Part 1 Vocabulary Activity 
Wednesday, April 09, 2014
8:34 PM
Vocabulary Words and Definitions 
Vocab Word 
Definition 
Picture (if possible) 
Example 
Apprentice 
An apprentice is somebody who is being trained by a skilled professional in an art, a craft, or a trade. 
Master
A master craftsman is someone at the highest level of skill in a trade. In colonial trades, this person was most often the owner of the business.  
Patriot 
Patriot is a proud supporter of the American cause: This meant freedom from what were considered unfair British laws.
Contract 
A contract is a formal, usually legal agreement.  It can also be a more general term for an indenture, a work agreement with strict terms, usually lasting seven to ten years.  
Merchant 
A merchant is someone who buys and sells goods, especially in large quantities. 
Redcoat
“Redcoat” was a nickname for a British soldier serving in America, so named because of the color of the coat he wore.  
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled craftsperson, who makes tools, decorative objects, books, or clothing by hand.
Journeyman
A journeyman is an artisan who has completed an apprenticeship and is fully trained and qualified, but who still works for an employer or master craftsman.
Slave
A slave is somebody who is forced to work for somebody else.  Since this person was regarded as property, he or she received no payment for their work
Freedman
A freedman is a person who has been freed from slavery.  
Slavery
Slavery is a system based on using enforced labor and regarding those laborers as property.  
Printer
A person who presses type and ink onto paper. In colonial shops this person often wrote, edited, and published newspapers and pamphlets.  
French & Indian War 
This was a bloody costly war (1756-1763) between England and France.  Part of the war was fought in North America, where both countries claimed land. 
Now practice the vocab words with the PowerPoint on Mr. Button's Website.  
Vocabulary Activity 
Activity: After reading and talking about the words or terms, read this letter Nat Wheeler sent to his parents back in Uxbridge after his first day in Boston. Use the cards and your memory to help you fill in the missing words and terms.
slavery
freedman
slave
artisan
journeyman
redcoat
merchant
apprentice
master
patriot
contract
printer
Seven Year’s War
My dear Mother and Father,
I thank you for signing the __________________ with Mr.  Edes.   While he does not strike me as the kindest of men, so far he has been a very fair __________________ to me, and I hope he will decide to take me on here as his __________________.   
Of course, I understand that there wasn’t much future for me in Uxbridge.   Even though Christopher went off to fight in the __________________ against the French, Samuel will stay on with you, and so it makes good sense for me to he here in Boston learning a trade rather than to have remained at home.   Perhaps I will someday become a _______________ printer at Mr. Edes’s shop, and when you come to visit me, I will announce it in the newspaper.  Maybe some day, I will have a shop of my own and be a ______________!
Boston is a rather puzzling place compared to Uxbridge.  You know, Mother and Father, many of the citizens of Boston look unfavorably on the British soldiers here.  They call them ______________ or lobsters!  
On my first day, I was to sell some advertisements for the newspaper.   I wandered up and down the streets, which are filled with the shops of various _________________, cabinetmakers, blacksmiths, chandlers, coopers, potters, leathersmiths and more.  It’s a busier and more interesting city than ever I imagined.  I met a girl who had lost her dog, Thimble.   I told her I worked for the ________________ and that she might take out an ad announcing that fact.   She said she would.   At the harbor, I met yet another man, named Solomon.  He was a black man, but he was a _______________ and not a ______________.   He seemed as good a man as any white man I have ever met.  Yet there might be an advertisement for a runaway dog next to one for a runaway slave!  I don’t really understand __________________, truth be told.  A person is not a horse or a table.  How can good people presume to own another person?  
I met a ___________________ named Paul Revere who made no secret that he opposes Americans importing goods from England.   And then I met yet another man, a ______________ named Mr. Lillie, who feels importation of goods from England is a normal and necessary part of trade.    
There is a lot to do, and a lot to think about.  I will write you often about my progress.  I pray you and Samuel are well.
Your grateful and loving son,
Nat