Family Life In Premarital Sex In Colonial America

This essay, The Myth of the Model American Family, is a discussion of the concept of an ideal family in the different perspective specifically social, cultural and economic. This is also an attempt to identify the structural changes in relation to the global development and the international economic crisis that immensely created impact on their lives. However, the discussion will limit itself on the different identifiable and observable transformations as manifested in the lifestyles, interrelationships and views of family members and will not seek to provide an assessment of their psycho-social and individual perceptions.

Colonial American citizens faced several challenges through the time span of the 16th century to the 18th century. It was a time of great change and growth as well as being full of obstacles. The Revolutionary War, hostile Native American tribes, harsh living conditions, and disease all played factors in the struggle for survival in early America. However, there is a topic that is also significant but not discussed as often. Marriage was a confusing and exhausting situation for many individuals. One may wonder, ”What were the challenges of finding a spouse during the Colonial Era in American history?” It was difficult for young men and women to find a suitable marriage partner who would meet all their needs or standards and stay by their side till death do they part. Oftentimes, there was no choice in the matter. During this timeframe in American history, there were several barriers that affected whom one was allowed to marry. These obstacles included race, culture, social and economic status.

Many people believe that marriage is important in this day and age, but it holds little significance compared to the importance of marriage in the Victorian era. In the Victorian era women were to get married to a man of the same or a better social status, be good wives, and be a mother to her husband's children. Very few marriages started with love, but a woman's life is not complete without being married. Over time, the role of married women has evolved a great deal and they now have rights and privileges. John Stuart Mill was one of the great thinkers of the Victorian era, and his essay The Subjection of Women tells how few privileges women had and that they were slaves to their husbands. He also says that women are their own people and

The early twentieth century was a turning point in American history-especially in regards to the acquisition of women's rights. While the era was considered to be prosperous and later thought to be a happy-go-lucky time, in actuality, it was a time of grave social conflict and human suffering (Parish, 110). Among those who endured much suffering were women. As Margaret Sanger found out, women, especially those who were poor, had no choice regarding pregnancy. The only way not to get pregnant was by not having sex- a choice that was almost always the husband's. This was even more true in the case of lower-class men for whom, 'sex was the poor man's only luxury' (Douglas, 31). As a nurse who assisted in delivering

In the early days of Colonial America life was harsh and “difficult, the colonists faced conflicts with natives, starvation, and difficulties finding stable sources of food and support” (Jaffee). The culture at first was a struggle for those settlers who had to cross the Atlantic by contract. Most of these people were bound by their contracts for four to seven years. As for most women in the early days of Colonial America they were “expected to grow up, get married, have children, and take care of a home (Peck).

Families and their specific roles with each other and society and community had evolved, rules for children and their place within the family structure were far more cohesive as they not only relied on each other for economic and social support, but on their communities as well. With new

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.

This paper will discuss the differences between families from the 1960’s and the families of today. There are many differences between the different times. I have focused on the parentage portion of the families. I explained what the ideal family is and how it is different today. I’ve also included ways that will help these families of today become stronger as a family.

In the late 1800’s through early 1900’s women and men were did not “tie the knot” like the women and men do in today’s day. In today’s world, women and men get married because they have many things in common, they are in love with each other, and they choose to get married to one another. In many stories written back then, readers can expect to read about how marriages were arranged and how many people were not having the wedded bliss marriage proclaims today.

People nowadays compared to Puritan times are very different. Back in the puritan times, during the 19th century, people who have committed crimes had worse consequences than in the present time. If a crime like adultery was punished today, you would be shamed, disgraced, fined or even sentenced to death. On the other hand, punishments for adultery in the 19th century were stricter, so compared to Puritan times, punishments in the modern era are more severe.

N this time period marriage was most likely one of the most significant times in a woman's life. The majority of women did not have the option of choosing if they wanted to become married or not. During the Victorian time period becoming married was considered to be a necessity for survival. In this time period women were prevented from making a living on their own. During the Victorian period women were very dependent upon men income. Women were barred by law and custom from entering trades and professions so they could not support themselves and they were restricted from owning any property. During the Victorian time period women only had one real means of livelihood and that was marriage. No one cared what women desired. No matter what most women were predestined to become somebody's wife due to their economic dependence on men. During the Victorian times in order for a woman to be considered as a possible candidate for marriage, she had to be a virgin and remain innocent and free from any thought of love or sexuality until after they had received a proposal. This requirement definitely was not expected of men. A potential husband had the freedom to participate in premarital and extramarital sexual

Compared to back in the old days as in my grandparent’s day of time the desired courtship and marriage my preferred marriage my preferred matrimony differs from their expectations in terms of the way to find a spouse, the form of hold a wedding, and the role to play in a family.

The 19th century was far from an irreligious time in England’s history. Throughout this period, the vast majority of people in England took part in and were involved with the Church of England and Christian practices. People were mainly concerned with pleasing God and following closely along his path, for He knows the “‘...plans [He has] for you… plans for [your] welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope…’” (Holy Bible Old & New Testaments, Jr. 29:11). Even books and sermons urged women to be extremely careful in their choice of a spouse because women’s salvation relied so heavily on men’s understanding of religion and God’s will during this time (Lamonaca 3). Despite the fact that the Victorian Era is considered a peak of

What role did the family play in the socialization and control of children before the 1800s? During the Middle Ages and through the 1500s and 1600s, the family served as the primary unit of social control. Within the family, power was typically vested in the father, and the mother and the children were expected to obey his commands. However, the nuclear family of today was relatively rare in the middle ages. Rather, a typical family consisted of an extended group of related people and other individuals who were not related. The father, particularly if he was a merchant, might spend considerable time away from the home. High mortality rates meant that either parent might have died and been replaced by a stepparent. In addition, servants, apprentices, and journeymen sometimes lived in the household, and neighbors were often present. Consequently, children were exposed to a large number of adults who played a role in their socialization and control.

Separated by time traditional society and its values were more simplistic; whereas modern society provided resources and innovations, which made life certain aspects of life easier. Initially, traditional family values consist of gender roles for both men and women in order to maintain a patriarchal system. Additionally, the size of families within both traditional and modern societies serve very different financial purposes. In addition to the size of families, the expected duties of children changed, especially within the emergence of child work and labour. For example, within traditional societies children tended to work with the administration of their parents. Whereas, within modern societies, children’s work shifted into children working in factories and mills under harsh conditions. Within the eighteenth-century, the societal values regarding consumerism were not nearly as stressed. Therefore, families focused on working to purchase only the necessities; whereas, the counterpart modernity, emphasized consumerism to serve individual wants. Thus, both traditional and modern societies contain values that pertain to the realms of family, work, and the markets, however I find myself more sympathetic to traditional societies because the way of life was much more simplistic than its counterpart.