American colonial life in the New England colonies focussed on town life and people worked in industries like ship building - refer to Colonial Trades and Occupations. American Colonial Life revolved around the various occupations and this is how people made a living. But what about the daily activities of the colonists? What was Daily American Colonial life really like? The following fact file provides a fast insight into many day to day elements of Colonial Life.

Fact 1: Colonial Education: The education of girls was practically non-existent - they were taught household skills related to running the house or farm and raising the children. Wealthy boys were tutored at home. Other boys attended a Dame School up to the age of five then went on the Elementary or Grammar schools until they were 14 years old. Wealthy boys were sent to colleges or universities.

Fact 2: Colonial Women: The lives of women were dictated by their status. Wealthy women had servants and slaves and directed the work.

Fact 3: Rights: Women could not vote. Men of the wealthy upper class could vote and hold public office. Men of the middle class could also vote but few held public office. Men of the lower classes could not vote and most were illiterate. Indentured servants and slaves did not have the right to vote.

Fact 4: Marriage: Women were be married by the time they were 20 years old. Men married at a similar age. Widows and widowers married quickly, usually within a year.

Fact 5: Divorce: Divorce was practically unknown as Colonial America was essentially a divorce-free society

Fact 6: Children: Women bore large numbers of children. Eight children was normal but as the child mortality rate was extremely high up to five of the children would have died before they reached maturity.

Fact 7: Colonial Clothing: The types of clothes worn by colonists depended on wealth and religion. The upper classes wore fine materials, dress and ornaments. Puritans wore the simplest types of clothing. Poor people wore cheap 'homespun' garments

Fact 8: Medicine: Most doctors and physicians were poorly trained and not highly esteemed. When a physician was not available, a barber was often called to tend the sick

Fact 9: Diseases: There were no cures for deadly diseases such as typhoid, cholera, yellow fever, smallpox, measles, whooping cough and influenza.

Fact 10: Cures for Diseases - Powdered dried toad was used to treat smallpox which afflicted one out of five people in the great epidemics

Fact 11: Colonial Houses: The type of houses ranged from log cabins, farmhouses, town houses to great colonial mansions.

Fact 12: Colonial Society: Male dominated society where women were subservient to the men

Fact 13: Rights: Women could not vote. Men of the wealthy upper class could vote and hold public office. Men of the middle class could also vote but few held public office. Men of the lower classes could not vote and most were illiterate. Indentured servants and slaves did not have the right to vote.

Fact 14: Indentured Servants: Indentured Servants were not paid any wages for the term of the contract (5 - 7 years), they could not vote, buy or sell anything, they were not allowed to marry or to leave their houses or travel without permission

Fact 15: Entrepreneurs: Commercial ventures and land speculation were the surest ways to gain wealth quickly

Fact 16: Transportation: There were very few roads, people travelled along dirt tracks. The preferred way to travel was along the coast or by rivers and waterways

Fact 17: Mail: An inter-colonial postal system was established in the 1750's

Fact 18: Newspapers: There were about 40 one-sheet newspapers in the 1700's that were supplemented by pamphlets, leaflets, and journals

Fact 19: Colonial Government: The 13 colonial governments took a variety of forms by 1775. 8 colonies had royal governors, who were appointed by the king, 2 colonies were under proprietors who themselves chose the governors, 1 colony was self-governing and elected their own governor

Fact 20: Colonial Food: Food in Colonial America was plentiful and included a lot of meat, although the diet could be coarse and monotonous

Fact 21: Heating and Plumbing: Heating was basic via a fireplace and houses were drafty. There was no plumbing or running water.

Fact 22: Leisure: Men enjoyed themselves with card playing, horse racing, cockfighting, and fox hunting. Women occupied themselves with useful indoor activities including sewing, quilting and embroidery. Dancing was seen as a joint leisure activity

Fact 23: Colonial Religion: The American colonies adhered to all denominations of the Christian religion and many people were expected to say daily prayers and always attend church on Sundays. Rich people sat at the front and poor people sat in the back benches.