Over
time, virtually every aspect of American family life has undergone
far-reaching transformations. The family's roles and functions,
organizational structure, demographic characteristics, emotional
dynamics, and childrearing practices have changed profoundly over
the past three centuries. So, too, have the roles of father, mother,
and children, as well as the American home, its design, furnishings,
and technology.
Since the seventeenth century, diversity has been
a hallmark of American family life. Family life has varied along
class, ethnic, regional, and religious lines.
The major events of American history--the Revolution,
westward expansion, the Civil War, industrialization, immigration,
and World War--have exerted a powerful influence on family life.
Meanwhile, such topics as adoption, childbirth, courtship, divorce,
and domestic violence have their own histories.
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