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The First Family in the New World
Family was seen as an integral part of the larger society and was a little commonwealth of the larger society, governed by the same principles of hierarchy and deference as the larger society. The family’s main function seems to be concentrated on socializing their children and providing emotional support and affection. The Children learned Bible verses, the mother would do chores around in the house, and the husband would go hunting or chop wood. Family life was harsh. -
Colonial Family Life in the 1700's
It educated the young and cared for the sick, disabled, and elderly. It was the first and most basic unit of government.The families were considered godly and performed their duties around a very religious centered view of the world. During this time, the father was the master of the house, the wife would still teach the children and clean the house, and the children would study and learn their father's occupation. Family life have improved, but was still harsh. -
Family Life on the Frontier
Family life on the Frontier was harsh. Families had to build their own shelter and it frequently took more than one year as crops were the first consideration so a family could eat and have money to trade for needed supplies. Diets were very limited. Women there were "working" women. The expectation was that everyone in a family worked as hard as possible to complete that tasks to secure necessary food, shelter and materials needed for survival. Family life seemed to degrade during this time. -
Family In the 1900's
By the beginning of the 19th century, the families of Iroquois Indians, black slaves, and Chesapeake planters had all successfully met the challenge of establishing stable families in an unsettled environment, not replicating New England families, but rather keeping their own distinctive rules and customs. It is this combination of continuity and change that stands out as the most striking characteristic of family change during the colonial period. Family served as a kinship system in this era. -
The Start of the Great Depression
When they weren't working, families found time to have fun, with each other. With little money to spend on entertainment, families enjoyed new board games such as "Monopoly" and "Scrabble" which were first sold during the 1930s. Families got together to play card games such as whist, pinochle, canasta and bridge. To save money, families neglected medical and dental care. Many families sought to cope by planting gardens, canning food, buying used bread, and using cardboard or cotton for shoes. -
The Effects of the Great Depression
The Depression had a powerful impact on family life. It forced couples to delay marriage and drove the birthrate below the replacement level for the first time in American history. The divorce rate fell, for the simple reason that many couples could not afford to maintain separate households or pay legal fees. But rates of desertion soared. -
Families it Post World War II
Life in the United States began to return to normal. Soldiers began to come home and find peacetime jobs. Industry stopped producing war equipment and began to produce goods that made peacetime life pleasant. Since after the war, there has also been an increase in babies, thus it being named, the Baby Boom. -
The 1960's
The proportion of children growing up in “traditional families” in which the father is the breadwinner and the mother is a full-time homemaker. Dramatic social changes taking place in sexual values and in women’s and young people’s lives would undermine the patterns of early marriage, large families, and stable divorce rates characteristic of the postwar era. All these factors, also affected educational institutions. -
The Groovy 70's
The divorce rate rose immensely. To a growing number of Americans, parenthood has become an increasingly frightening prospect, one that requires specialized skills and outside help. There were fewer working mothers, so more moms were able to be home with and for the children, and meal time was more family time, instead of fast food take out. Also, not having constant outside interruptions (cell phones, email, etc.) helped keep things more simple, and families communicated better with each other. -
The 1980's
The main form of entertainment in the house is television computer activities and listening to music are also popular. The reading of books, and playing of card and board games are less popular.Television came and brought families together to watch TV shows such as MTV and Nickelodeon.Families lead increasingly busy lives in the 1980's and became a fundamental change. -
The New Millenia
During this era, families divorced more often and had even less children. However, children stayed at home more often and both parents would find a job to attend to. Children were entertained by popular new things such as Pokemon, games such as the Nintendo 64 and the Playstation, and cartoons on TV.
