| Next year, when I finally get to attend the teacher institute at Colonial Williamsburg (postponed due to the COVID-19 issues), I will have the opportunity to step into the locations of 18th century people. On one day of the event, I will cross the threshold into the Benjamin Powell House to contrast ways of life. This will not be a gentry-level household, but more of a middle-class sort of place. Daily Life in a Middling Sort Home Only a history buff would get excited about making beds, setting the table, and dancing in the manner of 18th century folks. |  |
Wait a minute! Did that say "learning to dance"?
Stop laughing! That's one of the reasons I enjoy attending institutes like this one: not to learn to dance per se, but to do things I would not normally do, things outside of my regular wheelhouse. Stay tuned to hear how this part turns out.
In the meantime, dancing is only a portion of the items on this day's schedule. There is also a moment of exploration and discovery.
Stop laughing! That's one of the reasons I enjoy attending institutes like this one: not to learn to dance per se, but to do things I would not normally do, things outside of my regular wheelhouse. Stay tuned to hear how this part turns out.
In the meantime, dancing is only a portion of the items on this day's schedule. There is also a moment of exploration and discovery.
Exploration in the Historic Area
Suggested sites to visit: Weaver, Shoemaker, Geddy Foundry, Milliner, Wigmaker, Bindery, Brickyard, Cabinetmaker, Tin shop & blacksmith, Tailor, Joinery, Everard House.
Finally, here is a moment in which I will get a shot at looking at the real stuff - artifacts and documents from the 18th century.
People & Pockets of the Past Classroom
Examine the daily lives of eighteenth-century Virginians—from gentry and middling sorts to servants and slaves— using a variety of primary sources and artifacts. Discover how these individuals contributed to our continuing American debate.
There are all kinds of stories in the colonial history of the United States. Some of those stories are a part of a national legacy, and some of the stories reveal a world of multiple socio-economic backgrounds and normal, day-to-day life. I want to dig into some of the lifestyles of the past in order to better understand the mindset of the everyday person. I want to find what makes a person change from English subject to U.S. citizen.
For more, find my Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute page.
