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Concerned with humanity
John Locke: “Essay Concerning Human Understanding", 1690.
Locke (1632-1704) was a philosopher from England especially known for classical liberal thought. In the first section of this essay, he explains how no human is born with innate concepts. This leads to the idea that children, born with a blank slate, need to be taught morality and cared for. -
Concerned with knowledge and reason
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: "Emile", 1762.
Rousseau (1712-1778) was a philosopher born in Geneva, whose ideas are known to have influenced the French Revolution. In "Emile", he promoted the education of young children by their mothers in an effort to encourage the inclination for reason and knowledge in young people, an important idea during the Enlightenment. -
Concerned with profit and industry
Edward Holme: Interview with House of Lords, May 22, 1818.
Edward Holme (1770-1847) was an Enlgish doctor who practiced in Manchester. On May 22, 1818, he was interviewed by the House of Lords on the subject of the health of children who worked in the cotton factories. He denied that any of the children were in bad health, despite working for twelve hours non-stop. This illustrates the justifications given for allowing child-labour in the 19th century. -
Concerned with the effects of profit and industry
Charles Dickens: "The Adventures of Oliver Twist", 1846
Dickens (1812-1870), was an English novelist and social critic who as a child worked in a factory when his father was sent to prison. In his novel, he shows the horrors of the workhouses and the streets where many children were forced to live. His novel is an example of the backlash againt child labour and other effects of industrialization. -
Concerned with national unity
Jules Ferry: Laws of 1882, France, March 28, 1882.
Ferry (1832-1893) was a French republican statesmen, known for his promotion of the secular state and of colonial expansion. In 1882, When he was minister of public instruction and fine arts, he passed laws making primary education for French youth mandatory, and set out a curriculum for them which would instill in them the knowledge and skills of good French citizens. This was part of a larger effort mold children in the national image. -
Concerned with race
Heinrich Himmler: "Reflections on the Treatment of Peoples of Alien Races in the East", May 25, 1940.
Himmler (1900-1945) was a military commander in Germany and a head member of the Nazi Party, in charge of the "final solution". In this secret memorandum that he handed to Hitler, he detailed a plan to assimilate children to the German race by sending them to schools and indoctrinating them to be obedient. This was part of a larger attitude that saw children as moldable to state purposes.
