Jameka K. Sayles
In the Puritan communities of the New England colonies, babies were esteemed as reminders of God's grace or on the other hand the strategies of the devil. The baby's delivery would take place at home in what was known as the inner room. In this room, midwives and other experienced women of the community would assist the mother in giving birth to the child. After the birth, the mother and child would remain in that area until the mother was well enough to go out in the other parts of the main house. One in every thirty mothers would lose their lives in the delivery process or in other words one in every five mothers died due to complications of childbirth. (Demos, 131)
From the day of birth, the baby was up against many challenges to his survival. The infant mortality rate was high due to several factors. Laws of sanitation were unknown and viewed as unnecessary. Disinfect ion was limited to the sprinkling of vinegar. Childhood diseases such as smallpox, influenza, sore throats, or other contagious diseases spread as a result of this poor sanitation methods. (Glubok, 96)
Within days of a child's birth, the infant was named and baptized in the meetinghouse. Summer
babies were more fortunate than those born in winter. The ice that formed in the christening bowl had to be broken in order to baptize the child. (Glubok, 96) Puritans took much pride in naming their children. The name of the child held much significance. The significance stemmed from the bible, prophecy, and morals. Parents hoped that the child would live up to the name's meaning.
-
As babies, they were placed in wooden or wicker cradles. The cradle of Peregrine White, the first child of Plymouth, is one of the authentic surviving artifacts from the Mayflower. Perhaps for a short period of time the baby slept with the parents. After a few months he may be moved with a sibling to a "trundle bed." If the child was from a wealthy family, he might be covered with an embroidered silk blanket inscribed with scripture.
-
The baby's clothing was limited to linen smock. Boys and girls wore the same clothing throughout most of their early childhood. It was light and did not serve to limit the child's movement. They were also covered in several wool blankets and placed close to the fire for warmth. The baby was entirely fed with breast milk. Therefore the baby was very close to the mother, which created a bond of intimacy. The babies were fed in this manner for up to one year, thus causing the birth of siblings to be spread over two years. Lactation could cause problems with conception. (Demos, 133)
The first year of the child's life was, for the most part, calm and easygoing. A large family probably surrounded him with several siblings.
As the child was learning to walk, he was placed in a go-cart standing stool. These walkers helped babies take their first steps but could only travel back and forth.
-
"Surely there is in all children (though not alike) a stubbornness and stoutness of mind arising from natural pride which must first be in the first place broken and beaten down so that the foundation of their education being laid in humility and tractable ness and other virtues may in their time be built thereon" (Demos, 135)
-The Reverend John Robinson, a mister at Plymouth.
The above quotation is the basis upon which most of the "philosophy" of child rearing was based upon in the New England colonies, namely Plymouth. Adults believed that children were to be humble and submissive. Adults believed that children were born with a sin nature that must be broken. This nature was based upon the original sin of Adam and thus has been passed along to every generation. Temptations were all around and therefore children needed to fit against the sin nature in order to strive to improve themselves at all times.
-
Parents and other adults began to "break the child's will" beginning somewhere around the age of one and two years. (Demos, 135) Also at this time, the child was being weaned from the mother's breast milk. Parents began to establish limits all in the effort to break the child's aggressive and assertive nature. Just before this time period, parents were very eager and nearly forceful to make the child walk. They believed that by the child being on all fours, he was too close to the animal kingdom. Parents were diligent in training the children to walk as soon as possible.
-
As the baby entered childhood, strict lessons on behavior and courtesy were taught. The biblical commandment of " Honor thy father and mother…" was taken very seriously. Children were admonished to have the utmost respect of their parents in the presence of other adults. Adults began teaching children courtesy in order to prepare them for their future lives as adults in the community. There are several accounts of lawsuits for the seeming petty reasons of slander, lying, name calling, jeering, etc. (Glubok, 104)
-
Whippings and beating were used in extreme cases. Just as the child was to respect their parents, parents also had several responsibilities to their children. Parents were to meet the basic needs of the children in the areas of physical health, welfare, and education. (At various levels) If parents did not follow through on their responsibilities they were subjected to fines or in some instances children were taken away and placed in the care of some else to become an apprentice.
-
Children were expected to contribute to their families in the form of working. Children began working as early as age four or five. Small children helped by weeding flax plants. The work of girls was closely related to the home and the wok of her mother. Girls learned to sew, knead bread, an assist in the childcare of younger siblings. Boys worked mostly outdoors by way of caring for animals and crops. Boys also used jackknives to carve wood into spoons, bowls, and breadboards.
-
Formal education was not available for every child in colonial New England. For the children that did attend school, it was very different form today. Children that did attend went after early morning work was completed. The Puritans thought that learning was very important. They believed that the devil tricked people by keeping them in ignorance. Education was tool to fight the temptations of evil. (Samuel, 27)
-
In Massachusetts, reading viewed as being so necessary that early laws were put in place to see that each community taught this basic skill. The Massachusetts law of 1642 stated,
"…See that all youth under family government be taught to read perfectly in the English tongue, have knowledge in the capital law, and be taught some orthodox catechism, and that they be brought up to some honest employment, profitable to themselves and to the commonwealth."
(Frost, 51)
A dame school was common during early colonial days. A woman, usually a widow, would gather a few children in her house to teach them reading and some writing while she continued to complete her daily household work. In the one room school, there were no blackboards, maps, or globes. Lead pencils were not introduced until 1761. Children wrote with feather pen using ink made from walnut oil. Every child was expected to bring a log to keep the fire burning. The log was a way of paying the teacher for her services and also to keep the classroom warm.
-
Paper was so scarce that students learned their fundamental skills by using a hornbook. The hornbook was a wooden paddle with a piece of paper tacked to it. The paper contained the alphabet, simple combinations of vowels and constants and a prayer. A thin layer of cow horn protected the paper. Students traced over the letters with a sharp stick until they memorized each letter. Children learned mathematical concepts with a game called ninepin.
-
After the students mastered the hornbook, they moved on to The New England Primer. It was used throughout New England for over one hundred years. The book began with the alphabet. The letters were illustrated with a biblical reference. The letters and pages were filled with biblical advice to help children lead a virtuous life.
-
The schoolmasters were very strict disciplinarians. When he entered the room, all of the children were to rise from there seats. His authority was never questioned. He disciplined the children freely in various ways. Children were whipped with hickory or willow branches. The teacher often used forms of humiliation. They were forced to wear card that stated their crime. A boy who did not complete his math assignments was labeled as an idler. A girl that turned around to talk to a child behind her was called a "Pert-Moss-Prat-a-Pace."(Samuel, 28)
-
Between all the work, bible lessons, and schooling, children still found time to just be kids! They played games like marbles, flying kites, bowling, ring toss, walking on stilts, sack races, Blind Man's Bluff, and spinning tops. There was really no such thing as being an adolescent/teenager. The word adolescent has only been used for about the past 75 years. (Demos, 145)
-
Children were expected to following their parent's footsteps. Children usually left school once they were able to read, write, and do basic math. At that time, many left to become apprentices. The child was bound legal to serve under his master for a number of years. The apprenticeship lasted about four to five years but could last until age twenty-one. The master was responsible for teaching a trade. Boys learned to be blacksmiths, printers, shoemakers, or cabinetmakers. Girls learned trades like weaving and dressmaking.
-
A few young men were able to continue on to higher education. A man was thought to be educated if he had a knowledge of Latin and maybe Greek. Boys were required to recite long passages even if they had no idea of the meaning. The study of these languages was seen as improper for girls.
