Pioneer life spread across the vast wilderness in less than 3 centuries. The first landings from Europe were in Massachusetts and Virginia and continued pushing ever westward into the new frontier. All different people from all walks of life were pioneers. There were trappers, hunter, miners, frontier soldiers and the pioneer farmers. Some pioneers were adventurous and on the go while others carved themselves out farms and homes in the wilderness. No matter what kind of pioneer he or she was, they had to rely on themselves and the land to stay alive. It's amazing how ingenious these people were. They took advantage of the plentiful wild game and fruits, nuts, plants and trees growing in the wilderness. They built their homes and furniture by splitting trees. They tapped syrup from the trees in the spring to make maple syrup. Salt was obtained by boiling the water of saline springs.
Their way of life was filled with work and chores. The women crafted household goods such as pails and dippers out of the gourds that grew around them. They made soap from wood ash and molded candles from tallow. Clothes were made from wool and linen and animal skins that were tanned. They hunted for game, worked in the fields and split rails to make fences. They also had to take care of their livestock. The children worked just a hard as their parents. The girls mended clothes, baked, made soup and candles, pounded dried corn to make cornmeal and helped their mothers. The boys learned to fell timber and split wood for the fire. They hauled water from a nearby stream, hoed in the fields and helped their fathers with other chores. It was both the boy's and girl's responsibility to chase animals such as deer, squirrels and rabbits from the cornfield. Winter was hard on the pioneer family. In extremely cold weather they stayed in their cabins, sitting around the fire to keep warm. Food was monotonous since there were no fresh vegetables or fruits available. But the pioneers were a strong people and usually weathered the winter successfully.
Since there were no drug stores, the pioneers had to learn to make their own medicines. Herbs were used for healing many ailments. Boneset was used to lower a fever, and pennyroyal was used to purify the blood. Cherry root horseradish and witch hazel were made into syrups and salves, while a chest cold was helped by rubbing the chest with goose grease and then a mustard plaster was applied. Pioneer families were normally large, and usually there was always a young child in the family. They needed large families to help out on their homesteads. Neighbors were pretty much essential and were valued on the frontier. House- raising, log rolling, barn- raising and hunts were a community affair.When we look back at these rugged pioneer people, it's hard to believe that they survived! But they did, and they paved the way for future generations to form our land to become what it is today.
Would Americans today have what it takes to be pioneers?
Explain in 2 paragraphs.
Americans don't have what it takes to be a pioneer because we rely so much on technology and the resources around us that it would be almost impossible to survive for a long period of time. pioneers used whatever they could find and made the best out of it, Americans on the other hand usually have the things they need right in front of them. For example; if a pioneer were to make dinner for tonight they would have to hunt for the animal for meat, use their dirty hand made pots. and all Americans have to do is drive to the nearest food market, shop for what they need, come home and make dinner in their clean kitchen with working gas and electricity while the pioneers had to make their own fire. Another reason why Americans don't have what it takes to be a pioneer because Americans lack the knowledge to work with natural resources. the pioneers made and depended on everything hand made. unlike them, Americans are always relying on a quick way out, using technology and other advanced objects to make a living. traveling would become hard to do, there would be no entertainment, no communication other than your neighbors, and no media.
ReplyDeleteAs of right now, i dont think there is a single american in this intire nation that has what it takes to be a pioneer. one of my main points to why this is, is beacause americans are genuinely lazy. it is not by fault to us, but to the industrial revolution. the i.r. modernized basicaly everything, which made life esier. this made the people not have to hunt or gather or make clothes or anything like that which is what brought along our lazyness.
ReplyDeleteit would be different if we were stuck in a situation like that though, then it would be the human bodies natural response to adapt to that surrounding. thats y i think americans dont and do have what it takes to be pioneers.
I don't think Americans today could go through the hardships the pioneers had to go through. Today we have everything anyone could possibly think of from everything to easy made food, easy transportation, easy technology. For us if we needed to tell someone a emergency all we had to do was call them while the pioneers had to actually go there to tell them. If we needed to get somewhere all we need to do is take a quick transportation, while the pioneers had to go through hell to reach their destination. Some used their horses, and those who couldn't own horses had to walk those thousands of miles or acres of land. They had to make their own food houses and everything necessary to survive while today we can literally buy everything we need. Our hardships today are nothing compared to the hardships that the pioneers had to go through back then.
ReplyDeletePioneers were people who relied on resources from the land. They rarely needed help from anyone. They provided themselves with natural foods and tools. They had to make up their own medicines there were no drug stores for them to go and get any medication.
ReplyDeleteI think that Americans today would not have what it takes to be a pioneer because we are so used to easy life. Now a days we don't need to make our own homes, we have people do them for us also we don't really rely on natural resources as much as pioneers did such as building a fire we now have what is called stoves. There is always someone doing things for us which makes us not used to that lifestyle.
I think that Americans today wouldnt have what it takes to be a pioneer because they have everything handed to them easily.For example back in the days you had to hunt for food and pick from trees to have food for you and ur family.They also had to built their own houses and furnitures from trees but now you can just buy houses that are already built with the price you can afford.The children were much more about living the everday life and helping but now in days we have education to make us become something.Pionners were more experinced with life and knew how to do things like create own mediciens and live life stuggling to survive.
ReplyDeleteI think its possible that some americans today can be pioneers and some cant . My reasons are because today in the world theres so much technology that man no longer use their hands as they did during the pioneer age .
ReplyDeleteAlthough im sure there people today that have the mind state of pioneers and believe in using their hands may be able to live there lives as a pioneer today but other than that my opinion is no .
I believe that Americans today would not be able to become as successful as the pioneers were in what they did. First of all, we as Americans were raised in a completely different way of life than the pioneers. A lot of us aren't hard workers like they were. We also don't move around like nomads do. some of us are even too lazy to get up out of bed, let alone hunt for food and make our own medicine.
ReplyDeleteWe have our meats and fish processed for us while the pioneers had to hunt them as it was one of the very few foods that they had. We also wouldn't as tough as the pioneers were when winter comes around. We're simply just not hard workers like the pioneers.
Being a pioneer consisted on using your surroundings to make shelter, food, clothes, and other essentials. due to all the new technology in our era i believe that all trained Americans can be pioneers.
ReplyDeleteActually, we have scientist that are currently pioneering in space. looking for new land and new life just as the pioneers in the 19th century.
Americans today would not have what it takes to be pioneers.Just because the fact that Americans today are more advanced with their technologies and almost everything they do, they have to rely on technologies such as computers, microscope, ect. People today also have an easier way to get around places faster. We now had transportation like cars, trains buses planes and boats.Back then the pioneers had only wagons and horses.The pioneers had to go explore learn how to make their own medicine with whatever they could find, since they had no drug stores back then.Even the young childrens had to work as much as the adults did. The females had to mended clothes, baked, make soup and candles, pounded dried corn to make cornmeal and helped their mothers. The boys learned to fell timber and split wood for the fire. They hauled water from a nearby stream, hoed in the fields and helped their fathers with other chores.But they both had to hunt animals.Life today is much more advance and easier, people today wouldnt be able to handle being pioneers just because they are so used to living life where they can just go to stores and buy their food and medicines or just go to the doctors.
ReplyDeleteAmericans today would not have what it takes to be pioneers.because american have alots technologies are better than theirs. today we can do things alot faster and go to a place faster too. because now day we got train, bus, and subway. and back to the days the pioneers they are riding on the horses.the pioneers need to look for thing that they found so they can make things they need.
ReplyDelete