called the governor)
a. Most of the men signed it (women were not allowed to sign).
4. There was a governor and a group of magistrates who made up the General Court,
which met four times a year, with the responsibility of taxing the colonists,
making laws, and hearing court cases.
5. Squanto and Samoset taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn, pumpkins, and beans.
continued on the next page
Part Three: students will make comparisons of how each of these topics are different _ today than they were in Plymouth; also study items in bold for specific test questions
A. Homes were built out of timbers.
1. Roofs were thatched roofs until 1627; then they were wood shingles.
2. Windows were covered with a waxed paper because glass was very expensive.
3. Most homes had dirt or stone floors; those who could afford it had wooden planks.
4. Homes had one large open room called a keeping room.
a. The keeping room had a large fireplace used for cooking and heating.
b. The family cooked, ate, worked, and slept in the keeping room.
5. There was no running water, so water had to be fetched from the spring.
6. There was no electricity, so oil lamps were used by those who could afford them.
B. Families were usually large.
1. Children had many chores in Plymouth.
2. Boys learned how to farm from their fathers.
3. Girls learned domestic skills from their mothers.
4. Parents were strict and discipline was harsh.
C. Clothing
1. Men wore long white cotton shirts and breeches, doublets over their shirts, dark felt or woolen hats, and simple leather shoes.
2. Women wore long cotton shirts and skirts, a waistcoat over their shirts, cloth
pouches tied around their waists, coifs on their heads, and simple leather shoes.
3. Men and women usually only had two outfits, one for daily use and one for Sunday.
4. Children under age seven wore simple cotton dressing gowns with ties at the shoulder.
D. Working in the colony
1. Most people in the colony were farmers, growing corn, wheat, and rye. and raising cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens. The family worked from 4:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
2. Jobs: a. cooper (barrel maker),
b. the tanner (made leather out of animal hides)
c. joiner (made furniture)
d. town crier (announced the news in the village)
E. Going to school was important (learn to read).
1. Children were taught at home at first.
a. Mothers or a neighbor taught the children reading, writing, adding (dame school).
2. Boys were allowed to go to another school after dame school.
a. Most of the teachers were men called schoolmasters.
b. Women who taught had to quit when they got married.
c. A hornbook was used to teach reading and handwriting.
d. Children read a book called The New England Primer, which replaced the
hornbook as a way of learning how to read.
3. Sons of rich families went on to college.