
Medicine was very primitive during these times. Most people only had two or three sets of clothing and they only bathed a few times a year. A lot of kids learned to read from the New England Primer which had a rhyme for each letter of the alphabet. Interesting Facts About Daily Life During the American Revolution A few women, called Molly Pitchers, even took part in the fighting. They also acted as nurses taking care of the wounded. They cooked for them and sewed their uniforms. Women and girls took part in the war taking care of the soldiers. Boys as young as 7 years old joined the army as drummers or message carriers. Sometimes people would wake up to the sounds of cannon fire or musket shots.īoys could join the army at age 16 as soldiers and even younger as fife, drum, or bugle players. Many people fled their farms as the armies arrived. This was often near towns or on people's farmland. The Revolutionary War was fought wherever two armies met up. The big meal of the day was usually served around 2pm in the afternoon. They had to build a fire, milk the cow, pick vegetables, prepare the meat, and bring in water from the outside well. The women spent a good part of their day cooking. They ate lots of stews with meats and vegetables.Ĭooking took a long time and was a lot of hard work. They had milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and grains from the farms. In the city, they would often get food from relatives that had farms or trade for it. Most Colonial families grew vegetables and hunted for their own food. Boys wore the same style of clothing as the men. A lot of wealthy people had their clothes imported from England. Wealthy men wore stylish wool coats with shiny buttons. Men wore breeches, stockings, a cotton shirt, a vest, and a tricorn hat. Young girls wore the same style of clothing as the women. They also wore mob caps which were pleated cloth bonnets with a ruffled brim. Women wore long dresses covered with an apron and a tucker. Most of the clothing was sewn at home by hand. People who lived during the American Revolution wore similar styles of clothing. Also, many schoolmasters enlisted in the army leaving their schools without a teacher. The few colleges in the Americas were closed during the war. They attended common school and Latin school where they were taught by a man called the schoolmaster. After that, usually only wealthy boys continued with school.
Often children learned to read and write from ages 6 to 8. More children attended school in the northern colonies than in the south. Not all kids went to school during the Revolutionary War. Bathrooms were in a separate little building called the "privy" or "necessary".
They got light from the fireplace and from candles. Homes during colonial times didn't have running water or electricity. Many homes had the kitchen in a separate building in order to try and prevent the spread of fires. Wealthier people would live in two story houses which typically had four rooms downstairs and two upstairs. Poor people often lived in one room homes. Just like today, houses during the Revolutionary War were different depending on where people lived and how much money they had. What kind of houses did the colonists live in?