Family Life: The Road Through History
Check out the resources below to help you explore how daily life and family roles have changed through history.
1600s
Colonial times were very different, but families were still very important. Families taught children rules, expectations, and things that they would need to be successful and productive in life. Each family member had an important role, although the roles were different based on whether the family was rich or poor.
In poor families, the father was in charge. He would make the rules and be the main person to give consequences. He would also be in charge of teaching and guiding religion, as well as making money and providing food for the family, often by hunting and fishing. They would typically be farmers. Other than giving consequences, the father would not do much with raising children. When the kids got older, he would teach the boys how to do the family job and he would find husbands for the girls.
Mothers in poor families would raise the children, cook, clean, do laundry, and take care of other chores in the house. They might also help to take care of crops and animals if they had a farm.
Sons of poor families would often not attend school, at least not year round. Their top responsibility would be helping out on the farm or with the family business. They would also help with hunting and fishing. If they had free time, they would play games that would be similar to bowling and baseball.
Daughters of poor families would help with chores and learn to cook and sew. They would also help take care of younger brothers and sisters. In free time, they would play with homemade dolls.
Grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. would often live in the same house or close by.
The roles in wealthy families would be slightly different. Fathers would be running the family business instead of farming. Mothers would have servants to do the chores and nannies to take care of the kids. They would be in charge of the servants and the nannies and make sure that everything got done that needed to be done. They would also arrange and attend social functions. The sons would go to school, sometimes even going to boarding schools in England. When they finished school, they would work in the family business. Daughters would have tutors, and might even go to school. They would also go to social functions with their mothers and learn how to be a proper lady.
Colonial times were very different, but families were still very important. Families taught children rules, expectations, and things that they would need to be successful and productive in life. Each family member had an important role, although the roles were different based on whether the family was rich or poor.
In poor families, the father was in charge. He would make the rules and be the main person to give consequences. He would also be in charge of teaching and guiding religion, as well as making money and providing food for the family, often by hunting and fishing. They would typically be farmers. Other than giving consequences, the father would not do much with raising children. When the kids got older, he would teach the boys how to do the family job and he would find husbands for the girls.
Mothers in poor families would raise the children, cook, clean, do laundry, and take care of other chores in the house. They might also help to take care of crops and animals if they had a farm.
Sons of poor families would often not attend school, at least not year round. Their top responsibility would be helping out on the farm or with the family business. They would also help with hunting and fishing. If they had free time, they would play games that would be similar to bowling and baseball.
Daughters of poor families would help with chores and learn to cook and sew. They would also help take care of younger brothers and sisters. In free time, they would play with homemade dolls.
Grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. would often live in the same house or close by.
The roles in wealthy families would be slightly different. Fathers would be running the family business instead of farming. Mothers would have servants to do the chores and nannies to take care of the kids. They would be in charge of the servants and the nannies and make sure that everything got done that needed to be done. They would also arrange and attend social functions. The sons would go to school, sometimes even going to boarding schools in England. When they finished school, they would work in the family business. Daughters would have tutors, and might even go to school. They would also go to social functions with their mothers and learn how to be a proper lady.
1700s
1800s
- http://www.ducksters.com/history/civil_war/life_during_the_civil_war.php\
- http://www.historyforkids.net/daily-life.html.html
- https://ctlsites.uga.edu/hist2111-wolf2015/2015/11/17/effects-of-the-civil-war-on-gender-roles-and-family/
- http://civilwar.mrdonn.org/dailylife.html
- http://essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/the-home-front-north-and-south.html
1900s
World War I
World War I
- http://jarredjoly0.tripod.com/id2.html
- http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/impact-ww1-on-america.htm
- http://www.ushistory.org/us/51b.asp
- http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1692.html
- https://prezi.com/x_rx6axty0gc/average-american-family-home-life-during-wwii/
- http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snprelief1.htm
- http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/active_learning/explorations/children_depression/depression_children_menu.cfm
- https://livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/life_20.html