In 1620, the Pilgrims land near present-day Plymouth, Mass. Fleeing from Europe due to religious persecution, the Pilgrims seek to build a new community and freely worship God in North America.
Though the landing in Massachusetts is somewhat accidental, the early colonists work hard to make a home at Plymouth Plantation, the name of the new settlement. It is a primitive world by modern standards, and one that requires backbreaking work from dawn to dusk.
People in the 21st century will have a hard time imagining what the colony might have looked like, and how the Pilgrims lived. This interesting book helps contemporary readers by describing the modern day reconstruction of Plymouth Plantation. All the homes, buildings and inhabitants photographed in the text closely resemble the early town and settlers.
The main character in the book is based on the life of Sarah Morton, an actual resident of the original 1620 community. She is played by a young girl acting out Sarah’s life as a 17th century Pilgrim. Dressed in clothing from the period, and speaking in the language of early New England, the current-day "Sarah" leads readers through the daily life, work and routine of the colony.
Rising at sunup, Sarah begins to get dressed. Over her night smock, she first puts on a petticoat. Then she pulls on her stockings and ties garters around the top of the stockings to keep them from falling. Next, Sarah puts on two more petticoats, a waistcoat, and a coif (cap) for her hair. Not yet finished, the young girl next ties her apron around the three petticoats. Finally, she attaches a pocket (a sack for holding things) to her apron, and then finishes dressing by tying her shoes.
Rolling up her bedding, the girl proceeds to the barn to begin milking the goats. After milking, and helping her mother make breakfast, Sarah industriously turns over the mulch in the garden to improve the soil for next year’s planting. By 10 a.m., both mother and daughter are busy churning butter and pounding spices. Time can’t be wasted because before noon, corn bread must be baked, a goose cooked and the table set for dinner.
Knowing that the idle mind is the devil’s workshop, Sarah and other Pilgrim children continue to polish pots, work at the plantation, and study the alphabet throughout the afternoon. Amazingly, Sarah’s father has insisted that the young girl learn to read. Because of this, Sarah carefully traces the letters of the alphabet on a slate, and begins dreaming of the day when she can read a letter from their relatives in England.
But we have only reached mid-afternoon. What else does Sarah do during the rest of the day? What games does she play? How long does it take Sarah to prepare for bed? Given the grinding amount of work required each day, do the Pilgrims seem to be enjoying their lives? Would you like to be a Pilgrim? Would you like to live in 17th century Massachusetts? To find out, go to the library and check out this appealing book, "Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl" by Kate Waters.
This book will be of high interest to students in grades 2-4. The amount of work Sarah does each day will flabbergast modern day children. The period clothing and 17th century English will draw students into the book.
One thing that will surprise modern children is the lack of complaining by Pilgrim youngsters. These hardy souls expected to work from sunup to sundown. The modern-day concept of leisure would be as foreign to them as a Roman war galley would be to us.
Waters has written a fine account of Plymouth Plantation and the photographs give readers a glimpse into life as it might have existed in 17th century Massachusetts. I hope you encourage your family members to read this excellent account of colonial life. Enjoy!
