Jump Ropes, Jacks, and Endless Chores: Children's Lives in the 1800s

Jump Ropes, Jacks, and Endless Chores: Children's Lives in the 1800s
ISBN-10
1422296881
ISBN-13
9781422296882
Category
History
Pages
64
Language
English
Published
2014-09-29
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Author
Matthew Strange

Description

For most of the 1800s, children were considered "small, unruly adults" who needed to be strictly disciplined and put to useful work as soon as they were able. The very concept of childhood itself, as a carefree, innocent time, is a result of increasing economic stability and changing family roles in the 1800s. Before child welfare laws were enacted and compulsory education enforced, children made up an important part of the industrial and agricultural workforce in 1800s America. Toys and time for games and fun may have been a luxury, but kids will be kids, and the adults that loved them made sure their lives weren't all work and no play. The establishment of public schools, more humane working conditions, and expanding economic opportunities helped improve the life of America's children in the 1800s, but they worked hard and their pleasures were simple ones.

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