From the first Colonial settlements to the Civil War, a great many changes took place within American society. Increasing industrialization in the North and an increase in large-scale farming coupled with reliance on slave labor in the South led to very different values and socially accepted lifestyles than were commonplace in the early colonies. In both of these societies, there was a shift from a community subsistence existence to one of markets and wages. These changes are reflected nowhere more distinctly and thoroughly than in the individual “microcosms of society:” the American family. Definitions of what constitutes a family have altered over time in response to the functions it is expected to perform. In the early days of colonization, the family unit was more of a household unit. They had to perform all functions of subsistence and often brought in non-relatives as household members and made minimal distinctions between those relations and relations between blood relatives. Marriage was essentially a practical arrangement that allowed two adults to share in the labors of keeping themselves alive while contributing to the greater good of the community. They would produce offspring to this end; children were functional members of the family who helped with household tasks from a young age. There was little need for love and affection to keep families together, they had no choice but to stay together in mutual dependency. As production of goods began to move outside the home in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the family and community lost some of their power over the increasingly private lives of individuals. Divorce became more acceptable, socially and legally, and consequently more common. As families moved awa... ... middle of paper ... ...cohesive economic unit out of necessity. Slave families created more broad definitions of kin, because the realities of life in slavery did not afford them much control over their own family life. Finally, Native families resisted but often succumbed to the forces of social change that were largely imposed on them by the conquerors of their land. The most dramatic changes in family life took place among those with wealth and status, where a change in economic circumstances was reflected by a drastic change in family structure. Other groups' family lives reflected their circumstances during this time period just as much, meaning that they did not fundamentally change in the same ways. All families were affected by the economic transformation in one way or another, but overall every family group continued to reflect their particular economic and social circumstances.
The definition of family has changes dramatically over the course of history, especially from culture to culture. It is quite interesting to research the definition of family within slave communities because the slave definition of family not only changed from plantation to plantation, but also slave to slave. Upon reading the secondary sources, “The Shaping of the Afro-American Family,” by Steven Mintz, & Susan Kellogg, "Marriage in Slavery," by Brenda Stevenson, and “Motherhood in Slavery” by Stephanie Shaw, and the primary sources WPA Interviews of former slaves conducted in the 1930s. Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938, throughout all of these readings there seemed to be some definite themes. One is the roles between mother and father and their children, second is the role slave owners and their families, and another is the fact that for many slaves the definition of family was broad based. It seems that these accounts from the primary sources did not really capture the brutality that many history books seem to illustrate; instead many of the slaves had complete faithfulness for their owners. It seems really interesting that there would be this sort of “Stockholm” quality to the slaves. It seems slave life was very isolating, which created this dedication, which preserved what really happened on some plantation in the United States.
While watching the documentary “Two American Families” there was three aspects I noticed within the two families. The first being how there was a shift in the social class of the families due to economic problems. The second being the role reversal of the male and the female. The third being the effect of the families’ financial instability on the children and their decisions into adulthood.
The present structure of the average family in America is changing, mainly due to the growing number of mothers who now work outside the home. The current mark of dual-earner families stands at 64 percent, making it a solid majority today. This alteration of the "traditional" structure of the family is a channel for other changes that may soon occur.
...Family Economies in Europe and North America since 1830." Economic History Review 53.3 (2000): 409-428. America: History & Life. Web. 1 May 2014.
A marriage in the 19th century had many different expectations than it does today. Most marriages, especially for the upper class, were conducted as an exchange of assets and used for public display. Hendrik Hartog in his lecture titled, "Marital Expectations in Nineteenth Century America," writes, "At least until the middle years of the nineteenth century being married meant subjecting oneself to a known and coercive public relationship," (96). It was an agreement that publicly cha...
Before her marriage, a woman was allowed to own properties, run businesses, enter contracts, file lawsuits, be charged with crimes and keep her own earnings. However, once married, all of her prior rights became invalid as her legal identity merged with her husband’s. The husband would have control over all properties she had owned before and any she would gain afterwards. The only way for women to keep their property ownership intact was to stay single. However, to maintain such status was nearly impossible. In the early 19th century, almost all jobs and professions excluded women-employment. This left women who wished to stay single with only their personal and familiar weal...
They are never focused on an individual, instead an individual is considered part of a whole. That is why extended families and households were prided upon. Extended families were created by “inbreeding and intermarrying,” (Wood 44) which created various relationships between relatives. This pre-modern tradition borrowed from the Europeans of having extended families was upheld and taken very seriously in colonial America. In the chapter “Patriarchal Dependence”, Wood identifies extended families as a characteristic of a pre-modern society. They were “the basic institution in the society and the center for all rights and obligations,” (Wood 44). Wood also explains that the household in general was a very important part of the colonies. According to Wood, “the family household was…the place where most of the work in the society was done,” (Wood 44). These complicated families were integral to a pre-modern society because they ran most of the
In 1785, Thomas Jefferson said "Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God" (Jefferson 1). These words helped shape America for the next hundred years. American families worked hard on their agricultural properties reaping the rewards of the American dream. Then, in the late nineteenth century, the United States of America was hit by the worldwide phenomenon known as the Industrial Revolution, and the U.S. was transformed into an industrial colossus. The vast lands of America made abundant resources available to those who wished to utilize them. This opened up new jobs, and the once agricultural families were, for the first time, split up; mothers, fathers, and children left their homes to work in factories and railroads. While it is undeniable the Industrial Revolution and all of its technological advances helped the Republic and its citizens flourish economically, the role it played in the breakdown of the traditional American family cannot be ignored.
One of the biggest changes in American families has been divorce and the single-parent families. In the article “What is a Family?”, Pauline Irit Erera argues that after World War 11, is when the major changes in families begun. Women were already accustomed to having jobs and working while their men were away during the war, and when the men all came back is when things started to change. Erera says, “The movement for gender equality led to increased employment opportunities for women, while at the same time declining wage rates for unskilled male workers made them less desirable marriage partners.” (Ere...
In conclusion this paper has shown my perceptions on the described topics. I have identified why the family is considered the most important agent in socialization. I explained the dramatic changes to the American family and what caused them. I explained the differences in marriage and family. I expressed my feelings on the trend of diverse families, and how a change in trends to traditional views would change women’s rights.
The notion of an affectionate family framed the emergence of demographic changes. Birth rates fell and the life expectancy rose. From 1900 to 1930, the median age of American citizens rose from 22.9 to 26.5 (58). The youth population from ages 15 to 24 years declined. Thus, there was a higher adult- to- youth ratio and more caretakers available to supervise children. As a result o...
There was a time when women typically maintained the home and raised children while the husbands were the sole bread-winners for the family finances. However, times have changed and so have women’s rights and expectations for divorce, education, an...
Sociological data clearly shows that the black family is slowly but surely deteriorating especially in terms of broken homes. From 1950 until now, the amount of black children living only with their mothers has almost tripled. This phenomena can be attributed to many factors. Absent fathers paired with the independency we see in black women are two main reasons that contribute to this issue. These two ideas date back to before the 20th century when slavery was in full effect. “Social theorists have argues that slavery resulted in disorganization...
“The family is a social group characterised by common residence, economic co-operation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted of the sexually cohabitating adults.” MURDOCK (1949)
To thoroughly elaborate on the institution of family we most look at the family as it was before and how much it has changed over time. Throughout the years we are recognizing that the family is slowly being replaced by other agents of socialization. Families in the past consisted of a mother and a father and most times children. We are, as many societies a patriarchal society; men are usually the head of the households. This has always been considered the norm.