Colonial Trades
Click the tab above: WEBSITES FOR RESEARCH for ALL RESOURCES
"Colonial America was an exciting place. Raw materials and natural resources were being used to create trade and commerce in the new colonies. The 13 original colonies of the colonial times were classified by their their locations - the New England colonies, the Middle colonies and the Southern colonies. The natural resources and climate determined the most lucrative resources for trade. The Colonial Trades developed in each of the colonies and trades thrived. There were many different trades and occupations in the colonies. Many of these trades and occupations are detailed in this article with a short description of what each one of these trades entailed for the tradesmen and the workers in the colonies. The following provides a brief overview of the industries and trade in each of the regions."
Colonial RegionsIndustries and Trade required Colonial Trades and Occupations
New England Colonies: Fish, ships, timber products, furs, whale products, maple syrup, copper, livestock products, horses, rum, whiskey and beer
Middle Colonies: Corn and wheat and livestock including beef and pork. Other industries included the production of iron ore, lumber, shipbuilding, coal, textiles and the fur trade
Southern Colonies: Tobacco, sugar, rice, indigo, cotton, via the Slave Plantations, lumber, furs, farm products
Steps to Your Colonial Project
1. Look up information on your topic. Use books from class, libraries, and computer. Use the guidance documents on this website under contact. Take notes in school. Keep a list of books and resources you use for bibliography (works cited) which will be added to your final project.
2. Make a list of 3-5 important and key facts that you learned about for each question about your craftsman.
3. Make a final project at home. Choose one of the following to present your information:
4. Check the enclosed rubric to make sure you completed everything.
5. Be prepared to orally present your topic to the class and answer questions.
Fast Facts about the Colonial Trades and Occupations
The Blacksmith: The Blacksmith was extremely important in the colonies. The blacksmith worked to create iron utensils such as horseshoes using a forge.
The Carpenter: The Carpenter was responsible for the structural parts of a building. The items included roofs, partitions and floors. Carpenters also made basic furniture for the colonists.
The Caulkers: The caulkers worked in the ship building industries. The caulkers they sealed joints making ships water-tight.
The Chandler: The Chandler was a maker and seller of candles, soap, oils and paints.
The Cooper (Barrel Maker): The Cooper (Barrel Maker) was an important worker. Barrels were used for transporting products such as rum, flour, fruit, salted meat and fish during Colonial Times. These products were all essential for trade and commerce. The cooper made barrels, hogsheads, casks, etc.
The Gunsmith: The Gunsmith made or repaired small firearms. A gunsmith was a highly skilled craftsman. Creating a firearm could take up to 400 hours of labor which included forging pieces, carving stocks, and engraving metal.
The Farmers: The Farmer was an essential trade and occupation in all of the colonies, but especially in the Middle Colonies where the soil was fertile and weather was mild. New England farmers raised corn, pumpkins, rye, squash and beans. The Middle colonies raised so many types of crops, especially wheat, they were called the 'breadbasket. The Southern colonies and their massive plantations raised tobacco, cotton, corn, vegetables, grain and fruit.
The Fur Traders: The fur traders traded with the Native Indians for furs and skins. The fur trade was highly lucrative and the French and English fought to monopolize the fur trade which led to the Beaver Wars.
The Milliner: The Milliner was the occupation undertaken by women. The female milliners created hats and small fancy items for sale to the colonists. The milliners imported and dealt in other small articles of a miscellaneous kind.
The Overseer: The Overseers were men hired by planters to manage and direct the work of slaves on the massive Plantations in the Southern colonies.
The Publican (Taverns): The Publican (Tavern owner) were the men who owned and ran the taverns which sprang up in the colonial towns.
The Printer: The Printer printed books, newspapers, engravings, pamphlets, almanacs and calendars. Printers encompassed the jobs of a compositor, a typesetter and a pressman.
The Sawmill Workers: The Sawmill Workers were extremely important to the lumber trade and industry especially in New England. The sawmills produced lumber of timber to produce wooden planks for export to England, which were then manufactured into finished goods.
The Shipbuilders: The Shipbuilders constructed ships and was also known as naval architects or as shipwrights. The work of a shipbuilder was extremely important to New England industries as the shipyards and warehouses played a prominent role in these colonies. The ship building industry including carpenters, joiners, sail makers, coopers aka barrel makers, painters, caulkers (they sealed joints making ships water-tight) and blacksmiths.
The Shoemaker (Bootmaker, Cobbler): The Shoemaker was also referred to as a Bootmaker and Cobbler. A necessary and valued trade in the colonies. The shoemaker carved a foot-shaped piece of wood, called a 'last', to the size of the customer's foot. Softened leather was stretched over the 'last' and then nailed to the sole of the boot or shoe.
The Tanner: The tanners might operate as a small business but most worked in tanneries, to tan the skins and hides of animals, converting them into leather. The leather was used primarily for making boots and shoes but doublets and jerkins were also made of leather.
The Trappers: The trappers set traps for animals to obtain their skins and furs. Beaver skins were used in hat making by the hatters.
The Whalers: The Whalers were extremely important to the New England colonies who enjoyed a booming trade in the supply of various whale products. The Whalers were the strong seamen who worked on the ships that hunted whales.
All information from Website: http://www.landofthebrave.info/colonial-trades.htm
Click the tab above: WEBSITES FOR RESEARCH for ALL RESOURCES
"Colonial America was an exciting place. Raw materials and natural resources were being used to create trade and commerce in the new colonies. The 13 original colonies of the colonial times were classified by their their locations - the New England colonies, the Middle colonies and the Southern colonies. The natural resources and climate determined the most lucrative resources for trade. The Colonial Trades developed in each of the colonies and trades thrived. There were many different trades and occupations in the colonies. Many of these trades and occupations are detailed in this article with a short description of what each one of these trades entailed for the tradesmen and the workers in the colonies. The following provides a brief overview of the industries and trade in each of the regions."
Colonial RegionsIndustries and Trade required Colonial Trades and Occupations
New England Colonies: Fish, ships, timber products, furs, whale products, maple syrup, copper, livestock products, horses, rum, whiskey and beer
Middle Colonies: Corn and wheat and livestock including beef and pork. Other industries included the production of iron ore, lumber, shipbuilding, coal, textiles and the fur trade
Southern Colonies: Tobacco, sugar, rice, indigo, cotton, via the Slave Plantations, lumber, furs, farm products
Steps to Your Colonial Project
1. Look up information on your topic. Use books from class, libraries, and computer. Use the guidance documents on this website under contact. Take notes in school. Keep a list of books and resources you use for bibliography (works cited) which will be added to your final project.
2. Make a list of 3-5 important and key facts that you learned about for each question about your craftsman.
- What products do you make? Why were they useful or important?
- How/where do you do your job?
- How did you learn to do your trade?
- What materials/tools do you use?
3. Make a final project at home. Choose one of the following to present your information:
- Poster : Organize your information on poster board complete with at least 4 sections focusing on each of the questions above. Also include pictures, diagrams, etc. to correspond with your facts.
- Help Wanted Advertisement on Microsoft Word: Organize your advertisement with at least 4 sections focusing on each of the questions above. Also include pictures, diagrams, etc. to correspond with your facts.
- Typed Report: Using the information you researched for each question, type a report of at least 4 paragraphs to share your information. Also include headings, pictures, captions, among other text features in your report.
- PowerPoint: Organize your information on a PowerPoint slide show complete with at least 4 slides focusing on each of the questions above. Also include pictures, diagrams, etc. to correspond with your facts.
- Video: Act and/or dress as your tradesman and share information about your trade. Tell and/or show us the things you make, the tools you use, etc.
4. Check the enclosed rubric to make sure you completed everything.
5. Be prepared to orally present your topic to the class and answer questions.
Fast Facts about the Colonial Trades and Occupations
The Blacksmith: The Blacksmith was extremely important in the colonies. The blacksmith worked to create iron utensils such as horseshoes using a forge.
The Carpenter: The Carpenter was responsible for the structural parts of a building. The items included roofs, partitions and floors. Carpenters also made basic furniture for the colonists.
The Caulkers: The caulkers worked in the ship building industries. The caulkers they sealed joints making ships water-tight.
The Chandler: The Chandler was a maker and seller of candles, soap, oils and paints.
The Cooper (Barrel Maker): The Cooper (Barrel Maker) was an important worker. Barrels were used for transporting products such as rum, flour, fruit, salted meat and fish during Colonial Times. These products were all essential for trade and commerce. The cooper made barrels, hogsheads, casks, etc.
The Gunsmith: The Gunsmith made or repaired small firearms. A gunsmith was a highly skilled craftsman. Creating a firearm could take up to 400 hours of labor which included forging pieces, carving stocks, and engraving metal.
The Farmers: The Farmer was an essential trade and occupation in all of the colonies, but especially in the Middle Colonies where the soil was fertile and weather was mild. New England farmers raised corn, pumpkins, rye, squash and beans. The Middle colonies raised so many types of crops, especially wheat, they were called the 'breadbasket. The Southern colonies and their massive plantations raised tobacco, cotton, corn, vegetables, grain and fruit.
The Fur Traders: The fur traders traded with the Native Indians for furs and skins. The fur trade was highly lucrative and the French and English fought to monopolize the fur trade which led to the Beaver Wars.
The Milliner: The Milliner was the occupation undertaken by women. The female milliners created hats and small fancy items for sale to the colonists. The milliners imported and dealt in other small articles of a miscellaneous kind.
The Overseer: The Overseers were men hired by planters to manage and direct the work of slaves on the massive Plantations in the Southern colonies.
The Publican (Taverns): The Publican (Tavern owner) were the men who owned and ran the taverns which sprang up in the colonial towns.
The Printer: The Printer printed books, newspapers, engravings, pamphlets, almanacs and calendars. Printers encompassed the jobs of a compositor, a typesetter and a pressman.
The Sawmill Workers: The Sawmill Workers were extremely important to the lumber trade and industry especially in New England. The sawmills produced lumber of timber to produce wooden planks for export to England, which were then manufactured into finished goods.
The Shipbuilders: The Shipbuilders constructed ships and was also known as naval architects or as shipwrights. The work of a shipbuilder was extremely important to New England industries as the shipyards and warehouses played a prominent role in these colonies. The ship building industry including carpenters, joiners, sail makers, coopers aka barrel makers, painters, caulkers (they sealed joints making ships water-tight) and blacksmiths.
The Shoemaker (Bootmaker, Cobbler): The Shoemaker was also referred to as a Bootmaker and Cobbler. A necessary and valued trade in the colonies. The shoemaker carved a foot-shaped piece of wood, called a 'last', to the size of the customer's foot. Softened leather was stretched over the 'last' and then nailed to the sole of the boot or shoe.
The Tanner: The tanners might operate as a small business but most worked in tanneries, to tan the skins and hides of animals, converting them into leather. The leather was used primarily for making boots and shoes but doublets and jerkins were also made of leather.
The Trappers: The trappers set traps for animals to obtain their skins and furs. Beaver skins were used in hat making by the hatters.
The Whalers: The Whalers were extremely important to the New England colonies who enjoyed a booming trade in the supply of various whale products. The Whalers were the strong seamen who worked on the ships that hunted whales.
All information from Website: http://www.landofthebrave.info/colonial-trades.htm