THE HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH IN WESTERN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES, 1630-1980: A SOCIAL HISTORY CURRICULUM FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

The study of the history of childhood and youth is not only fascinating; it provides insight into past attitudes toward children and the changing role of children in society. A relatively new area of social history, childhood history has emerged as a field of inquiry distinct even from family history. Furthermore, just as political and economic history can convey "lessons" about future decision-making, so the history of childhood can provoke consideration of the implications of alternative child-rearing approaches. A careful study of the experience of childhood in the past can shed light on the historical origins of current childrearing practices and also stimulate thoughtful reflection regarding the consequences of societal change.;The four unit course appropriates the commonly utilized social history periodization which is also congruent with major shifts in the childhood experience, attitudes toward children, and the interaction between the child and society. Of particular note is the change in the role of children in society, from economic to emotional.;Parents in the preindustrial era (1630-1770) had a large number of children because mortality rates were high and because children, through their labor, served a vital economic function in the family. Childrearing practices differed markedly from those in contemporary society. European working class and middle class parents swaddled their infants, and many middle class parents sent their infants to wet nurses. Preindustrial children often became apprentices at an early age. They returned home when they could inherit property in land or money, which enabled them to marry and set up their own households.;Parents in the early industrial period (1780-1870) had to alter their childrearing practices to accommodate the demands of industrialization and urbanization. The experience of childhood changed drastically as the practice of apprenticeship was replaced by child labor in factories and as school attendance increased. Middle class parents softened their childrearing practices; and material benefits, such as toys and literature, symbolized new intellectual stimulation for children. Working-class youth retained their economic function by laboring in factories. Even though they lived with their parents, they often experienced more independence than preindustrial apprenticeship had allowed. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of school.) UMI.;Although significant research has been conducted regarding the history of childhood and youth, current high school textbooks do not convey the concepts associated with this important topic. The History of Childhood and Youth synthesizes and translates historical research in the field into a comprehensible form for high school students. It also reflects appropriate pedagogical techniques in an effort to strengthen the cognitive skills of secondary school students.