In colonial America life was fragile for everyone but it was especially so for women and children. Between illness and accidents, infant and child mortality was high. Reaching adulthood was a major accomplishment.
Without the availability of reliable contraception, married women assumed that they would have a new baby every two years for most of their fertile life. Pregnancy and childbirth killed many women, and men often buried more than one young wife. As a result of parental death and remarriage, blended families were the norm, and not infrequently children ended up living with step-parents to whom they were not related. For enslaved people there was the added burden of being sold away from their family.
For your initial post, discuss the ways colonial families were similar to our own. How did they differ? Consider things like gender roles, family structure and life style. Support your posting with specific examples.
With two other students discuss how colonial parents prepared their children to meet their adult obligations. How did this vary with socio-economic status?
