Childhood in history

  • Pederasty
    630 BCE

    Pederasty

    The date it was introduced is not very certain according to historians but it was basically a relationship between a young adolescent boy and an adult man who did not belong to his immediate family. It emerged as an aristocratic tradition of education and moral training.
  • Period: 384 BCE to 322 BCE

    Aristotle

    Aristotle in many of his writings speaks of children's education, for example in Policy, book VII, he says: "up to the age of 2 years (first period) it is convenient to go on hardening the children, accustoming them to difficulties such as cold.. In the subsequent period, up to the age of 5 years, a time when it is not yet good to direct them to study or to coercive work in order that this may not impede growth, they should nevertheless be allowed enough movement to avoid bodily inactivity."
  • Period: 323 BCE to 146 BCE

    Ancient Greece

    In classical Greece, the need for male citizens to go to school is defended, first by receiving informal instruction (until puberty: reading, writing, physical education), then by receiving formal instruction: literature, arithmetic, philosophy, science, etc.
  • Period: 27 BCE to 476

    Ancient Rome

    In Rome, liberal education loses relevance and there is much less attention to physical education and sport. The aim of education is to train good orators, "to embellish the soul of young people through rhetoric".
  • Christianism influence
    1 CE

    Christianism influence

    In the Christian faith, Jesus displays particular care and fondness towards children, thereby reinforcing the notion that childhood holds significant value as a life stage.
  • Infanticide
    301

    Infanticide

    Children were considered the property of their parents and, therefore, like any other property, they could decide about their lives. If there was something that generated discomfort in the family, it was decided to kill them and there was no sanction, since it was a common and accepted practice.
  • St. Augustine
    354

    St. Augustine

    The widespread idea that childhood is an obstacle originates in the beliefs of St. Augustine, whose theology holds that the human being is born in sin, which makes the child a tangible manifestation of transgression.
  • Strong influence of the church.
    476

    Strong influence of the church.

    During the Middle Ages, the Church exerted a significant influence on shaping perceptions of childhood. Children were viewed as pure and requiring direction, with the Church underscoring the significance of religious instruction and baptism.
  • Period: 476 to 1453

    Middle Age

    During the Middle Ages, childhood was considered a stage of preparation for adult life. Children were educated in the arts and letters, and in some cases were sent to monasteries to be instructed in religion. However, infant mortality was high and most children did not survive beyond the age of five.
  • Period: 1301 to

    Renaissance

    There was a shift in the perception of childhood, with children being regarded as untainted and immaculate entities. This led to a focus on early schooling and the notion that children were like "empty vessels" that could be shaped and influenced through education. Additionally, there was a proliferation of toys and games tailored to children.
  • Period: 1492 to

    Modern Age

    With the development of the printing press and the popularization of children's literature, the importance of educating children and the need for a specific pedagogy for them began to be recognized.
  • Period: to

    Industrial Revolution

    With the advent of the Industrial Revolution in Europe and America, childhood underwent industrialization as well. Children were dispatched to factories and mines where they were regarded as a low-cost labor force. This led to the emergence of social reformers who championed the safeguarding of children's rights.
  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    In his work "Emilio o de la educación", proposed an education based on the needs and natural development of the child, instead of an education imposed by adults.
  • Period: to

    19th century

    In the 19th century, increasing industrialization and urbanization led to greater awareness of the living conditions of children and the need to protect them from labor exploitation.
  • Primary education

    Primary education

    A law was passed in England that made it mandatory for primary education to be provided to children.
  • the Factories Act

    the Factories Act

    In 1840, the British Parliament passed the Factories Act, which prohibited children under the age of nine from working and limited the working hours of children between the ages of nine and thirteen.
  • The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)

    The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)

    Organizations such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) were created in 1884, which worked to protect children from violence and abuse.
  • Period: to

    First years of the 20th century

    In this era, regulations were enacted to safeguard children from the maltreatment and exploitation that often accompanied labor, and state initiatives were implemented to bolster the welfare of children.
  • The Fair Labor Standards Act

    The Fair Labor Standards Act

    Resultado de imagen para The Fair Labor Standards Act was enacted in 1938, which made it illegal for most children below the age of 16 to be employed in the industrial sector.
    The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 set a national minimum wage for the first time, a maximum number of hour for workers in interstate commerce—and placed limitations on child labor. In effect, the employment of children under sixteen years of age was prohibited in manufacturing and mining.
  • United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child

    United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child

    The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 recognized childhood as a stage of life that deserves special attention and protection by society. This led to the creation of specific policies and programs for the protection of children's rights, including education, health care and protection from violence and abuse.
  • Convention on the Rights of the Child

    Convention on the Rights of the Child

    "World leaders made a historic commitment to all the world's children by adopting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, an international law that has become the most widely ratified human rights agreement in history and has helped transform the lives of children around the world."
  • Directive 2011/92/EU of the european parliament and of the council

    Directive 2011/92/EU of the european parliament and of the council

    The European Union implemented actions to safeguard children from online sexual harassment and pornography, as well as to protect them against such acts.

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