Child Physical Abuse
Child abuse in the United States was perpetuated by Colonial forefathers who ruled their wives harshly and used their children as workers for the fields. Colonial Christian thought recognized and encouraged child abuse through the belief that all mankind was born into original sin and thus tended toward wickedness. Some Colonial legislatures even had “stubborn children laws” which gave parents the right to actually kill their unruly children.
Child abusers were rarely held accountable for their actions, especially in cases in which parents harmed their own children. These instances were seen as private matters and were not subject to the degree of scrutiny reserved for master/apprentice abuse cases. On those rare occasions that children were removed from their homes, it was usually done because parents had failed to either provide religious instruction for or instill a work ethic in their offspring.
Despite these centuries of abuse, the physical punishment of children was not inherent to all societies. Native Americans, for example, did not physically punish their children. Rather, they cherished their children and were horrified to learn that European settlers customarily beat their own sons and daughters.
