Quilting - Piecing Together a Quilting - Piecing Together a NationNation

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

Unit GoalsUnit 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, Westward, Ho!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 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 LifePrairie 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 Family in front of cabin

New Technology Improved LivesNew 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

Diagram of Telegraph

Era of Tremendous Growth in NewEra of Tremendous Growth in NewInventionsInventions

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

The Singer Sewing Machine

Leaving Home BehindLeaving 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 Local Post Office

Transcontinental RailwayTranscontinental Railway – – MMay 10, 1869ay 10, 1869

Connected coast to coast

Reduced costs of shipped goods

Trains still noisy, uncomfortable and unsafe for travelers

TRAIN DEPOT

Train SchedulesTrain 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

Time Schedule

Power Stations Power Stations

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

Street Lights

Quilting, a Way of LifeQuilting, 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

Quilting Bees

State Fair

Quilts Were Functional and Quilts Were Functional and BeautifulBeautiful

Quilts were used for warmth and comfort

Quilts were used to decorate the homes

A Final WordA 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