Entering the New World, families worked to form and maintain a new home in their new home of America. Everyone worked: fathers, mothers, and children. Historically, even though the birth rate was high in the 17th century, the survival rate of those children were very low as two-thirds of children died before the age of four. Also, the average life expectancy of males during those times was just under 40 years of age. Therefore, children were handed certain responsibilities such as jobs and providing for the household at very young ages. Two groups of children were targeted the most for such jobs: orphans and children of paupers. In fact, these two specific groups were usually forced into working at very young ages either to provide for themselves or for their families. The only social provisions that was used during those times derived from the English Poor Law tradition, in which children and dependent adults were treated alike.
