“the Raw Materials of History: Childhood in Puritan New England”

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“The Raw Materials of History: Childhood in Puritan New England” 1.) Based on the evidence in the primary sources I believe the most important characteristics of Puritan childhood were the clothes they wore, parent-child relationships, and church. Sources one and two are portraits of Puritan children, like professional photos today the children back then were portrayed with nice clothing on and some times jewels. Often times that is not what they wore everyday though, Puritan children were often dressed in simple clothing: light in color and constructed with fabrics. Source one is a girl named Elizabeth Eggington and source two is a boy named Henry Gibbs but the outfits they are wearing are very similar. In Source three Samuel Mather wrote a letter to his father at the age of 12, I think the letter shows how mature he is for his age and that Puritan children were forced to grow up really fast. Parents began to establish limits all in the effort to break a child's aggressive and assertive nature. Parents were to love and respect their children, although strict discipline was also enforced. It was not uncommon for parents to employ whips or belts to discipline children. Source four demonstrates what happens to a child if they disobey their father or mother. Source ten shows the duty of children toward their parents. Children, likewise, were to honor their parents and obey without question. As the years go on Puritan families start to raise their children different that is evident between source six (1690) and source nine (1719), both sources practice Christianity. Parents in source six do not believe children should be governed or nurtured when practicing Christianity but in source nine they do believe their children should be governed, restrained and reproved. 2.) Some children would respond to the expectations place on them by disobeying their parents,
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