LA 1201 Chapter : Mid11
Document Summary
Snapshot of what life was like in 1500 : life was much harder because it was much colder. Little (mini) ice age lasted from 1300 to 1850. New york harbor froze solid for 6 weeks. Harvest were poor, people were weak and life was hard. It meant that the growing season was dramatically shorter. First freeze in early september, therefor much less food to go around. Rivers froze solid, mississippi frozen solid from minnesota to missouri. Avg life span was 40 year for male and female was 35 years because of child birth. Half of all children died before the age of 5. Not much food to go around so the animals were smaller. Small animals produce small amounts of fertilizer for crops. Most people had nothing but bread to eat. Kept animals inside the house to keep warm. About 80% of all people in 1500 were peasants (small farmers), most of them did not own the land they farmed.
