Child Labor
mark94
Arizona
One Hundred and fifty years ago, we were an agrarian society. No government programs existed. Instead, we had large families. With no birth control pills or condoms, and high infant mortality, it was not unusual for a wife to give birth to 10 or 12 children.
The children were expected to work, beginning at an early age, until they left to start their own families. Instead of 401k, parents invested in children. When the parents were too old to care for themselves ( typically in their 50s), the children were expected to support them financially.
That’s the way it still works in much of the world.
As government programs were put in place for the elderly, and wage paying jobs replaced family farms, the average number of children dropped dramatically. In fact, there are so few children, developed countries would all see declining populations if not for migration from developing countries.
I’m not convinced that this reliance on government provided retirement is 100% positive. There is something to be said for self reliance.
The children were expected to work, beginning at an early age, until they left to start their own families. Instead of 401k, parents invested in children. When the parents were too old to care for themselves ( typically in their 50s), the children were expected to support them financially.
That’s the way it still works in much of the world.
As government programs were put in place for the elderly, and wage paying jobs replaced family farms, the average number of children dropped dramatically. In fact, there are so few children, developed countries would all see declining populations if not for migration from developing countries.
I’m not convinced that this reliance on government provided retirement is 100% positive. There is something to be said for self reliance.
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16 comments
Though I would except some if they were well off.
They considered you to be old in your 50s not really because people in their 50s were a lot more frail back then but because random diseases and other things managed to kill a lot of people off before then and because at 50, they thought you were starting to be near the end of your life.
But people today probably go through more "deterioration" before they die then people back then did. Back then you probably would've caught a disease and next thing you know you're dead in three days. Because of modern healthcare, you have to become much more physically and mentally weakened before nature manages to kill you.
We can thank modern technology for a lot of things but one of the biggest is literally being able to extend our lifespans quite a bit.
He was 60 at the time so unable to build much after that.
I still tease him about not properly planning. He should have known to have 12 kids so they could take care of him. What a retard.
I do think our general health is a bit better now. It could be that people understand how some kind of regular exercise can keep you fit and healthy well into your 70s or 80s. We're also better aware of nutrition and diet and stuff like that. Take for example Tantia Bhil. An outlaw in India during the 19th century. He basically was a career criminal and he committed the vast majority of his crimes when he was in his late 40s and early 50s. In his early 50s, he was still able to run away from the police and live a life of crime. In the age he lived in, he was old, but he was still pretty physically healthy. The only reason he died was because the British hanged him, not because of natural causes.
Also keep in mind that John Adams was actually able to live to the age of 90 despite it being the 18th century. Almost nobody lived that long in the 18th century. When the Revolutionary War was first starting he was in his mid 60s. So already by the time the Revolutionary war was starting most people in his time would've been dead and he went on to become the president of the United States eventually.
There does seem to be a change in how people look at things not even that long ago. My dad says when he was 20 years old, he thought people at 50 years were old whereas I don't really think of people in their 50s as old yet. I just consider it middle aged.
People age better now. Diets change and people go to the doctor more. When I was 12, a 60 year old was old. Essentially waiting to lingerand then die. As I approach 62 I ski better and on much tougher terrain than 10, 20, 30 years. Today is a day of mourning though: I saw the first sign of crows feet. Cannot believe I am going to get wrinkles.
Compare that to today, with one or two children being raised by a single mother and no contact with their father, let alone uncles or cousins. It’s a different world.
I can agree with that, but I still don’t want to go back 150 years to live that way, we live better now than ever, more people have better lives, and the quality of life Is better for most.
Stranger to me is how a collection of folks with better than average income, are so pessimistic about life in general.
The cops were only called for the most serious offenses and rarely for domestic disputes.
Things have changed so much the memories are like looking into a different dimension.