Major Problems in the History of American Families and Children

• 1. Studying Families and Children in Historical PerspectiveESSAYSJohn Demos, Digging Up Family History: Myths, Realities, and Works-in-ProgressStephanie Coontz, Mythology and History in the Study of the American FamilyJoseph M. Hawes and N. Ray Hiner, Reflections on the History of Children andChildhood in the Postmodern Era2. Marriage, Family, and Kinship in Early AmericaDOCUMENTSThree Europeans Comment on Native American Marriage, Gender, and Kinship, 1600s-1700s: John Smith Describes the "Naturall Inhabitants of Virginia," 1608; Roger Williams Discusses Marriage and Divorce Among New England Indians, 1643; Robert Beverley Defends the Morality of Virginia's Native Americans, 1705James Mooney Records Traditional Cherokee Myths, 1900Plymouth Colony Requires All Persons to Live in Families, 1669Puritan Minister Cotton Mather Describes "a Family Well-Ordered," 1699Slaves Escape in Search of Family Members, 1750s-1760sESSAYSTheda Perdue, Matrilineal Kinship Among the Cherokee Indians in the American SoutheastLisa Wilson, Patriarchy and Marriage in Colonial New EnglandAllan Kulikoff, Slavery and Family Life Among African Americans in Eighteenth-Century Maryland3. Children and Childrearing in a Developing DemocracyDOCUMENTSColonial Legislatures Permit Harsh Punishment for Disobedient Children, 1642, 1646, 1654A Colonial Mother Describes the Custom of Breeching, 1679English Philosopher John Locke Recommends a Rational Approach to Childrearing, 1693Laura Wirt's Parents Offer Instruction and Advice, 1810The Reverend Francis Wayland Describes Discipline, 1831John J. C. Abbott Gives Advice to Mothers, 1834Lucy Larcom Remembers the Pangs of Conscience, 1889ESSAYSPhilip Greven, Breaking Wills in Colonial AmericaAnne Scott MacLeod, Developing Character in Antebellum America4. Marriage and Family in Victorian AmericaDOCUMENTSEliza Southgate Expresses Her Opinion of Love Matches, 1800Emma Willard Gives Marital Advice, 1815Caroline Gilman Recommends Wifely Submission, 1838Martha Hunter Hitchcock Complains of Loneliness and Illness, 1840-1846Lizzie Neblett Describes Marriage and Motherhood in Texas, 1860ESSAYSE. Anthony Rotundo, Men, Women, and Marriage in the Nineteenth-Century NorthAnya Jabour, Marriage and Family in the Nineteenth-Century South5. Families in BondageDOCUMENTSSlave Husbands and Wives Correspond, 1840s-1850sFrederick Douglass Describes Separation and Sexual Abuse, 1845Harriet Jacobs Remembers Growing Up a Slave, 1861Fanny Kemble Reports on Slave Women's Health, 1863Former Slaves Recall Family Life, 1930sESSAYSBrenda Stevenson, Marriage in SlaveryStephanie J. Shaw, Motherhood in Slavery6. Fathers and Children in the Civil War EraDOCUMENTSA Confederate Father Writes to His Daughter, 1861-1864A Popular Poem Mourns a Soldier-Father's Death, 1865Children Play at War, 1863A Southern Girl Records Her Brothers' Eagerness to Fight, 1861-1862A Union Veteran Remembers Military Drills and Farewells, 1909ESSAYSJames Marten, Fatherhood in the ConfederacyReid Mitchell, Coming of Age in the Union Army7. Families on the FrontierDOCUMENTSHarriet Taylor Upton Recalls Pioneer Life, ca. 1870Margaret Bell Describes Children's Work on the Montana Frontier, ca. 1910Esperanza Montoya Padilla Details Her Mother's Home and Community Work in the 1920sSocorro Félix Delgado Describes Family and Religion in Arizona, ca. 1930The U.S. Government Makes Contradictory Proposals for Educating Indian Children, 1940sESSAYSElliott West, Children on the Plains FrontierSarah Deutsch, Women, Work, and Community in Hispanic New Mexico and ColoradoKatherine M. B. Osburn, Fatherhood and Assimilation Among the Southern Utes8. Children and Child-Savers in Progressive-Era America, 1880-1920DOCUMENTSWilliam P. Letchworth Visits the New York Catholic Protectory, 1876The Reinhard Committee Investigates Child Labor, 1896Judge Ben Lindsey Encounters Youthful Criminals, 1894Psychologist G. Stanley Hall Defi

1. Studying Families and Children in Historical Perspective ESSAYS John Demos, Digging Up Family History: Myths, Realities, and Works-in-Progress Stephanie Coontz, Mythology and History in the Study of the American Family Joseph M. Hawes and N. Ray Hiner, Reflections on the History of Children and Childhood in the Postmodern Era 2. Marriage, Family, and Kinship in Early America DOCUMENTS Three Europeans Comment on Native American Marriage, Gender, and Kinship, 1600s-1700s: John Smith Describes the "Naturall Inhabitants of Virginia," 1608; Roger Williams Discusses Marriage and Divorce Among New England Indians, 1643; Robert Beverley Defends the Morality of Virginia's Native Americans, 1705 James Mooney Records Traditional Cherokee Myths, 1900 Plymouth Colony Requires All Persons to Live in Families, 1669 Puritan Minister Cotton Mather Describes "a Family Well-Ordered," 1699 Slaves Escape in Search of Family Members, 1750s-1760s ESSAYS Theda Perdue, Matrilineal Kinship Among the Cherokee Indians in the American Southeast Lisa Wilson, Patriarchy and Marriage in Colonial New England Allan Kulikoff, Slavery and Family Life Among African Americans in Eighteenth-Century Maryland 3. Children and Childrearing in a Developing Democracy DOCUMENTS Colonial Legislatures Permit Harsh Punishment for Disobedient Children, 1642, 1646, 1654 A Colonial Mother Describes the Custom of Breeching, 1679 English Philosopher John Locke Recommends a Rational Approach to Childrearing, 1693 Laura Wirt's Parents Offer Instruction and Advice, 1810 The Reverend Francis Wayland Describes Discipline, 1831 John J. C. Abbott Gives Advice to Mothers, 1834 Lucy Larcom Remembers the Pangs of Conscience, 1889 ESSAYS Philip Greven, Breaking Wills in Colonial America Anne Scott MacLeod, Developing Character in Antebellum America 4. Marriage and Family in Victorian America DOCUMENTS Eliza Southgate Expresses Her Opinion of Love Matches, 1800 Emma Willard Gives Marital Advice, 1815 Caroline Gilman Recommends Wifely Submission, 1838 Martha Hunter Hitchcock Complains of Loneliness and Illness, 1840-1846 Lizzie Neblett Describes Marriage and Motherhood in Texas, 1860 ESSAYS E. Anthony Rotundo, Men, Women, and Marriage in the Nineteenth-Century North Anya Jabour, Marriage and Family in the Nineteenth-Century South 5. Families in Bondage DOCUMENTS Slave Husbands and Wives Correspond, 1840s-1850s Frederick Douglass Describes Separation and Sexual Abuse, 1845 Harriet Jacobs Remembers Growing Up a Slave, 1861 Fanny Kemble Reports on Slave Women's Health, 1863 Former Slaves Recall Family Life, 1930s ESSAYS Brenda Stevenson, Marriage in Slavery Stephanie J. Shaw, Motherhood in Slavery 6. Fathers and Children in the Civil War Era DOCUMENTS A Confederate Father Writes to His Daughter, 1861-1864 A Popular Poem Mourns a Soldier-Father's Death, 1865 Children Play at War, 1863 A Southern Girl Records Her Brothers' Eagerness to Fight, 1861-1862 A Union Veteran Remembers Military Drills and Farewells, 1909 ESSAYS James Marten, Fatherhood in the Confederacy Reid Mitchell, Coming of Age in the Union Army 7. Families on the Frontier DOCUMENTS Harriet Taylor Upton Recalls Pioneer Life, ca. 1870 Margaret Bell Describes Children's Work on the Montana Frontier, ca. 1910 Esperanza Montoya Padilla Details Her Mother's Home and Community Work in the 1920s Socorro Felix Delgado Describes Family and Religion in Arizona, ca. 1930 The U.S. Government Makes Contradictory Proposals for Educating Indian Children, 1940s ESSAYS Elliott West, Children on the Plains Frontier Sarah Deutsch, Women, Work, and Community in Hispanic New Mexico and Colorado Katherine M. B. Osburn, Fatherhood and Assimilation Among the Southern Utes 8. Children and Child-Savers in Progressive-Era America, 1880-1920 DOCUMENTS William P. Letchworth Visits the New York Catholic Protectory, 1876 The Reinhard Committee Investigates Child Labor, 1896 Judge Ben Lindsey Encounters Youthful Criminals, 1894 Psychologist G. Stanley Hall Defines Adolescence, 1904 Sociologists Describe Juvenile Delinquency Among Polish Immigrants, 1918 ESSAYS Linda Gordon, Child Abuse and Child Protection in Boston, 1880-1910 Mary E. Odem, Female Sexuality and Juvenile Delinquency in Early Twentieth-Century California 9. Families and the State: Origins of the Modern Welfare System in the Early Twentieth Century DOCUMENTS Jewish Charitable Organizations Recommend Supporting Mothers and Children at Home, 1910 The New York Commission on Relief for Widowed Mothers Demands Government Aid for Poor Women and Children, 1914 The U.S. Children's Bureau Praises "Home Life," 1919 The White House Conference on Child Health and Protection Defines Child Welfare as a Community Responsibility, 1930 The International Society of Crippled Children Issues a "Bill of Rights" for Disabled Children, 1931 ESSAYS Joanne L. Goodwin, Mothers' Pensions in Chicago, 1911-1931 Kriste Lindenmeyer, The Children's Bureau and Child Welfare During the Great Depression 10. The Homefront: American Families During World War II DOCUMENTS A Nisei Daughter Describes Family Life in a Detention Camp, 1942 A Japanese-American Student Recalls the Relocation Order, 1942 A Resident of Manzanar Internment Camp Looks Back on Her Wartime and Postwar Experiences, 1940s Wartime Newlyweds Exchange Love Letters, 1943-1945 A Women War Worker Describes Work and Family Life, 1944 A Child Care Worker Discusses Her Trials and Triumphs, 1944-1946 ESSAYS Valerie Matsumoto, Japanese Families and Japanese American Daughters in World War II Detention Camps William M. Tuttle, Jr., Children and Families During World War II 11. The 1950s: Family Life in Modern America DOCUMENTS Dr. Benjamin Spock Offers Advice to New Parents, 1946 Americans Describe Marriage and Family as Necessary to Happiness, 1960 Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan Bemoans the Breakdown of the Black Family, 1965 Adrienne Rich Recalls Cultural Promotion of Motherhood in Cold War-Era America, 1976 Marge Piercy Describes a Woman's Response to an Unplanned Pregnancy Before Roe v. Wade, 1982 ESSAYS Elaine Tyler May, Visions of Family Life in Postwar America Rickie Solinger, Illegitimacy and Adoption: Black and White Teen Mothers, 1945-1965 12. The New Immigrant Family, 1965 to the Present DOCUMENTS An Immigrant Daughter Describes Population Control in Puerto Rico in the 1950s A Puerto Rican Remembers the Move to New York City, 1951 An Elderly Vietnamese Man Despairs of Parent-Child Relations in the United States, 1989 Ba That Explains Changing Power Dynamics in the Vietnamese American Family, 1989 ESSAYS Maura I. Toro-Morn, Puerto Rican Women and Their Families in Chicago Nazli Kibria, Vietnamese Parents and Children in Philadelphia 13. Family Politics in Late-Twentieth-Century America DOCUMENTS The U.S. Supreme Court Defines Women's Right to Choose Abortion, 1973 The National Right to Life Committee Opposes Abortion, 1974 Sociologists Make Predictions About Family Life in the Next Millennium, 1988 Robert Bly Proposes a Cure for Modern Men's "Softness," 1990 Judith Stacey Relates "The Family Values Fable," 1999 ESSAYS Kristin Luker, Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood Robert L. Griswold, Patriarchy and the Politics of Fatherhood 14. Families and Children in Contemporary America DOCUMENTS Two Gay Men Describe Their Relationship, 1989 Kellen Kaiser-Klimist and Her Two Moms Discuss Marriage and Family, 1989, 1991 The U.S. Census Reveals Change and Continuity in Family Life, 2000 Sociologist Michael Kimmel Comments on School Shootings, 2000 Christian Parents Turn to Home-Schooling, 2001 A Toddler's Mother Criticizes "Toymania," 2003 ESSAYS Nancy F. Cott, The Meaning(s) of Marriage in Postmodern America Gary Cross, Conspicuous Toy Consumption and Modern Childhood