Food in Colonial Times

The colonists could not go to a local store to buy food. Most families had cows, ducks, chickens, a garden of vegetables, and a fruit orchard. Everyone helped, including the young children.

Puritan parents raised their children very strictly. They were expected to follow the Ten Commandments and other religious rules, as well as the laws of the colony. Children had to work, and they were punished when they disobeyed. Puritan parents believed that children were “full of sin, as full as a toad is of poison,” and it was the parents’ responsibility to get rid of this sin by disciplining them. Children were well-loved, but might be beaten for being disrespectful or lazy, or for running and jumping on the Sabbath.