Childhood Of Their Own Lives Essay - 1475 Words

Gordon, Linda, Heroes of their Own Lives: The Politics and History of Family Violence, 1988 (New York, New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1988), 383. Child abuse, neglect, incest, and spousal abuse affects thousands every year, but this is not a newly discovered problem. In Heroes of their Own Lives Linda Gordon discusses the history of family violence in Chicago, Illinois from 1880 to the 1960s. Gordon is a professor of American history at the University of Wisconsin, who has written many books on women’s history. Gordon’s central argument is, â€Å"family violence has been historically and politically constructed†. Gordons purpose is to shine the light on child abuse, neglect, incest, wife abuse, and the contradictions in child protection in Chicago from 1880 to the 1960s. Before 1880 there were not many organizations dedicated to the protection of children. It was led by white, religious, middle class women who did general charity work for the ‘poor souls’. 1880, marked a change in child protection with new programs being made to protect children. Gordon uses MSPCC (Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) in Boston records through her book, they were the most influential organization in the city. They were referred as the â€Å"cruelty† by the poor and immigrants, since those two groups were greatly affected by the MSPCC, by the removal of children, imprisonment, etc. The MSPCC had no clear jurisdiction, they focused mainly on child abuse and child crueltyShow MoreRelatedChildhood Development Through Active And Participatory Socialization1393 Words   |  6 PagesChildhood can be explained as an early stage of life in which there is the existence of development through active and participatory socializatio n. 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