Daily Life in British North America

This particular section of the text discusses what daily life was like at the time (1800s).

Read aloud the introduction to the Voices feature on page 94.

Notice the difference in the language used. Remember that language usage changes over time. Some of the words in Louisa’s diary might be unfamiliar to you or used in unfamiliar ways. For example, the word employed in the 28 August entry is used in an unfamiliar way.

Also, the diary is presented here just as it was written. It includes the errors of spelling, punctuation, and grammar that Louisa originally made. This is the usual way to reproduce primary sources.

Read page 95.

Answer the following questions:

1)  Which of the events and concerns that Louisa describes would be similar for a young woman today?

2)  Which of the events and concerns that Louisa describes would be different for a young woman today?

3)  In what ways might a young man’s life have been different?

4)  What would you have liked about living in the mid-1850s? What would you have missed about your life today? Explain.

Fill out the chart below as you read pages 90-97. The first one has been done for you.

After you complete the chart, read the information below the chart.

TOPIC / URBAN / RURAL / BOTH
Homes / Elegant houses / Log cabins, wigwams and other Aboriginals’ homes / Simple houses
Transportation
Health Care
Education
Pastimes
Family Life (Louisa Collins’ diary)
Kinds of Work

What generalizations can we make about life in BNA from the information we have seen so far?

·  Where you lived and what your economic status was made some difference in your opportunities for housing, transportation, health care, education, and pastimes.

·  Some aspects of life were the same no matter where you lived. For example, skating was a popular pastime for both urban and rural families; health care, even when you had access to a doctor, was quite basic.

Write two generalizations of your own about life in BNA:

·  It seems to me that life in BNA was…

·  It seems to me that life in BNA was…

For your glossary: urban, rural, epidemic, publicly funded, work bees