13 Colonies Gunsmith

Gunsmiths were Essential in Colonial America

Being a gunsmith in colonial America required several specialized skills in working with metal and wood. Apprenticeships for learning the trade could take up to seven years. Colonial gunsmiths mainly repaired guns, axes, and other metal tools because most firearms were imported from England because they were cheaper. In England, gunsmiths specialized in making one or two parts such as the barrel (the long tube through which the bullet passes), stock (the wooden part of the gun that serves as the grip and holds the firing mechanisms), or firelock (the firing mechanism). This kept production high and costs low and also marked the infancy stage of what came to be known as the assembly line system of production. In colonial America and England, most of the guns in existence were flintlocks. A flintlock was a piece of flint set in a moveable cock. When the trigger was pulled, the cock fell causing the flint to strike a piece of steel, creating sparks. The sparks would come in contact with the gunpowder which would ignite the main charge in the barrel. Guns were more important in colonial America than they are today in America. Colonists needed guns to hunt for their food, and if necessary, protect themselves from Native Americans (in frontier lands).

13 Colonies Artisans and Trades Articles and Activities

• 13 Colonies Artisans and Trades Printable Scavenger Hunt
• 13 Colonies Artisans and Trade Interactive Scavenger Hunt
• Life as a Blacksmith Reading Passage and Critical Thinking Multiple Choice Questions (Printable)
• Life as a Blacksmith Reading Passage and Critical Thinking Multiple Choice Questions (Interactive with Immediate Feedback and Score Report)
• Life as a Blacksmith Cloze Reading (Interactive with Immediate Feedback)
• Life as a Blacksmith Cloze Reading (Printable)
• Life as a Blacksmith Sentence Puzzles - Re-arrange the words and punctuation to form actual sentences. This program gives immediate feedback!
• Life as a Blacksmith Sentence Surgeons - Find and correct the bad spelling, grammar, and punctuation in the sentences. This program gives immediate feedback!
• 13 Colonies Trades Word Search
• 13 Colonies Trades Correct-me Paragraph - Identify and correct the incorrect facts in the paragraph. Very fun! This program gives immediate feedback!
• Ben Franklin and Colonial Printing Video

13 Colonies Artisans and Trades

• Apothecary
• Blacksmith
• Brickmaker
• Candlemaker
• Cobbler
• Cooper
• General Store Keeper
• Gunsmith
• Hatter
• Milliner
• Printer
• Religion in the 13 Colonies
• Saddlemaker
• Silversmith
• Tavern Keeper
• Wheelwright
• Wigmaker