I've got a library book called Soldier of the American Revolution - it's got lots of photos. This part really surprised me:
"During the Revolution, American soldiers were the most literate soldiers in the world. At the beginning of the war, the army was almost entirely recruited in New England, where approximately 80 percent of adults could read as compared to less than 40 percent in England. The unusual practice of teaching reading to boys and girls from every level of society probably found its origins in Puritanism that promoted individual Bible study. "
I am amazed. It goes on to say "Reading and writing were taught separately, the former often without the latter. Of the people that could read printed material, only a small percentage could write and read cursive text. These were typically wealthy landowners, merchants, clerks, clergymen, or others whose occupations required correspondence or record keeping. An important part of penmanship consisted in mastering the art of carving goose or turkey quills."
Interesting; they could read but not necessarily write.
I'm knitting, too, using some wool I bought years ago for a pullover that didn't work out well. The wool wasn't suitable for the pattern so I undid it. Making another pullover but using a different pattern this time and all is well.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that writing wasn't taught at the same time as reading. I read somewhere that a new style of script became popular at the beginning of the 19th century in Britain which was less ornate (more like 'copper-plate') and ready-made quills could also be bought from stalls. This encouraged more people to learn to write as they learnt to read. I'm not sure if the same was true in the States.
Good for you, Clare, not giving up on the wool! I've never looked into what it took to make one's own quill pen, but they did it and wrote long letters, not to mention all the other stuff they had to do "from scratch".
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