Nineteenth century families had to deal with enormous changes in almost
all of life's categories. The first generation of nineteenth century
Americans was generally anxious to remove the "Anglo" from their
Anglo-Americanism. The generation that grew up in Jacksonian America
matured during a period of nationalism, egalitarianism, and widespread
reformism. Finally, the generation of the pre-war decades was innately
diverse in terms of their ethnic backgrounds, employment, social class,
education, language, customs, and religion. Americans were acutely
aware of the need to create a stable and cohesive society firmly
founded on the family and traditional family values. Yet the people of
America were among the most mobile and diverse on earth.
Geographically, socially, and economically, Americans (and those
immigrants who wished to be Americans) were dedicated to change,
movement, and progress. This dichotomy between tradition and change may
have been the most durable and common of American traits, and it was a
difficult quality to circumvent when trying to form a unified national
persona.
Volumes in the Family Life in America series focus on the
day-to-day lives and roles of families throughout history. The roles of
all family members are defined and information on daily family life,
the role of the family in society, and the ever-changing definition of
family are discussed. Discussion of the nuclear family, single parent
homes, foster and adoptive families, stepfamilies, and gay and lesbian
families are included where appropriate. Topics such as meal planning,
homes, entertainment and celebrations, are discussed along with larger
social issues that originate in the home like domestic violence, child
abuse and neglect, and divorce.
Ideal for students and general readers
alike, books in this series bring the history of everyday people to
life.