Children

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Title: Children

1
Children

By Lily Ball
Per. 6

2
Children from the 16th-18th Centuries

A Continent of Villages, 1500
In most Indian communities, when a couple
separated, the children would almost always
remain with the mother. Indian women were also
able to determine the timing of reproduction and
to use herbs to prevent pregnancy, induce
abortion, or ease the pain of childbirth.

3
The Expansion of Europe 1492-1590

During the time period when infectious diseases
abounded, almost a third of all children died
before their fifth birthday. Also, similarly to
Indian communities, the women were in charge of
childcare.

4
The Spanish and French in the Americas, 1492-1701

During the Destruction of the Indies, Indian
women were so worn out with work that they
avoided conception, induced abortion, and some
even killed their own children with their own
hands so that they should not have to endure the
same hardships.
In the communities of Canada, it was typical of
the sons of habitants (small clusters of
riverbank farmers) to take to the woods in
their youth, working as agents for the fur
companies or as independent traders.

5
The New England Colonies 1588-1701

Massachusetts built an impressive system to
educate its young by creating public schools that
were to be supported by towns with 50 families or
more. Towns with 100 families were to establish a
grammar school that taught Latin.

6
The Seneca Nation of Indians

Young men were ambitious to begin the practice of
war. Many went out on practice missions as soon
as they were big enough to handle firearms.
Iroquois children were carefully trained to think
for themselves but to act for others.
Parents were protective, permissive, and sparing
of punishment. They encouraged children to
imitate adult behavior but they didnt criticize
fumbling early efforts.
A cool detachment was maintained between children
and their parents, both physically and verbally,
avoiding the intense confrontations of love and
anger between parent and child.
Children learned early the importance of
self-reliance and enjoyment of responsibility.

The Seneca mother gave birth to her child in the
privacy of the woods, either alone or in the
company of an older woman who served as a
midwife. The mothers prepared for this event by
eating sparingly and exercising freely, which she
believed would make the child stronger and the
birth easier.
A newborn child was washed in cold water, or even
snow, immediately and was then wrapped in skins
or a blanket.
An infant spent much of its first nine months
swaddled from chin to toe and lashed to a
cradleboard.
Babies were seldom heard crying, but when they
did, the mother always nursed them. It was also a
tendency for a baby to cry when released from the
cradleboard.

Mothers were quick to express resentment of any
injury or insult inflicted on the child by an
outsider.
During the first few years, the child stayed
almost constantly with the mother, in the house
or fields, or on the trail, playing and
performing minor tasks under the supervision of
the mother.
A mothers main concern during this time was to
protect and provide for the child by baths in
cold water, but not to punish.
Weaning was not normally attempted until the age
of three or four. The small child was free to
romp, to pry into things, to demand what it
wanted, and to assault its parents, with the most
hazardous punishment being water blown in the
face or a dunking in a nearby river.
Early sexual curiosity and experimentation were
regarded as a natural childish way of behaving.

Between the years of eight and nine was a time of
easy and gradual learning. Gender roles were laid
down and their places in the community. Girls
were kept around the house, under their mothers
guidance, and assigned lighter household duties
and helping in the fields.
Boys were allowed to roam in gangs, playing at
war, hunting with bows and arrows, and competing
at races, wrestling, and lacrosse.
Parents and teachers did not constantly supervise
the childrens playgrounds and the children
governed themselves in good harmony.
Parents sedulously inculcated hardihood,
self-reliance, and independence of spirit.
Direct confrontation with the child was avoided,
but if things got out of hand, parents turned
older children over to the gods for punishment.

10
Sources

The Seneca Nation of Indians
Anthony F. C. Wallace
The Death and Rebirth of the Seneca
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1969
Out of Many A History of the American People,
revised third edition
John Mack Faragher, Mari Jo Buhle, Daniel
Czitrom, Susan H. Armitage
Prentice Hall, Inc. 2002

11
Vocabulary

Cradleboard- a baby-carrying device where the
childs feet rested against a footboard, a block
of wood was placed between the heels of a girl to
mold her feet to an inward turn. Over its head
stretched a hoop, which could be draped with a
thin cloth to keep away flies or to protect the
child from the cold. The board and its wrappings
were often lavishly decorated with silver
trinkets and beadwork embroidery.

Swaddling- the practice of wrapping infants in
swaddling cloths or blankets so that movement of
the limbs is tightly restricted.
Orenda- magical power grated to the dreamer
(young boy) from the supernatural spirits when a
young boy retires to the woods at puberty under
the stewardship of an old man. During this time,
they fasted, abstained from any sort of sexual
activity, covered themselves with dirt, and
mortified the flesh in many ways. Dreams were
experienced during these periods of self-trial.

13
Important People

The mother- the mother is one of the most
important figures in a childs life. The mother
gives birth to the child and is almost always in
its company during the first nine months of the
childs life. For young girls, the mother will
teach them how to tend a field and help with
tasks around the house, as is the womans
position in the family unit. Mothers will also
teach their daughters how to hoe and plant in the
cornfields, how to butcher meat, cook, and braid
corn.

The father- the father would, in times of need,
instruct their sons in the techniques of travel,
fire making, the chase, war, and other essential
arts of manhood. It was natural tradition that
the man (father) would teach and advise the sons
while the woman of the household (mother) would
instruct the daughters.

15
Questions

1) Swaddling a baby means
a. Hitting the baby
b. Wrapping the baby tightly in blankets or
cloth
c. Kissing the baby
d. Holding the baby loosely in a blanket
answer b

2) Which American colony was one of the first to
create an impressive system to educate its young?
a. Virginia
b. New York
c. Connecticut
d. Massachusetts
answer d

3) Indian women were able to use herbs to
a. Prevent pregnancy
b. Induce abortion
c. Ease the pain of childbirth
d. All of the above
answer d

4) All of the following is true about a
cradleboard EXCEPT
a. It was a baby-carrying device
b. A hoop near the top could be draped with
cloth to keep bugs and cold away
c. A baby only used a cradleboard for the first
month of its life
d. The babys feet rested against a footboard
answer c

5) Young Iroquois boys were allowed to
a. Roam in gangs
b. Compete at races
c. Complete small household chores
d. Only a. and b.
answer d

6) An Iroquois mother gives birth to her baby in
a. The privacy of the woods
b. The longhouse in which she lives
c. The presence of her family
d. Only the presence of her husband
answer a

7) After giving birth to her baby, the first
thing an Iroquois mother does is
a. Washes the baby with warm water
b. Swaddles the baby in a blanket
c. Washes the baby with cold water
d. Feeds the baby
answer c

8) An Iroquois mother prepares for childbirth by
a. Resting for several weeks beforehand
b. Eating healthier foods
c. Eating sparingly and exercising
d. Swimming frequently
answer c

9) Which of the following is NOT true?
a. Children governed themselves in good harmony
b. Children were constantly under adult
supervision
c. Parents instilled self-reliance and
independence of spirit in their children
d. Early sexual curiosity was regarded as
natural childish behavior
answer b

10) Which of the following statements IS true?
a. Iroquois parents constantly punished their
children
b. Children were not taught to enjoy
responsibility
c. Parents maintained a cool detachment from
their children
d. Children were taught to think for others and
act for themselves
answer c

25
The Cultures of Colonial North America, 1700-1780

High fertility played an important role in
population growth. It was common for women in the
British colonies to bear seven or more children.
The levels of infant mortality were low and there
were also no famines in North America.

26
Husbands and Wives, Parents and Children in
Puritan Society

Both spouses shared an important joint
responsibility in the putting out of children
into foster families.
Impotence in the husband was one of the few
circumstances that might warrant a divorce. This
reflected the felt necessity that a marriage
produces children.
From a childs standpoint, the Biblical
commandment to honor thy father and mother was
fundamental--and the force of law stood behind
it.
The law stated that if any Childe or Children
above sixteen years old, and of competent
understanding, shall curse or smite their Natural
Father or Mother he or they shall be put to
death, unless it can be sufficiently testified
that the Parents have been very Un-Christianly
negligent in the Education of such Children, or
so provoked them by extreme and cruel Correction,
that they have been forced thereunto, to preserve
themselves from death or Maiming.

Similar punishment was authorized for stubborn
or rebellious behavior, or any habitual
disobedience. Not one child, it turns out, was
ever put to death according to these laws.
A child less than sixteen years old was excluded
from these prescriptions he was not mature
enough to be held finally responsible for his
actions.
Disobedience and disrespect on the part of
younger children were surely punished, but on an
informal basis and within the family itself. The
purpose of this punishment was to form right
habits it was part of a whole pattern of
learning.
For those children of more than sixteen years of
age, ultimate responsibility could now be
imputed, and an offense against ones parents was
also an offense against the basic values of the
community.

A child did have the right to protect his own
person from any action that threatened death or
maiming. Parents shall not take matters
completely into their own hands the child shall
have his say I court and he may try to show that
his behavior was provoked by some cruelty on the
part of his parents. Only a few cases of youthful
disobedience ever reached the Courts.
In some of the wills bequests to certain children
were made contingent on their maintaining the
proper sort of obedience.
The parent for his part must accept
responsibility for certain basic needs of his
children for their physical health and welfare,
for their education, and for the property they
would require in order one day to be free
themselves.

29
Before the Birth of One of Her Children

Anne Bradstreet speaks about her fear of losing
her life in childbirth, or losing her baby once
it is born. Many women back in the colonial era
died during childbirth and it was a common fear.

30
The Duty of Children toward Their Parents, 1727

Children should obey their parents and the Lord
for it is right.
Children should confess their sins and be
punished for those deeds done wrong.
Any child who curses their mother or father shall
be put to death and out in obscure darkness.

31
Good Manners for Colonial Children, 1772

At home bow, uncover, always bow towards parents
when they are seated, and never speak to thy
parents without some title of respect.
Never dispute with thy parents and never hesitate
to obey their commands.
Ask permission to leave the house and return when
told to do so.
Use respectful and courteous language towards the
servants.
Do not quarrel or grumble.
In their discourse only speak when spoken to by
strangers.
Be a respectful distance away when speaking to
someone.
Speak with not a loud or soft voice and with no
stammers or stumbles upon words.
Always speak with a title of respect.
Discuss appropriate matters with superiors.
Do not boast in the company of others and never
interrupt when someone is speaking. Do not laugh
at someone elses story. Let thy words be modest
and do not repeat words over again.

32
Vocabulary

1)Primer refers to an elementary textbook used
in schools in Colonial America for young
students.
2)Put Out a child refers to the concern that
parental love and affection might inhibit the
proper, disciplined upbringing of children was a
frequent cause of this action putting children
into foster families.
3)Castas persons of mixed backgrounds (referring
to ethnic backgrounds)
4)Mestizos people of combined Indigenous
American and European ancestry
5)Mulattoes people with one white parent and one
black parent

33
Important People

Edward Bumpus in 1679, was the first and only
child to have had the consideration of the death
penalty in colonial America. He was whipped at
the post for striking and abusing his parents.
His punishment was alleviated in the regard that
he was mentally ill, or crasey brained.

Anne Bradstreet was a very influential woman of
her time. She expressed her thoughts and feelings
through poetry and literature, for instance her
poem Before the Birth of One of Her Children
written in 1758. This was a very powerful poem in
that it mentions the fear of losing ones life in
childbirth or losing the life of ones child.
Many women died in childbirth so these were not
uncommon fears for the women of this time.

35
Sources

Out of Many A History of the American People,
revised third edition
John Mack Faragher, Mari Jo Buhle, Daniel
Czitrom, Susan H. Armitage
Prentice Hall, Inc. 2002
A Little Commonwealth Family Life in Plymouth
Colony by John Demos
Reprinted by Oxford University Press, Inc. 1991
Anne Bradstreet, Poems of Mrs. Anne Bradstreet
Boston, 1758
Paul Leicester Ford The New England Primer (New
York Dodd, Mead Co., 1899)
Facsimile reprinting of 1727 edition
Eleazer Moody, The School of Good Manners.
Composed for the help of Parents in Teaching
Their Children How to Carry It in Their Places
During Their Minority (Boston Fleets, 1772)

36
Questions

1) Putting Out ones child refers to
a. Children being sent to foster families
b. Children being forced to live outside
c. Children being sent to live with a relative
d. Children being neglected in their homes
answer a

2) The first and only child ever considered for
the death penalty was
a. Edward Boyle
b. Jonathon Cole
c. Edward Bumpus
d. Benjamin Burton
answer c

3) A person with both a white and African
American parent is known as
a. Mulattoe
b. Mestizo
c. Casta
d. Mezcla
answer a

4) Which of the following statements is false?
a. High fertility played an important role in
population growth.
b. It was common for women in the British
colonies to bear seven or more children.
c. Infant mortality was extremely high in
America.
d. There were no famines in America during this
time.
answer c

5) Before the Birth of One of Her Children, a
poem by Anne Bradstreet, was written in
a. 1793
b. 1809
c. 1652
d. 1758
answer d

6) A primer is which of the following
a. An elementary textbook used for young
students in Colonial America.
b. A newspaper published monthly in Boston.
c. A newspaper published in Virginia on a daily
basis.
d. A book on how to be an effective parent.
answer a

7) Colonial children were expected to
a. Acknowledge their parents as Sir and Madam.
b. Bow in an elders presence.
c. To not speak until spoken to.
d. All of the above
answer d

8) Which of the following is true?
a. A child did not have the right to protect
himself from death or maiming.
b. A child was not expected to treat servants
respectfully.
c. A child under sixteen was excluded from harsh
punishments.
d. A child was never allowed to speak with
strangers even when spoken to.
answer c

9) Castas are
a. Persons from Latin America.
b. Persons of a mixed background.
c. Persons with both a white and a Native
American parent.
d. Persons native to Canada.
answer b

10) People of combined Indigenous American and
European ancestry are called
a. Indentured servants
b. Mestizos
c. Mulattoes
d. Latinos
answer b

46
Slave Children, 1770s

Women and children worked alongside the men on
plantations.
The owner of any plantation was free to split up
a couple or family at any time, simply by selling
some of the slaves.
Slave children were sent into the fields at about
12 years old where they worked from sun up to sun
down.
Slaves in America were not born free.

Some masters wives and/or daughters would
educate many slave children at night in shadowy
rooms and they would read by firelight.
The children of freed slaves would sometimes
sneak to secret schools in churches while risking
their lives to do so.
Africans came from a strong tradition of extended
families which were torn apart at slave auctions.
Mothers were often separated from their children.
Oftentimes, when a girl slave became a woman, she
was forced to have kids in order to create more
slaves for her master.
Even at the age of 12, girls would produce
children for their master.

48
Vocabulary

Concubine- a woman who lives with a man but has
lower status than his wife or wives. Ex Thomas
Jefferson had a concubine and produced slave
children with her whom he later freed.
Midwife- a person trained to assist women in
childbirth.
Polygamy- the practice or custom of having more
than one wife or husband at the same time (common
with slave owners).

49
Important People

Thomas Jefferson- after his wife died in 1782, he
kept her slave half-sister, Sally Hemings, as a
concubine and had children with her. Either
before his death or in his will, he freed all of
Sally Hemings five children. These were almost
the only slaves which he ever freed.

Abigail Adams- (1744-1818) she had three sons and
two daughters with her husband, John Adams.
Abigail had her first child ten days shy of nine
months after her marriage and was thus working
immediately as a mother. John Adams went to
Philadelphia to serve as his colonys delegate to
the First Continental Congress while Abigail
remained at home to care for the finances, farm,
and children. She also practiced law in Boston
nearby and was greatly respected, especially by
her husband. This separation lead to a lifelong
correspondence between Abigail and John through
passionate and intellectual letters . She was one
of the first females to hold any official
government position. Abigail Adams stood strongly
for womens rights and proved that women, even
mothers, could be politically influential in
society.

51
Sources

BBC Home, Freedom Fact Files- life as a slave
http//www.bbc.co.uk/worldclass/freedom_slavery.sh
tml
THE SLAVE CHILDREN OF THOMAS JEFFERSON
by Samuel H. Sloan, 320 pp., published by Kiseido
http//www.anusha.com/slaves.htm
http//www.benjaminschool.com/lower/hagy1/slave_li
fe.htm
Myers, Walter Dean. Now is Your Time! The
African-American Struggle for Freedom. page
40-43.New York Scholastic Inc. 1993
Salerno, Marilyn G. "Steal Away to School."
Cobblestone African-American Education A Proud
Heritage. Cobblestone Publishing Company,
February, 1998. By Benjamin A. Haley, Alex.
Roots. New York. Doubleday. 1976. By Felicia R.

52
Questions

Which of the following statements is true?
a. Children were not allowed to work on
plantations under the age of sixteen.
b. Slaves in America were born free.
c. Slave mothers were often separated from their
children.
d. A midwife is a mans second wife.
answer c

2) A midwife is
a. A mans second wife.
b. A person trained to produce children.
c. A woman who has had more than one husband.
d. A person trained to assist women in
childbirth.
answer d

3) Slave girls were often forced by their masters
to produce children.
a. True
b. False
answer a

4) What famous man was known for keeping a
concubine and producing slave children?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. John Adams
c. George Washington
d. John Hancock
answer a