Constructing American Childhood Author Talk: The Legal History of American Childhood

The Legal History of American Childhood

Did you know that an eleven-year-old child can be charged with a federal crime while in many states it’s illegal to leave a twelve-year-old home alone? 26 states allow children younger than 16 to marry while the legal drinking age remains 21. Are these age-based laws really protecting children, and if not, why do they exist? More importantly, how have these laws shaped American childhood to the present day? Historian and author of Constructing American Childhood: Age-Based Laws and the Illusion of Protection in the Early United States, Holly White will share the answers to these questions through a history of America’s first age-based laws.   

Find her on Instagram: @thechildishprofessor