Children 's Socialization And Control Of Children Before The 1800s

The origins of the abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of children stems from the way children have been viewed throughout history. Dating back to the some of the earliest times in society, children have typically been viewed as property of their parents, with no real individual rights of their own.

Family used to be a single unit, consisting of a husband, wife and children. This unit was widely thought as a group based on marriage and biological parenthood as sharing a common residence and

The way children grow up and are treated by their parents has changed immensely from the 18 and 1900s. Adult perspective of children has also changed. Children are no longer viewed as property, but an actual human being who has choices. New laws and organizations have outlawed and forbid certain acts against children. In the United States, if one is under the age of 18 years old they are considered a child. There is a vast difference between how children were treated in the 1800s and in today’s society; whether it’s child abuse or child labor, how children are raised has changed for the better.

Social life in the Middle Ages was heavily influenced by the feudal system. The King was at the top of the society then the nobles, knights, and peasants/serfs. The King, nobles, and knights talk to each other the serfs/peasants are all by themselves (Doc. 1). If you were born as a serf, you would be a serf for the rest of your life. The kings controlled the land. The nobles were the assistants for the kings. The knights protected the nobles and the kings, and the serfs were farmers (Doc. 1). Another influence on the social lives of people was the Church. In a time of great political chaos, the Roman Catholic Church was the single, largest unifying structure in medieval Europe

Child abuse has been a big issue in the world for a long time. There has not always been child protective services like there is now. Children would be abused and neglected and nothing was being done because it was not being reported. The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was the world’s first organization in the late 1800s which was dedicated totally to child protection (Myers, 2008).

Gender is a concept constructed entirely by society. We base gender off of what we perceive and what others perceive of us. Until fairly recently, it has been categorized as one of two things: male or female. When we watched the documentary in class, we saw evidence of society 's socialization of young children. Commercials for Nerf Guns, action figures, and cars and trucks were all depicted with young boys as their users. Never did we see a girl playing with GI Joes or with Hot Wheels, only boys played with those. Meanwhile, dolls, baking sets, and make up kits were only advertised to girls, and no boys were shown playing with Barbies or Bratz. Society begins to shape gender notions from a very early age, where people are shown that they are one or the other, either male or female.

After the American Revolution, middle- class Americans started reexamining household norms and child rearing. Before the revolution, the father had the power of a king in the household. “…Patriarchy equated the father’s power over the family with a king’s power over his subjects” (161). When the colonies disavowed their allegiance to the British crown, they started reexamining the different roles each household member held. Evangelical Protestantism also encouraged the reexamination of child rearing. They believed that original sin corrupted human nature, and thus if children were to follow their own instinct, they would be corrupt, and so it is the parent’s duty to stop this, so the child would be more submissive and obedient to parents and godly authority could replace it. Another factor that influenced family roles and child rearing was the economic change and political ideas. This affected the Northeast the most because of the urbanization and the industrialization outside the houses. As fathers worked outside homes, the mother’s role became clear. She was assigned the task of raising children that can govern themselves as productive

2. What role did the family play in the socialization and control of children before the 1800s? Family served as a primary institution of social control. Many adults played a role in children’s socialization and control.

Historically, when a dispute over custody of a minor child arose between the parents, the right of the father was considered superior to that of the mother. According to Roman law, the children the property of their father and were able forced in to labor. The only way that the mother could have any rights to her children were when the father passed. English common law continued the tradition. That fathers had absolute powers but now under law they had to protect support and educate their children.

In the 1800s most families had about seven children, then in the industrial era the families had about three or four children. The reason that the average of children dropped in this era was due to couples waiting longer to get married or spacing the pregnancies out. One of the big causes of fewer children in this era was because of contraceptives. Contraceptives were just discovered and many couples realize that it was a very effective method. With families having fewer children their main concern was getting their children educated and have knowledge about the economy, so they would be successful in the real world. Education became more populated this time in history, about 71% of children ages five to eighteen went to school. Women became

Throughout the history of childhood development poor social and economic conditions contributed to the many hardships and poor treatment of children. During the early Middle Ages the "paternalist" family concept evolved and the father had authority and control over family matters including the welfare and safety of his wife and children. Discipline was severe, young children both poor and wealthy were subjected to strict rules and regulations and often beaten if disobedient. Children took on the responsibilities of adults at an early age, sharing in the work of siblings and parents. Girls from affluent families were educated at home and married in their teens. Some males were educated at a monastery and others became apprentices to

In the early 1700s up until the 20th century, each year has had its own growth spurt. From advancements in technology, medical treatment, architecture, and even etiquette and manners. Overall, the world is a melting pot that contains, a mixture of people from different cultures and backgrounds. Whereas, the foundation for mannerism begins at home.

The way in which the ‘family’ unit is perceived has changed immensely since the last quarter of the twentieth century. Over time, many factors have contributed to these changes including, and not limited to, the industrial revolution, the feminist movement, the period of modernity and technological advancements. As a result, these factors have influenced significant changes to the ‘family’, these include; the increasing rates of female occupation, mean age at marriage, divorce, unmarried couples, single parents, mean age at birth of first child, and a decline in marriage rates. Moreover, this essay will examine how the family has changed over time through discussing the factors that have contributed to these changes. It is for these reasons and observations made by sociologists that it could be inferred that the way the family unit is perceived has changed greatly over time.

n the upcoming page’s I will answer the following questions. Why is family the most important agent of socialization? What caused the dramatic changes to the American family? What are the changes? I will discuss the differences in marriage and family, I will discuss how they are linked to class, race, gender, and personal choices. The purpose of this study is to explore the many different family functions and the paths that people are now choosing. I will give my opinion on whether these changes have had a positive or negative affect. I will finally discuss the trend of the modern family, back to pre-World War II family structure, how would that effect the strides that have been made in the progression of women rights.

The family is the single most important agent of socialization because the family is the first and most continuous social world for infants and children. The family provides the child's initial social identity in terms of race, religion, social class, and gender. In time,