Childhood in early America

1
Childhood in early America

• Pediatrics/medical care Regimented
• Nursing own infant
• Dress be cool loose
• Regularity (diet exercise)
• Education still important Sunday Schools for
  poor
• New genre of literature
• EX Little Pretty Pocket-Book (1747)
• Adapted British versions included more religious
  content

2
Parenting in early America

• Based largely on Lockes philosophy
• Change in British parenting valued children as
  individuals
• Childrearing advice
• Used psychological manipulation over physical
  coercion (Reinier, p. 151)
• Abbott (1833) critical periods (1st 8-10 yrs),
  love-withdrawal, time-outs
• Importance of mothers (Abbott)
• Bad mother weak, indulgent, unfaithful
• Good mother educated, consistent, cant look
  to father

3
Historical cultural context leading up to
Victorian Period

• Demographic changes increase in population,
  increase in illegitimacy
• Industrial Revolution (1750) production of
  machinery factories, moved families from rural
  to urban living
• child labor in lower social class
• rise of upper class leisure
• Political Revolutions instability, increases
  abuse abandonment

4
Victorian England

• Importance of class
• Growth of rescue welfare agencies
• Compulsory mass education
• Parent-child relationships Intrusion
  ambivalence
• Appearances fashion
• Restraints Medicine, manners, furniture

5
Education

• How did universal public (free) education arise?
• Upper class
• tutors for boys, governess for girls
• Public schools Boarding schools (EX Eton,
  Prince William)
• Increasing use of corporal punishment
• Parents advocated taking a Grand Tour travel
  to another country (7-14 years)

6
Education

• Schools were standardized
• Humanistic education emphasized (not
  trade-oriented)
• Still primarily for males
• Lower social classes
• Sunday School movement (1780s)
• Ragged Schools (1840s)
• Desire to provide a proper childhood forced
  changes in education (which finally occurred in
  1870 in England)

7
Parent-child relations 18th-19th century diaries
(Pollock)

• Parents attitudes towards children
• Nostalgia for childhood
• Innocence of childhood
• Ambivalence
• Role of parent
• Moderate parenting less concerned with
  discipline
• Education protection are constants
• Significant anxiety!

8
Restraints on children Manner, medicine,
furniture

• Pediatrics
• Pap, gin, opium
• Furniture
• Breastfeeding vs Wetnursing
• Medical metaphors for masturbation

9
Literary interest in children

• Oliver Twist (1838)
• Alice in Wonderland (1865)
• Peter Pan (1904)

10
End of Victorian England