Promotional Information

This two-volume set brings to life the daily thoughts and routines of men and women—rich and poor, of various cultures, religions, races, and beliefs—during a time of great political, social, economic, and legal turmoil.

Table of Contents

VOLUME 1 Preface, Acknowledgments, Introduction, Chronology, Arts, Introduction, Almanacs, Books, Broadsides, Copley, John Singleton (1738–1820), Decorative Objects and Furniture, Diaries, Epistolary Novels, Intellectual Life, Journals and Magazines, Letter Writing, Literature, Music, Newspapers, Oratory, Paine, Thomas (1737–1809), Peale, Charles Willson (1741–1827), Poetry, Political Pamphlets, Portraiture, Revere, Paul (1734–1818), Samplers, Seduction Novels, Warren, Mercy Otis (1728–1814), Wheatley, Phillis (ca. 1753–1784), Wright, Patience Lovell (1725–1786), Economics and Work, Introduction, Agriculture in the North, Agriculture in the South, Animal Husbandry, Apprentices, Artisans, Barter System, Boycotts, Camp Followers, Convict Transportation, Currency, Debt, Disabled Veterans, First Bank of the United States (1791–1811), Franklin, Jane (1712–1794), Fur Trade, Immigration, Indentured Servants, Indigo, Markets, Merchants, Missionaries, Printers, Prostitution, Rural Domestic Economy, Slave Labor, Slavery and Disability, Veterans, Family and Gender, Introduction, Breastfeeding, Celibacy, Childbirth, Childhood, Courtship, Courtship and Marriage in Slavery, Death, Desertion, of Spouses, Divorce, Education, Fatherhood, Friendship, Homosexuality, Illegitimacy, Infanticide, Intermarriage, Kinship Ties, Marriage, Masculinity, Motherhood, Native American Gender Roles, Old Age, Orphans, Pets, Sexuality, Single Women, Widows, Fashion and Appearance, Introduction, Accessories, Cleanliness, Clothing Trades, Cross-Dressing, Fabric, Fashion, Status, and Politics, Footwear, Hair, Hats, Homespun, Infant and Children's Clothing, Jewelry, Laundry, Linen, Men's Clothing, Mourning Fashion, Native American Clothing and Appearance, Nudity, Scent, Slaves' Clothing, Soldiers' Clothing, Stays, Textiles, Underwear and Outerwear, Wigs, Women's Clothing, Food and Drink, Introduction, Beer and Ale, Bread, Chocolate and Coffee, Cookbooks, Cooking Techniques, Cooks, Corn, Dairies and Dairying, Fish and Shellfish, Food Preservation, Food Shortages, Foodways of the Mid-Atlantic, Foodways of the North, South, and Frontier, Hunting, Kitchens, Medicinal Food, Puddings, Regional Foodways, Rice, Rum, Salt, Soldiers' Fare, Sugar, Tea, Wheat, Whiskey, Wine, Housing and Community, Introduction, Almshouses, Architecture, Churches, Colleges, Courts and Courthouses, Crime, Farm Houses, Forts, Frontier Houses, Frontier Life, Gardens, Inns, Living Spaces, Longhouses, Meetinghouses, Plantations, Plundering, Prisons, Privies, Quartering of Soldiers, Rape and Sexual Assault, Regional Housing Styles, Slave Housing, Synagogues, Urban Areas, Urban Life, VOLUME 2 Contents, Politics and Warfare, Introduction, African American Soldiers and Sailors, Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770), Camp Life, Citizenship, Constitutional Convention (1787), Continental Congress, Desertion, Emancipation of Slaves, Free Blacks, Political and Legal, Hessians, Loyalists, Military Training, Militias, Mobs, Native American Wars, Occupied Cities, Pacifists, Patriots, Political Protests, Prisoners of War, Refugees, Republicanism, Shays's Rebellion (1786–1787), Soldiers, Spies and Espionage, Tar and Feathering, Whiskey Rebellion (1794), Women's Involvement in the War, Recreation and Social Customs, Introduction, Barbecues, Brothels, Bundling, Burial Practices and Cemeteries, Community Work and Diversions, Dances and Balls, Duels, Etiquette, Fight Sports, Free Black Community/Customs, Freemasonry, Gambling, Games and Sports, Gossip and Reputation, Holidays, Hunting, for Sport, Libraries, The Meschianza (1778), Parades and Street Festivals, Reading, Rites of Passage, Slaves, "Free Time" Activities, Taverns, Theater, Tobacco, Religion, Introduction, African and African American Religion, Afterlife, Anglicanism, Baptists, Bible, Catholicism, Clergy, Congregationalism, Deism, Dreams and Visions, Fast Days, German Pietists, Itinerant Preachers, Judaism, Lutheranism, Methodism, Native American Religion, Presbyterianism, Quakers, Religious Persecution, Revivals, Rituals, Sermons, Shakers, Unitarianism, Unorthodox Beliefs and Practices, Women's Role in Religion, Science and Technology, Introduction, Abortion, Agricultural Innovation, American Philosophical Society, Artillery, Botany, Clocks and Timepieces, Contraception, Epidemics, Ferries, Firearms, Firefighting, Fires, Franklin, Benjamin (1706–1790), Household Technology, Inoculation, Lighting, Maps and Mapmakers, Medical Technology, Medical Training, Medicine and Medical Practices, Menstruation, Mental Illness, Mills, Shipbuilding, Ships, Transport and Transportation, Wagons and Wagon Roads, Primary Documents, Arts, Excerpt from Jonathan Richardson's An Essay on the Theory of Painting (1725), Epitaphs from Headstones in Groton, Massachusetts (1764–1780), Newspaper Advertisements by Dancing Masters (1774, 1775, 1784), Phillis Wheatley Expresses Admiration for George Washington in a Poem (1775, 1776), Excerpt from Thomas Paine's Pamphlet Common Sense (1776), "Yankee Doodle" (1794), Economics and Work, "A Merchant" Criticizes Those Who Stir Up Disorder in New York (1770), Riot in Falmouth, Massachusetts (now Portland, Maine) (1771), "Brutus" Argues for a Role in Government for Artisans and Laborers (1774), Petition of Mary Katherine Goddard of Baltimore for Restoration to Her Position of Postmaster (1790), Family and Gender, Letters of John and Abigail Adams (1774), A Pennsylvania Wife Petitions for Maintenance (1775), Letter of General William Campbell to His New Wife Elizabeth (1776), Mary Almy's Account of the Siege of Newport, Rhode Island (1778), Letters of a Southern Woman and Her Family during the American Revolution (1780), Sarah Osborn's Deposition Claiming a Revolutionary War Pension (1837), Fashion and Appearance, Excerpt from the Anonymous Essay on the Means of Promoting Federal Sentiments in the United States, by a Foreign Spectator (1787), Excerpts from Elizabeth Fuller's Diary (1790, 1791), Food and Drink, An Account of Salt Riots in Virginia and Recipes for Making Salt (1775), Excerpts from the Diary of Surgeon Albigence Waldo Discussing the Lack of Provisions at Valley Forge (1777–1778), The First American Cookbook: Excerpts from American Cookery by Amelia Simmons (1796), Samuel Downing's Memories of Foraging during the American Revolution (1864), Housing and Community, Excerpts from the Diary of a British Officer Describing Boston (1774–1775), Robert Morris's Letter to George Washington Providing a Detailed Description of Morris's Ice House (1784), Records of a Philadelphia Almshouse (1800–1801), Politics and Warfare, Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (1774), Lord Dunmore's Proclamation Freeing Some Slaves (1775), Declaration of Independence (1776), A Massachusetts Slave Petitions for Freedom (1777), Account of a Massacre in the Wyoming Settlement of Pennsylvania (1778), James Madison's Record of Events at the Constitutional Convention (September 17, 1787), Letter of John Adams Giving an Account of Thomas Jefferson's Writing of the Declaration of Independence (1822), Recreation and Social Customs, A French Officer Comments on American Life in His Travel Diary (1780s), Excerpt from Eleazer Moody's School of Good Manners (1790), Religion, American Anglican Priests Write to the Bishop of London Concerning the Political Discord between the Colonists and the Crown (1775), Diary Account of Quaker Widow Margaret Hill Morris Describing Her Hiding of a Tory (1776), Letter to George Washington from the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, and Washington's Reply (1790), Science and Technology, Smallpox: Restrictions, Spread, and Inoculations (1775, 1777, 1781), Account of the First Hot-Air Balloon Flight in America (1793), Letters of Dr. Benjamin Rush to His Wife Julia during the Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic (1793), Account of Absalom Jones and Richard Allen Defending the Actions of African Americans during the Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic (1794), Selected Bibliography and Resources, Editor and Contributors, Index,

About the Author

Merril D. Smith, PhD, is an independent scholar. Her published work includes ABC-CLIO's History of American Cooking.

Reviews

This set is a valuable addition to any library, and it offers readers an important historical understanding of the everyday lives of people who lived before, during, and after the American Revolution.
*Booklist*

This resource provides helpful preliminary information and is recommended for beginning students of U.S. history. Recommended. Community college and beginning undergraduate students; general readers.
*Choice*