Everyday Life in Early America [Paperback]

David Freeman Hawke (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0060912510 | ISBN-13: 978-0060912512 | Publication Date: January 25, 1989

"In this clearly written volume, Hawke provides enlightening and colorful descriptions of early Colonial Americans and debunks many widely held assumptions about 17th century settlers."--Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this clearly written volume, Hawke provides enlightening and colorful descriptions of early Colonial Americans and debunks many widely held assumptions about 17th century settlers. He argues that most pioneers were not young and that their families weren't much larger than present-day households. In addition, he states that adults lived longer than has been believed and that most early settlers were artisans and craftsmen with little knowledge of farming, although the wilderness soon forced them to adapt. Hawke includes entertaining discussions of what the first white Americans ate (for example, raccoon was served in New York). He also discusses how colonial Americans were punished for crimes and how they treated enslaved blacks and indentured servants. This book is informative but could have been more deeply researched.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 195 pages
• Publisher: Harper & Row (January 25, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060912510
• ISBN-13: 978-0060912512
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Teens > Education & Reference > History
  • #51 in Books > History > Americas > United States > Colonial Period

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good though not quite spectacular social history, September 20, 2002

By 

Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Everyday Life in Early America (Paperback)

The only genuine problem with this excellent book is that it does not compare favorably with some of the other books in this series. For instance, if one turns to this after reading Schlereth's amazing VICTORIAN AMERICA, one is scaled down the book seems in comparison. This is not the fault of author David Hawke. The problem is the paucity of details in everyday life in 17th century America compared to the late 19th. Unfortunately for Hawke, the life of Americans in the 17th century was rudimentary and, of necessity, simple. What makes VICTORIAN AMERICA such a delight is the almost overwhelmingly amount of delicious detail.

Nonetheless, life in 17th century colonial America is apt to be less familiar to most readers than that of late 19th century America, and this book performs an enormous service in providing a concise, well-written overview of what that life was like. Hawke is especially good at exploding various myths that have evolved over the years concerning colonial life. Unlike the later volumes in the series, Hawke deals, by dint of necessity, of the larger historical situation.

Some of the topics that Hawke takes up include the structure of towns and villages, the nature of farms and the crops grown, houses and the types of objects found within them, the health of the settlers and treatment of illness, social stratification, indentured servitude and slavery, relations with Native Americans, and various superstitions. If the book was somewhat less exhilarating than some of the later books in the series, it nonetheless is quite informative. I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to learn more about the nuts and bolts of colonial life.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good overview about the American Colonies 1500-1750, January 31, 2000

By 

historyone (Republic of Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Everyday Life in Early America (Paperback)

This is a good book that I found suprisingly detailed with pertinant facts that gave me a better understanding of the culture, religion, family beliefs and social way of life in early Colonial America between 1500 to 1750 (before the Revolutionary War). The author does an excellent job in emphasizing the importance of the different Christian religious sects in the colonies and how importantly they influenced the personal and social structure in colonial life. Life on the farm, in the town or villiage is studied as well as the important tools, crafts, clothing that were used. Not only is the influence of England stated in this work but that of Holland and other European powers of the time mentioned as well. This is a great book to get to understand what society and indvidual lives were like prior to the American Revolution. Overall a very interesting read!

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great source for colonial life!, May 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Everyday Life in Early America (Paperback)

One of my hobbies is recreating colonial life. I am a historical reenactor, and part of my passion for the hobby is recreating the lifestyle lived long ago as closely as possible. This book helped me immensely. I was able to understand how women especially passed their time and to pick up ways in which to create my character to her greatest potential. So many times while reading books about colonial Americans, women are virtually left out - I know they did something - but what was that something? This book helped me understand what their daily lives were all about.