Waubonsee Community College

As various as their land, the everyday lives of eighteenth century Americans, Stephanie Grauman Wolf

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

platesillustrations

index present

non fiction

As various as their land

bibliography

27728458

Stephanie Grauman Wolf

The Everyday life in America series

the everyday lives of eighteenth century Americans

In 1700, ten sparsely settled colonies clung precariously to the Atlantic coast of the vast American continent, each far more firmly attached to the Old World by ties of politics, economy, and culture than they were to each other. By 1800, sixteen states, united by a common government, were poised to exploit the seemingly endless resources of a new and independent nation. Yet throughout this century of enormous changes and challenges, one factor remained constant: no single description embodied the majority of its inhabitants, no one life-style embraced a "typical America." Rich or poor, urban or rural, male or female, young or old, native-born or immigrant, northerner or southerner, slave or free, white or of color - the mixture of these characteristics and a host of others within each individual determined the shape and opportunities of his or her everyday life. Americans of the eighteenth century were in the end as they had been in the beginning, as "various as their land."

The domestic economy -- Be it ever so humble -- Human dynamics -- The invention of childhood -- Making land and reaping the rewards -- "Tinker, tailor ... merchant chief" -- Community neighborhood -- Community: networks