Heavy Burdens on Small Shoulders

Download or read book Heavy Burdens on Small Shoulders written by Sandra Rollings-Magnusson and published by University of Alberta. This book was released on 2012-06-11 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on children’s work on family farms in western Canada, an “absolutely fascinating . . . marvellously fresh account of the lives of prairie pioneers.” —The Calgary Herald The phrase “child labour” carries negative undertones in today’s society. However, only a century ago on the Canadian Prairies, youngsters laboured alongside their parents, working the land, cleaning stovepipes, and chopping wood. By shouldering their share of the chores, these children learned the domestic and manual labour skills needed for life on a Prairie family farm. Sandra Rollings-Magnusson uses historic research, photographs, and personal anecdotes to describe the kinds of work performed by children and how each task fit into the family economy. This book is a vital contribution to western Canadian history as well as family and gender studies.