In the sixteenth century adults had a pessimistic view of children, and therefore treated them harshly, while expecting many things out of them. Robert Clever, a Calvinist, whom was influenced by his religon concerning how children should be treated, points out that children are born with a "wrong doing heart" and are drawn towards evil (1). This man, of the upper class points out the lack of trust between the adult and the child, and how children need to be shown to be good via education, but that until then the child is evil. Lady Jane Grey recalls upon her experiences in the 1530's as having to be perfect around adults and having to do things to the utmost standards, or else she would have physical punishment inflicted upon her. This shows all that was expected of children and the c

In the seventeenth century, more positive adult views towards children at the time emerged, and less seemed to be expected of children, as they were given more room for error than in earlier times. As Anglican minister John Earle says, concerning children, he thinks that children are a blank notebook and that as they live, things the child sees is added to that notebook, and he is saying how children are not born evil, as previously thought in the sixteenth century, but rather children do not know of evil, so they are therefore good before they know of anything that may happen to be evil. Mothers were also encouraged at this time to breast feed their children on their own, rather than hire a nurse to do their work for them, as described in the regrets of Elizabeth Clinton in 1622. This view shows caring for the children and their need for their mothers and people around them. Lastly, Sir George Savile emphasizes the need for love shown towards the children. He says that if love and kindness is shown towards the child, that he or she will in turn respect his or her elder. Sir George Savile believes that children should get all that they want, and if they don't that they should be let down in a slow and easy manner. This shows

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Approximate Word count = 836
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)