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Quilting - Piecing Together a Nation

Patty Gilbert

Presentation developed as part of the Adventure of the American Mind project funded through the Library of Congress.

Unit Goals

To identify aspects of everyday life in a pioneer home during the late 1800s

To bring the American Memory Collection into the class room

To introduce high school sophomores to aspects of US History

To encourage the use of technology in all areas of learning

Westward,
Ho!

Homestead Act of 1862

Offered anyone who met the requirements 160 acres of land!!

Gave people hope of owning a home and land, riches and a better way of life for their families

Life on the Prairie

Pioneers’ basic necessities did not come without a struggle

Water had to be hauled in buckets or collected in a cistern when it rained

Well-digging dangerous and difficult

Tough prairie sod difficult and backbreaking to plow

Prairie Home Life

Women had to make many articles that the family needed – clothing, soap, candles and preserved food

Quilts for warmth were made by and from scraps and bits of worn clothing

New Technology Improved Lives

In 1870’s new inventions made life easier:

Plows to plow several rows at once

Harrows to break up group before planting

1875: Steam powered threshers

1890’s: cornhuskers & cornbinders

Era of Tremendous Growth in New
Inventions

1860 – 1890 500,000 Patents Issued

Typewriters

Sewing machines

Phonographs

Leaving Home Behind

One of the most difficult hardships was leaving behind family and loved ones

No assurance they would ever see them again

New communication advances diminished fears of isolation

Transcontinental Railway – May 10, 1869

Connected coast to coast

Reduced costs of shipped goods

Trains still noisy, uncomfortable and unsafe for travelers

Train Schedules

No standard time – caused much confusion

Each town set time according to the sun

Difficult to schedule trains

Four new “time zones” for nation to aid scheduling

Power Stations

In 1890 new power stations provided electricity for lighting, fans, printing presses and many other newly invented appliances

Quilting, a Way of Life

Techniques passed down from mother to daughter

Quilting was a form of recreation and necessity

Quilting Bees were social events for the women

Men had to do for themselves while the women were at the Quilting Bee

Quilts were judged at the local fairs

Quilts Were Functional and Beautiful

Quilts were used for warmth and comfort

Quilts were used to decorate the homes

A Final Word

Original photos, graphics, and documents come from the American Memory Collection of the Library of Congress

Prepared as a part of the Adventures of the American Mind Project through the Library of Congress at Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina


	Patty Gilbert
	Presentation developed as part of the Adventure of the American Mind project funded through the Library of Congress.


	To identify aspects of everyday life in a pioneer home during the late 1800s
	To bring the American Memory Collection into the class room
	To introduce high school sophomores to aspects of US History
	To encourage the use of technology in all areas of learning


	Homestead Act of 1862
	Offered anyone who met the requirements 160 acres of land!!
	Gave people hope of owning a home and land, riches and a better way of life for their families


	Pioneers’ basic necessities did not come without a struggle
	Water had to be hauled in buckets or collected in a cistern when it rained
	Well-digging dangerous and difficult
	Tough prairie sod difficult and backbreaking to plow



	Women had to make many articles that the family needed – clothing, soap, candles and preserved food
	Quilts for warmth were made by and from scraps and bits of worn clothing


	In 1870’s new inventions made life easier:
	Plows to plow several rows at once
	Harrows to break up group before planting
	1875: Steam powered threshers
	1890’s: cornhuskers & cornbinders


	1860 – 1890 500,000 Patents Issued
		Typewriters
		Sewing machines
		Phonographs


	One of the most difficult hardships was leaving behind family and loved ones
	No assurance they would ever see them again
	New communication advances diminished fears of isolation


	Connected coast to coast
	Reduced costs of shipped goods
	Trains still noisy, uncomfortable and unsafe for travelers


	No standard time – caused much confusion
	Each town set time according to the sun
	Difficult to schedule trains
	Four new “time zones” for nation to aid scheduling


	In 1890 new power stations provided electricity for lighting, fans, printing presses and many other newly invented appliances


	Techniques passed down from mother to daughter
	Quilting was a form of recreation and necessity
	Quilting Bees were social events for the women
	Men had to do for themselves while the women were at the Quilting Bee
	Quilts were judged at the local fairs



	Quilts were used for warmth and comfort
	Quilts were used to decorate the homes


	Original photos, graphics, and documents come from the American Memory Collection of the Library of Congress
	Prepared as a part of the Adventures of the American Mind Project through the Library of Congress at Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina