ABC - Colonial America

ABC - Colonial America - Page Text Content

S: ABC Book - Colonial America

FC: ABC Book - Colonial America By Grace Trembath

1: Dedicated to Nancy Novotny, the real historian

2: A is for Apothecary In the 1700's, an apothecary was basically a colonial pharmacist/doctor. They would offer general medical advice, midwifery, and maybe even surgery! The shop would also sell tobacco and medicines. They were very important people in colonial society. The apothecary was important because they provided medical care for almost everyone in the area. They helped women give birth, and if a loved one was horribly sick, the apothecary would do all the could to make them better.The were very helpful people in 18th century society.

4: B is for William Bradford William Bradford was one of the first governors of Plymouth. Plymouth was located in what is now Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He was governor in the 1620's Finally, he was one of the men that signed the Mayflower Compact. William Bradford was important because he signed the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact is a very important document in American history. When the settlers arrived in Plymouth, they had no form of government, so they created this compact to ensure that everyone would help fair laws be made.

6: C is for Cecilius Calvert Cecilius Calvert was the owner of the new colony of Maryland in 1632. His father, George Calvert, had asked King Charles I if he would grant him a colony along the Chesapeake Bay. King Charles agreed, but unfortunately, George Calvert died before the charter granting him the colony was signed. However, his eldest son, Cecilius, took over and the colony of Maryland flourished. Cecilius Calvert was important because without him, Maryland would not have been so successful. Calvert had learned from the horrid experiences at Jamestown, and he

7: worked hard to make sure that nobody would starve in his new colony.

8: D is for Delaware In 1682, the Duke of York gave William Penn control of the land that now makes up the state of Delaware, in the eastern USA. Penn wanted the Native Americans living in the area to be treated fairly, so he created treaties between them and King Charles II that became a long lasting friendship. Delaware was important in Colonial America because William Penn established an important friendship with the local Native Americans. If this friendship had not been built, then feuds between the Native Americans and colonists would have continued.

10: E is for Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards was a minister in the Middle Colonies during the 1720's. This period was known as the Great Awakening because it was when people began to "awake", or take more interest in religion. Jonathan Edwards was important because he helped bring new ideas to religion. He traveled around the Middle Colonies preaching about having a straight relationship with God, and bringing interest to secluded regions. Edwards certainly brought change to many people's lives.

12: F is for Benjamin Franklin In the 1700's, Benjamin Franklin was a very important man in Philadelphia. As a scientist, inventor, printer, and writer, Franklin published the Pennsylvania Gazette, and the annual Poor Richard's Almanac. He was also a great leader in The Thirteen Colonies' government. Franklin definitely was an important person in Philadelphia's society. Benjamin Franklin is important because he started the first Philadelphian fire brigade and hospital. He also helped organize a militia (a volunteer army), a public library, and Pennsylvania's first college. He certainly changed the lives of many Philadelphians.

14: G is for Gaol Almost every major town in Colonial America had a gaol. A gaol, which was a colonial prison, normally had a pillory where criminals were put while people threw rotten food and garbage at them. However, the gaol's back then did not have modern security, and there were often gaol breaks. The gaol was important because if they didn't have this building, prisoners might be put in people's houses, or they might just be killed. It would be horrible if they were killed because if the person was actually innocent, then cops had just killed an innocent person. The gaol (jail) was very

15: important in Colonial America, and it still is today.

16: H is for Harvard College Harvard College was set up in 1636 by Puritans. Then, it was a college, but now it's a university. It is located in what is now Boston, Massachusetts. It was set up to train boys as ministers. Harvard College/University is important because if it had not been set up, then we would not have this amazing college today. It also helped train ministers, and ministers were needed greatly in New England.

18: I is for Indentured Servant Indentured servants were people that worked for a certain number of years in the Americas, in exchange for free passage over and their freedom after they had fulfilled their contract. There were mainly indentured servants in only the 18th and 19th century. They worked in the America's, Australia, and the Caribbean. Indentured servants were important because they helped produce a lot of goods and services in Colonial America. They also worked on plantations to help grow food and tobacco. Without them, colonies would not have been as successful.

20: J is for Jamestown Jamestown was an English settlement that was founded in 1607. It was located near what is now Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, on swampy land. Captain John Smith was the leader of Jamestown. The first English settlement would have failed without him. Jamestown was the first English settlement. It became the center of the Virginia Colony. Without it, we would not know about Pocahontas, and we wouldn't have that amazing story today.

22: K is for King Philip's War There were often many arguments between the Native Americans and colonists. The King Phillip's War took place in 1675. It started when some local Native Americans attacked a town called Swansea in Rhode Island. The battle progressed over the year, and spread as far as Maine and Connecticut. Near the end of the war, whole Native American tribes had been nearly wiped out. This war was definitely devastating for both sides. The King Philip's War was important because it acquired new land for the colonists. Without it, we might not have had as much land, and later colonists wouldn't

23: know as much about the area. The King Philip's War was definitely an important series of battles in American history.

24: L is for Robert R. Livingston Robert Livingston was an important jurist, statesman, and political leader in the 1700's. Born in New York, he had the average American's belief in freedom. He helped Benjamin Franklin,Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Roger Sherman draft the Declaration of Independence. However, he was not there for the official signing, because he was in New York at the time. Livingston was important because he helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Without him, the Declaration of Independence would be

25: different, and our laws might also be different.

26: M is for Massachusetts Bay Colony John Winthrop believed that a settlement should be set up that would be a good example of Christian living. Just that happened in 1630 when Winthrop led Puritans to settle in Boston, Massachusetts. The colony was located at the mouth of the Charles River, just south of Salem. The Massachusetts Bay Colony is important because it still exists today, and it's the capital of Massachusetts. Without it, Boston would cease to exist, and Harvard College would be elsewhere. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was a very

27: important settlement.

28: N is for New Amsterdam New Amsterdam was founded in 1626 by Dutch colonists. This settlement was located near the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, so the settlers were near both. The built a fort around the center of New Amsterdam for protection. This small settlement expanded quickly, and today it is the great city of New York. New Amsterdam is important because if it had not been set up, we would not have New York City today! That would have caused a major impact on American history. For example, Ellis Island would not have been built there. Also, the Statue of Liberty might be located in Washington D.C.

29: instead! These are some of the reasons that New Amsterdam is important.

30: O is for Overseer The overseer was a white person who had been hired to watch enslaved people as they worked on a plantation. He normally rode around on a horse, and carried a whip. However, the only places there were overseers was in the Southern Colonies. Overseers started to be employed in the 1750's, but then they were all fired when all of the slaves were freed during or after the Civil War. An overseer's job was very important on a plantation. If the slaves were not working hard enough, he would yell at them, or maybe even whip them. Also, he helped make sure that there was order among the

31: slaves, and that they didn't rebel.

32: P is for Eliza Lucas Pinckney Eliza Lucas Pinckney was a woman who helped develop the use of indigo as a cash crop in South Carolina. She started experimenting when she was 16, after her father had sent her some indigo seeds from the West Indies. After, three whole years of hard work, Eliza was able to grow an indigo plant that produced and amazing dye. Eliza Pinckney was important because she helped produce an important South Carolinian cash crop. By the 1740's, the total amount of indigo sold a year was 1 million pounds! Eliza Pinckney really helped South Carolina develop.

34: R is for the Roanoke Colony The Roanoke Colony was one of the first English settlements. It was founded by John White who had been sent by Sir Walter Raleigh. Queen Elizabeth I had chosen Raleigh to set up a colony in North America. John White founded it in what is now Virginia in 1585. However, that colony failed. White tried again in 1587. He sailed back to England to get food. When he returned - 3 years later - all of the colonists had mysteriously disappeared! The Roanoke Colony is important because it was one of England's first attempts at a colony. Without it, England would probably not have had as much

35: information about the New World, and the next colonists would have to learn the hard way about it.

36: S is for Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant was the governor of New Netherland in the 1650's. Stuyvesant expanded New Netherland into what is now New Jersey and Delaware, seizing control of New Sweden. Although New Netherland now had a lot of land, it needed more colonists. So, the Dutch East India Company (who had set up New Netherland in the first place), let people from other countries settle in the colony. Peter Stuyvesant is important because he acquired a lot of new land for New Netherland. When the English took over in 1644, this gave them a lot of new land, and if they didn't get that land, then there

37: might have been fewer colonies.

38: T is for Tisquantum Tisquantum (also known as Squanto) was a Wampanoag Indian that lived in Massachusetts. He showed the Plymouth settlers how to plant squash, corn, and pumpkins. Without Tisquantum, the colony would probably have failed. Tisquantum was important because without his help, the colonists most likely would have starved. He also helped these settlers trade with Native Americans for furs that the settlers could use for clothes. Squanto was a very important to the survival of the Plymouth Colony.

40: U is for Captain John Underhill Captain John Underhill was most famous for his written accounts of the Pequot War. He also was important for fighting bravely in the Pequot and Kieft's wars during the 1600's. He was a minor Colonial American character. Captain John Underhill was important because he fought bravely in two Colonial American battles. Also, if he had not written down what had happened during one of these wars, we might not even know that it had happened! John Underhill helped us learn a lot about history.

42: V is for Walling Van Winkle Walling Van Winkle was a colonist who settled in what is now northern New Jersey in the 1630's. He and his brother were the first in his family to settle in Colonial America from the Netherlands. He often traveled between the Netherlands and the New World negotiating land contracts. He was not a very important person in early American society. Van Winkle was important because he helped the Netherlands gain land, so that when the people from that country settled on that land, they influenced society. Without him, we might not have as many Dutch traditions today.

44: W is for Williamsburg In the 1700's, Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia. Set up by the English, Williamsburg was the heart and soul of Virginia. Today, you can see reenactors portray the daily lives of many colonists that lived in this extraordinary town. Williamsburg was important because it was one of the first American capitals. What is amazing about it is the fact that it is still here today. You can visit the town, and watch amazing things that are going on.

46: Y is for William Yardley William Yardley was an early settler of Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the 1600's. He was a Quaker minister who was often persecuted, so he and his wife moved to America from England in the early 1680's. He owned a lot of land, but he was very insignificant. William Yardley was important because he served as a Justice of the Peace in the Provincial Council. This means that he was responsible for keeping peace in the court. For example, he helped make sure that there was no yelling, and no fights. He was like a police officer, but not exactly.

48: Z is for Zeal Most people that settled in the New England colonies had a zeal for religion. That meant that the had a passion for religious freedom. Most people traveled to Colonial America for these reasons in the 17th and 18th century. Religion was certainly an important factor in many Colonial American lives. If so many people had not bean zealous for religious freedom, then they would not have come here. Without them, there wouldn't have been as much interest in the Americas, and some of us might not even be here today.

50: A Special Thanks To... Ms. Edmondson Ms. Novotny www.google.com www.wikipedia.com www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org www.americaslibrary.gov Harcourt Schools Thanks again!