chap 3

At the time of the civil war orphans were most often placed in homes as indentured help to foster families in exchange for support. This system of finding families or church homes was stressed by the beginning of the war. The heavy loss of parents, the inability of parents to care and support their children created an orphan crisis, especially in urban areas.
Local and state governments set up orphanages as a way of caring for and protecting children. In many cases the child was not totally without one parent but they couldn’t be supported by their family. The creation of orphanages was seen as the best way to education and nurture the children, yet the institutions were often chided as not creating individuals capable of growing up and being on their own.

The hard work and long hours of the late 1800’s left little time for single mothers or fathers to raise children, particularly the larger families of the south. Children were often left at orphanages or turned out of the house for fend for themselves.
Remarriage or Independence
The mid to late 1800’s was the beginning of many changes, not just for freed slaves but for the American family. Women’s suffrage was in its infancy and pushing towards equal rights and the ability to vote. Just as with the rights of freed slaves, the rights of women would take many years to realize but women were gaining momentum and changing the image of the stereotypical woman of the period.
Northern women were ahead of their southern sisters before the civil war in pushing for suffrage and changes. After the civil war the heavy loss of men, the toll of women surviving the war made the issue of independence more important for Southern women. The daunting task of building lives was a ne...

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... their religious views on childbearing the 2.5 children concept would not emerge until post World War II for families. The rural family relied on large families until more industrialization occurred in late 19th – early 20th century America. Religious views of the 1880’s expected women to bear many children and the lack of education on birth control meant the normal wife would bear children for twenty years. Planning on a child every two years a family could easily have ten children; usually more were born but didn’t survive.

Women’s Work Post War
The women of both North and South were tasked with supporting the war effort of the country in the Civil War, just as they have been in every conflict since that time. But it was these early women pioneers that showed the men of their era that their inter-strength and character wasn’t just a temporary moment in time.