Unit 2 - History and Theories of Childhood Development Flashcards
What is Childhood
State or period of being a child between infancy and adolescence
Indigenous Childhood
Children were not a burden because childcare was a collective task in the kin group
Roles of males and females were clearly dlineated.
Boys became adults when they completed a task of adult significance ex: killing moose
Girls became adults when they began menstruating
Right of passage
Ceremonial recognition for achieving adulthood
The European experience 1200-1500
Children depicted as miniature versions of adults
Often died of illness and disease
Seen as property - slavery, killed, abandoned
No education but learns the family trade
The European experience 1500-1800
Christianity = Children must be protected and instructed.
Depicted as:
Angels,
Childlike
Shown with games and play.
History of Children in Canada
Disciplined, strong work ethic, protestant religious child-rearing practices.
Looked to indigenous people for help raising their kids/living
More freedom and less punishment, encouraged independence and self reliance
Girls took child-care roles, boys helped cut trees, farm, and hunt.
Church
Roman Catholic Church directed education for settlers
Boys learned latin so some could become priests
Girl’s options were marriage or entering a religious order
Each Family was expected to produce at least one nun and priest in every generation.
Families in pioneer Canada 1900
Life expectancy was low, infant mortality was high, midwifes
The European experience 1800-1900
Schooling, private tutoring, and religious training for the wealthy. Distinct differences between upper and lower classes.
Lower class: Not given formal education, worked with adults (industrialization, factories, hazards, death)
Higher class
Early settlement
Children worked with their parents on farms, family trade, or business.
Public schooling became available in most provinces in the 1890s.
Students faced discrimination if they speaked non-Canadian languages.
