See the  Proposals for Carrying on a Manufacture in the Town of Boston, for Employing the Poor of Said Town to answer the following questions:

1. In the year 1767, how much did it cost the Town of Boston to maintain and support the poor?

2. On October 18, 1767, a committee was formed to consider what measures?

3. How did these measures change after the committee meetings of December 12, 1767 and January 13, 1768?

4. From what Dutch word is the ‘duck’ in ‘duck cloth’ derived?  What is ‘duck cloth’?

5. How would the funds needed to purchase ‘looms, wheels and implements’ be paid?  For how many years?

6. How many looms did the committee hope to maintain at the ‘manufacture house’?

7. How many pieces of duck cloth do they estimate will be manufactured each year?

8. What two countries are listed as competitors in the manufacture of duck cloth?

9. What are the advantages of using hemp as a raw material compared to using flax?

Use the  1754 Admission Ticket to Fundraising Dinner to answer the following questions:

1. What was the date in 1754 of the annual dinner of the Society for Encouraging Industry and Employing the Poor?

2. At what location was the dinner held?

3. What was the price of admission?

4. What percentage of a British pound would the admission price be?

Use the  1752 Report Encouraging Industry and Employing the Poor and the  1752 Flax Advertisement to answer the following:

1. How many yards of linen were manufactured?

2. How does the fall linen production compare to the winter production?

3. Why do you think Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia is contributing to a charitable operation in Boston?

4. What is a pistole?

5. How many pistoles did Franklin donate?

6. How would these pistoles be divided?

2 pistoles –
1 pistole –
2 pistoles –
1 pistole –
2 pistoles –
1 pistole –
1 pistole –

7. From what raw material is the cloth linen made from?

8. What does ‘old tenor’ mean?