Overview
Seeking, and finding, a job or career is a top priority for many teens and young adults in today’s world. In this respect, the young people of the 18th century were no different, although their options were more limited and the paths they chose were often set at a very young age. With formal schooling at colleges and academies usually available only to the wealthy or middle classes, many children as young as 12 years of age were expected to pursue a professional apprenticeship with an established tradesman or craftsman. Questions about how they made these choices, the consequences of those choices, and about the multifaceted relationships among apprentices and masters will be addressed in the following sources and exercises. This lesson asks students to use primary and secondary sources as well as draw upon their own experiences and opinions to explore the specialized role of apprentices in Franklin’s time.
Essential Questions
- What was the significance of acquiring an apprenticeship, and how were individual trades valued by potential apprentices?
- To what extent were apprenticeships negotiated between parent/guardian, child, and master?
- What role did the child play in the final decision about placement with a master?
- What did the apprentice hope to gain from the relationship? The master? The parent?
- To what extent were those expectations/hopes achieved? What happened when one of the parties was dissatisfied with the relationship?
Secondary Sources
Primary Sources
Activities and Procedure
Activity One
(1) Teachers may begin by providing students with basic background information regarding apprenticeships in the 18th century. They can opt to give a brief lecture drawing from the Susan Klepp’s article in this issue of Legacies, allow students to read the article during class time, or assign the article as reading homework. See note below for ideas to highlight if lecturing.
(2) Download and photocopy the apprentice indentures and the indenture transcriptions. Divide students into small groups, and distribute photocopies to the students for them to read. Alternatively, students and teacher can read them as a class, working together to interpret the 18th-century handwriting.
(3) Begin class discussion by asking the students to brainstorm, identifying at least four characteristics of 18th-century apprenticeships. Write their suggestions on the board.
Note: These should include some of the following (a) often begin at a young age (b) involve the learning of a craft or trade and the potential establishment of a career (c) are usually in the form of a contract (indenture) between apprentice and master, with a set time to serve (d) can be very restrictive and limiting for the apprentice (e) usually include master’s responsibility of room and board and sometimes even schooling and clothing for the apprentice (f) master acquires “free” labor for set period of time.
(4) Continue class discussion by asking students to think about the parallels between the life of an apprentice and their own lives. Ask questions about work, home life, and relationships with parents, teachers, and employers. Teachers may download, photocopy, and distribute the following list of queries to facilitate this discussion.
Note: Alternatively, this can be given as a writing assignment of several hundred words by asking students to address two or three of the following queries: (a) To what extent are students today expected to know what their career will be before they are 16 years old? (b) How has the role of parents changed regarding expectations of providing room and board, an education, etc.? (c) Where does an advanced education fit into the life of students today in comparison to that of an 18th-century apprentice? (d) Are young people today more or less restricted in their choices than the apprentices of the past? (e) Who is likely to have more success in their lives? (f) How was a successful apprenticeship defined then? How is success defined today?
Activity Two
Note: This activity utilizes ideas discussed in the previous activity.
(1) Download and photocopy the excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography and Jonathan Roberts’s journal. Teachers may assign the readings as homework, or allow students to read them during class time.
(2) Download, photocopy, and distribute the worksheet for activity two. Divide students into small groups. Ask students to compare and contrast the experiences of Franklin and Roberts, completing the worksheet and listing any additional areas they identify.
Note: The worksheet contains the following categories for consideration:(a) age at start of apprenticeship (b) involvement of apprentice in selecting craft or trade (c) nature of trade (d) role of school or desire for education (e) relationship with father/family and desire to stay (f) acceptance of restrictions as apprentice (g) conduct of master (h) conduct of master’s wife
(3) Review the completed worksheets as a class. Ask the students to draw conclusions about the individual experiences of Franklin and Roberts, and the extent to which the apprentice system did, or did not affect their future careers according to Franklin and Roberts.
Extension
(1) Read about primary sources at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/start/prim_sources.html and http://www.dohistory.org/on_your_own/toolkit/primarySources.html. Drawing from the primary sources used in this lesson, review and discuss the questions regarding the nature of such sources and their value to researchers.
(2) Visit the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary for a lesson plan focusing on the trades available to apprentices in the 18th century.
