- Definition
A peasant was a person in the past who worked on a farm, often for someone else, or owned a very small piece of land to farm.
In medieval Europe, a peasant might have farmed a small strip of land to grow wheat for their family and to pay rent to a lord.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: In many historical societies, a peasant was a rural worker or farmer whose work and rights were shaped by a local landowning system.
Ask your child: If you were a peasant, what would you grow on your land?
Common mix-up: The term has different meanings across places and time periods. Many peasants farmed land they did not own and had duties to a landowner, so avoid using it as a general word for any poor farmer.
Examples
- A peasant family in ancient China growing rice on their small plot of land.
- Peasants often lived in small villages and worked together during harvest time.
peasant is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
