AP Euro Today 10/30AP Euro Today 10/30• Outcome:Outcome: What What

was childhood like was childhood like in early modern in early modern Europe (1500s-Europe (1500s-1800)? Book 1800)? Book review: “Little review: “Little People”People”

• A strange 19A strange 19thth century custom century custom that shows us life that shows us life was getting better was getting better for children.for children.

You read last night about You read last night about an “illegitimacy an “illegitimacy

explosion”explosion”• This problem emerged as more This problem emerged as more

young people left farm villages young people left farm villages and went to the cities for and went to the cities for industrial or domestic work. industrial or domestic work. Freed from the constraints of Freed from the constraints of their farm villages, young men their farm villages, young men who got a young woman who got a young woman pregnant now simply pregnant now simply disappeared.disappeared.

How was early modern How was early modern childhood childhood dangerous?dangerous?

With no father to support With no father to support her and her child…her and her child…

• Young mothers Young mothers abandoned their abandoned their babies. This babies. This became became commonplace after commonplace after 1750.1750.

• It’s a theme you It’s a theme you might have seen in might have seen in Disney’s Disney’s Hunchback Hunchback of Notre Dame.of Notre Dame.

One response to this One response to this problem was the problem was the foundling home.foundling home.

• St. Vincent de Paul is responsible for beginning them—orphanages for babies-- to save the lives of abandoned French infants.

• But up to 90% of Paris foundling home babies died.

Childhood was Childhood was dangerous in early dangerous in early

modern Europe.modern Europe.• Children were beaten—even in the

homes of the nobility.• Death rates of children aged one to

five were appallingly high.• Children worked as laborers in

factories and coal mines, where the work was extremely dangerous. This is a theme in many of Dickens’s novels, like David Copperfield.

Lady Jane Grey, in the Lady Jane Grey, in the 1530s:1530s:

• “When I am in the presence either of father or mother, whether I speak, keep silent, sit, stand or go, eat, drink, be merry or sad, be sewing, playing, dancing, or doing anything else, I must do it, as it were, in such weight, measure and number, even so perfectly as God made the world, or else I am so sharply taunted, so cruelly threat ened, yea presently sometimes with pinches and bobs*, and other ways I will not name for the honor I bear them, that I think myself in Hell…

• *blows with the fist

Lady Jane was the “Nine Lady Jane was the “Nine Days’ Queen” overthrown Days’ Queen” overthrown

and beheaded by Mary and beheaded by Mary TudorTudor

• If conditions were like this for a child of royal blood, what must they have been like for a peasant child?

Some historians Some historians argue…argue…

• That childhood, as you and I know it, didn’t even exist. Children were treated as miniature adults—only, because of their size, they were easier for, say, factory managers to intimidate.

A coal mine; a textile millA coal mine; a textile mill

But we begin to see But we begin to see evidence that children’s evidence that children’s

lives are improving…lives are improving…

• Thanks to a new invention in the 19th century.

The first known The first known photograph was this one, photograph was this one,

taken in 1826taken in 1826

By the mid-By the mid-1919thth Century, Century, photography photography became became affordable for affordable for the middle the middle class—like for class—like for this country this country lawyer, a first-lawyer, a first-term term Congressman, Congressman, in 1846:in 1846:

These photos were called These photos were called daguerreotypesdaguerreotypes, after the , after the man who pioneered the man who pioneered the

processprocess• The subject’s image

was exposed—it took a long time, because the shutters were so slow—onto a glass plate.

• Many of the photos we see from the American Civil War used this technique.

In Mid-Victorian In Mid-Victorian (1840s-1860s) (1840s-1860s)

Europe and Europe and America, America,

photography of dead photography of dead children became children became

common. Here are common. Here are some examples:some examples:

Samuel Samuel Charles Charles

Stowe, sixth Stowe, sixth son of the son of the author of author of

Uncle Tom’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Cabin. His His

mother called mother called him “my him “my sunshine sunshine child.” He child.” He

died of died of typhoid fever.typhoid fever.

This one This one always always

moves me. moves me. Look at Look at

the eyes of the eyes of this young this young

mother.mother.

Willie Lincoln’s death in Willie Lincoln’s death in the White House in 1862…the White House in 1862…

• Devastated his father—Devastated his father—Willie was the son who Willie was the son who most resembled most resembled Abraham—thoughtful, Abraham—thoughtful, sensitive, extremely sensitive, extremely intelligent.intelligent.

• Mary Lincoln began to Mary Lincoln began to show the instability show the instability that would lead her, that would lead her, eventually, to a home eventually, to a home for the insane.for the insane.

Thinking like a Thinking like a historian…historian…

• How are these heart-How are these heart-breaking—and very strangebreaking—and very strange—photographs, as well as —photographs, as well as

the way the Lincolns the way the Lincolns reacted to Willie’s death, reacted to Willie’s death, an indication that life is an indication that life is

actually getting actually getting betterbetter for for children by the mid-1800s?children by the mid-1800s?

How does this chart show that How does this chart show that life’s improving for children by life’s improving for children by

the mid 1800s?the mid 1800s?

Wait! Does life expectancy Wait! Does life expectancy mean that people are mean that people are actually living longer?actually living longer?

•Partly. What’s more important is that it means fewer people are dying—especially babies and children.

Global population: Global population: Because of more and Because of more and

better food, look at what better food, look at what happens around 1800! happens around 1800!

That means those That means those children are growing up children are growing up

and having babies of and having babies of their their own.own.

Why does this growth Why does this growth happen? We’ll see why in happen? We’ll see why in two chapters. For now, two chapters. For now,

the quick answer?the quick answer?• Food production Food production

before 1750before 1750• Food production Food production afterafter 1750 1750

Better nutrition Better nutrition means…means…

• Nursing mothers who Nursing mothers who are healthier.are healthier.

• Therefore, Therefore, babiesbabies who who are healthier and more are healthier and more hardy.hardy.

• So, because of So, because of agriculture, childhood agriculture, childhood death rates in Europe death rates in Europe begin to fall begin to fall dramatically.dramatically.

Before this revolution in Before this revolution in agriculture…agriculture…

• Half of a couple’s children would die before they reached adulthood. Most of those died before they were five.

• We would be horrified at the cold way many Europeans treated their children.

• But there’s a reason for this: How attached can you become to someone who is quite likely to die? What emotional impact would it have on you if you did?

So why can parents, by the So why can parents, by the 1800s, 1800s, commit commit to getting to getting

more emotionally attached more emotionally attached to their children?to their children?

The answer, amazingly, The answer, amazingly, has everything to do with has everything to do with

improved diets.improved diets.• Because losing a

child becomes rarer than it had been before about 1750, losing one in 1850 is a terrible tragedy. Parents are heartbroken.

So these strange So these strange photographs…photographs…

• Show us that Show us that parents parents hadhad committed committed themselves themselves emotionally emotionally to to their children.their children.

• They loved them They loved them so much that so much that they didn’t want they didn’t want to let them go.to let them go.

The rest of the class is The rest of the class is yours…yours…

Job 1: Finish the Job 1: Finish the reading/book reading/book review “Little review “Little People”People”

Job 2: Job 2: Begin the HW, Begin the HW, 666-71, 666-71, “Childhood “Childhood and Education”and Education”

My Mom and me, 1952My Mom and me, 1952

• I think I had that same dazed look on my face 21 years later during a biology final in college.