A Day No Pigs Would Die

Historical Connections

Book BackgroundA Day No Pigs Would Die is Robert Newton Peck’s semi-autobiographical tale of a boy's struggle with adolescence and the responsibility of manhood. Peck was born on February 17, 1928, the youngest of seven children, in rural Vermont. Peck's parents, Haven Peck, and Lucile Peck, were farmers and members of the Shaker church. They were illiterate, but they taught Peck the Shaker Way, emphasizing the value of hard work, and the value of education.

SettingO Who: ShakersO When: 1920s-30sO Where: Rural VermontO What (Context): Fundamental

Religion

Who: ShakersO Also known as the United Society of

Believers in Christ’s Second AppearingO A religious sect O Shakers today are mostly known for

their cultural contributions O style of music and furnitureO their model of equality of the sexes,

which they made permanent in the 1780s

When: 1920s-30sO World War I had just endedO The Great Depression starts (1930s)O More people were living in cities

O industryO automobiles

Where: Rural VermontO What does rural mean? Suburban?

Urban?O Are the cities nearby RMJH rural?O Where is Vermont?

Urban vs. Rural

Map of the United States

Context: What was Happening

O The fundamentalist revival: Fundamentalist Protestants felt their beliefs challenged in the 1920s.

O Secular culture seemed to have little place for religion, and church attendance was down.

O Result: some people in the 20s tried to defend traditional religion by emphasizing a literal interpretation of the Bible.

1920s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRveIIe4uAs&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

Two sides of the 1920s

https://video.weber.k12.ut.us/vportal/VideoPlayer.jsp?ccsid=024666BE64C3F96942AE22619CC26F77:3#

1930s= poverty everywhere