Heavy Burdens on Small Shoulders: The Labour of Pioneer Children on the Canadian Prairies

Heavy Burdens on Small Shoulders: The Labour of Pioneer Children on the Canadian Prairies
ISBN-10
0888645902
ISBN-13
9780888645906
Category
History
Pages
192
Language
English
Published
2012-06-11
Publisher
University of Alberta
Author
Sandra Rollings-Magnusson

Description

The phrase "child labour" carries negative undertones in today's society. However, only a century ago on the Canadian Prairies, youngsters laboured alongside their parents' working the land, cleaning stovepipes, and chopping wood. By shouldering their share of the chores, these children learned the domestic and manual labour skills needed for life on a Prairie family farm. Rollings-Magnusson uses historic research, photographs, and personal anecdotes to describe the kinds of work performed by children and how each task fit into the family economy. This book is a vital contribution to western Canadian history as well as family and gender studies.

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