Life+in+the+19th+Century-+Better+Now+or+Then?MS08


 * __ Children’s Work in the 19th Century __**

Example 1- Young girls had to weave by using their mother’s loom. Minerva Mayo mentions in her autobiography that she “…had been kept tied to my Mothers looms …” Now, the only sewing girls do is in sewing class or for fun, not because we have to. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=822__

Example 2- Some students enjoyed school. It was not only a time for reading and spelling, but a time to see friends. Now we think of it as a time for work and long hours of studying. Minerva Mayo also wrote about how she “began to be very fond of going to school.” http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=822__ Example 3- Some boys do work for other people to get a little extra money. Asa Sheldon worked for men named Mr. Flint and Mr. Tapley for some extra cash. He would clean cattle, help fill a load of manure, ride horse to plough, spread, turn and rake hay, hoe corn and potatoes, or drive oxen. Now, kids can mow lawns, rake leaves, or shovel snow to make money. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=68

Example 4- Young boys not only did labor for others but around their own houses too. Now, boys play video games and have fun rather than working in a field. Horace Greeley wrote about how he was put into labor at an early age. He had to frequently “ride horse to plough.” http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=96

**__ Preparing Food in the 19th Century __**

Example 1- People cooked over an open fireplace. There were no stoves or gas grills and anything like that that we have today. They used kettles and pots while we use pots, pans, trays, and many other things to cook in. Mary Livermore describes her kitchen in her autobiography. It was her favorite room in the house. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=26

Example 2- For Thanksgiving they gathered apples and made cider. They husked corn for the meal. Then the minister made a Thanksgiving proclamation. For dinner there was turkey and plum pudding. They ate with their family. The children sat at a separate table than the adults. Now, we also gather with our families and eat turkey and corn. Although in my family, everyone sits together and we don’t make the cider. We just buy our food from a store and cook it rather than husking corn or gathering apples. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=89

Example 3- They produced their own corn and potatoes. They also grow rye and oats to make bread. They didn’t just use the crops as their own food but sold some to get more money. Sometimes though, the weather was bad and crops didn’t grow well. Then the family had to struggle to stay alive. We don't have to worry about that because not everybody grows crops. Some people do but not as many as did back in the 19th century. Horace Greeley wrote about a time when it got cold early and the crops weren’t ready yet. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=96

Example 4- They husked their own corn and butchered there animals for meet. They butchered cattle for beef and before they did, they milk them to make milk and other dairy products. Horace Clark wrote about husking corn and butchering a hog (pig) and cow. Now, we just go down to the store and buy it already butchered. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=1160

**__ Conclusion __** ** Was life better in the 19th century or today? **

I think life is better now because we can just go to the store and buy food. We don’t have to worry about crops not growing when the weather is bad because we don’t grow our own crops. Also, I don’t have to do as much work as kids back in the 19th century. Girls had to cook, clean, and weave. Now, I only help set the table. If I want to I can help cook, clean, or rake leaves, but I don’t have to. And sometimes I get paid to. We have more technology and different responsibilities than people in the 19th century so I like the present better.