Historical roles of children in families and society Lesson 1

What is childhood Childhood is a universal term It is a time or period between infancy and adolescence It is characterized by rapid growth, rapid learning and mastery of skills becessary for survival and everyday life At this time children discover their roots (family, community, countries)

Question Describe your families roots: Is your family new to Canada? When did they arrive and from where? Is your family always been in Canada? How far back can you trace your roots? Originally where did they come from? Do you know the origins of your last name?

Childhood Historically not always thought of as a separate or distinctive life stage. Canada’s concept of childhood is drwn from two main groups: 1.Aboriginal populations 2.European populations

Aboriginals Prior to European Settlement Before Europeans arrived, Aboriginal people lived in areas from the Arctic Circle to South America. They lived in kin (family) groups with separate identities and different languages. Many were hunters and gatherers that moved to follow the migration patterns and seasons. Survival was their main goal. Men and women had distinct roles to play. Men did hunting, fishing, trapping, and made weapons. Women prepared the food and gathered nuts and berries, and dried the meat for winter survival. Daughters were taught to bring up other kids. When they got older, they would help the other women to care give. The boys would go help the men in hunting.

Aboriginals Prior to European Settlement The child was treated as an equal in the community. The children were treated with respect. Families were close. The birth of a child connected them to ancestors. Children were not a burden because everybody shared in raising them. Everybody in the community helped to raise the children. The elderly played a role in sharing wisdom and guiding them through their culture and rituals. Wraps for babies. Short childhood. Would grow up fast, joining the adult community. They learn independence at an early age.

Aboriginals Prior to European Settlement Even as children grew up, the gender roles were clear. There was a smooth transition from child to adult, and the roles stayed the same. Boys achieved adult status when they completed a big achievement, like killing a moose. Girls became adults at menstruation. Many groups celebrated this adulthood through a rite of passage. Marriage would be the next step after puberty. The elders choose the partner, and a bride price or dowry was given. It was given to the groom by the bride’s family. They were typically married at 14 to 16 years of age, and then were considered full adults.

Europeans There are many paintings from this time period that show children as mini-adults. Kids dressed and acted like adults. The role of children was not separate from that of adults. They participated in all aspects of life. They didn’t have school. They worked and attended functions like adults. Didn’t get the same love, because children often died early of illness and disease. They were viewed as easily replaceable. Parents therefore tried not to get too attached to them.

Europeans Kids were property of their fathers (called chattels). Could be sold, traded into slavery and killed. They would be beaten for doing something wrong. Treated more like resources. They were present at births, deaths, sick beds and festivals. They did not receive formal education, but would learn the family trade or worked in kitchens or stables.

Europeans Christianity spreads. A new view; children have souls so they should be protected and taught. People are supposed to teach their children the “right” ways. Paintings from this period show children as looking like cherubs and angels. They were often painted in the arms of their mothers. Children got more school, especially religious training. Seen as more innocent and more pure. They played and had fun.

Europeans In the 1800’s there was a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Rich children  Attended school, private training, religious training. Poor children  No formal education.  Worked along with adults.  Many became factory workers as Europe became industrialized.  Kids valued for their size. Could fit into smaller areas, do unsafe work. For example, they would do work like setting up weaving machines, cleaning oil fittings, carpet making and chimney sweeping (especially orphans used in chimney sweeping).  Child labour was predominant, and accidents were common.  A lot of kids in the streets. In the late 1800’s, mechanization meant that children were not needed in factories. Without jobs, idle children became a problem on the streets. Churches were the first to provide education to lower class children. By the end of the 1800’s, most children in Britain and Europe attended school. Compulsory education was promoted in many countries.

French Settlers By the late 1600’s, French settlers had settled in small communities in Quebec, where man vastly outnumbered women. To help generate a new population, the King of France Louis XIV, offered transportation and a dowry to any woman who came to the New World to find a husband. Starting in 1663, seven hundred women came from France to become wives and daughters. They were known as the “the King’s daughters.” Some were as young as 13 or 14 and from orphanages in France. Penalized bachelorhood. Many French Canadians can trace their roots to these weddings.

English Settlers Settlers from Britian also started to arrive in North America in the 1600’s. Their population grew quickly. Many came to escape religious persecution. They were shaped by strict Protestant values “if you spare the rod, you spoil the child.” Discipline and physical punishment, kids weren’t to speak until spoken to. They worked from sunrise to sundown – idle hands invited the work on the devil. When Loyalists moved to Canada when the US became it’s own country, the new immigrants looked more towards the Aboriginal way of life. This meant more freedom and independence and less punishment. The girls would work on embroidery, boys in woodwork, etc. Looked to Aboriginal for ways to hunt, prepare food and take care of children. Girls helped mom, boys helped dads – traditional gender roles.

Pioneer Families Immigration started to grow in Canada. For families who came to Canada before the 1900’s, life expectancy was low and infant mortality was high. Midwives were sometimes not used because they couldn’t afford it. Most births occurred on their own beds. Children who did survive usually worked on the farm or family business. In the 1800’s, public schooling became more common in most provinces. Emphasis on learning to speak, read and write in English. Especially important for new immigrant children to bridge the language barrier with their parents.

Early Canadians ( ) By the mid to late 1800’s, cities grew rapidly in Canada. Families left rural areas to go the cities, but found that life was not easier. More children, often boys, left school to work and support family. Jobs such as shoeshine boys, paperboys, and delivery boys. Most children lost parents to accidents, disease or illness. Those ended up on their own or in prison. Cities grew rapidly. People moved into the cities to find employment, but finding money was difficult. Relatives would sometimes take in kids “street urchins.” Seen as a menace to society. They didn’t have education. In the winter, many died of exposure. High schools more common around 1900’s, as an answer to youth unemployment. Reform schools and trade schools were common. Provinces made school mandatory up to 16 years to get them into school and off the streets. The term teenagers in first used on March 11, 1921

Recent Canadians No longer work from dawn to dusk. Children spend more time playing than on chores. By law, expected to attend school regularly from 4 to 18. Expected to complete high school and complete higher levels of education. Achieve adult status and marry later. Laws in place regarding child labour. Spend more time with peers than adults. Health system today ensures healthy and longer lives. Children are not isolated from adult society. Exposed to adult world from early years because of TV, media, internet. Higher stress levels than kids did 20 or 30 years ago (regarding family, education, friends). Continue to face the same challenges that kids did years ago.

New terms Mortality rates Dowry Midwife Bride Price Chattels

Your Task! Using this information, the Blue Textbook “Parenting in Canada – Nelson” (p.29-41), and other information that you find on the internet, do a visual timeline, using pictures and words, of the history of childhood. Add your own childhood and key dates in your own life at the end of the timeline. You may do this electronically or on paper. It is your responsibility to let me know what resources you need. Remember to cite any outside sources (including pictures).