2006-10-14 08:49:19 · 11 answers · asked by Mr. Bodhisattva 6 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Other - Arts & Humanities
Labor, high mortality, and no simple means of birth control. One of my ancestors had 15 kids.
2006-10-14 08:53:01 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes and No. Yes a farm takes many helping hands - there's plenty of constant work. But having big families wasn't restricted to farmers. Until the 1950s or so, most families were at leaset 4 children, and in rural areas many more was common. Sure, farmers hoped to have a good-size family, with a few big boys to help with the heavy chores and girls to do the gardening and cooking and so on. But it wasn't 'cheap" labour, just the farming lifestyle.
2006-10-14 08:58:32 · answer #2 · answered by Miz Teri 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah ranchers as well as farmers needed all the help they could get. Not only was it a source of cheap labor but there was also a high mortality rate back in the day.
2006-10-14 08:53:37 · answer #3 · answered by charles_e_love 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I heard it said that they had large families for labor, no form of birth control, and the high mortality rate.
2006-10-14 08:52:43 · answer #4 · answered by r_k_winters 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not in meaning to do so... Children happen along. Back in the days you refer Morals and ethics were practiced in everyday life.
Contraception was nearly unheard of for the reasons above(except in brothels with deadly results).
Anyway to answer your Q. It happened to turn out that the children took it as their way of living,heck with enthusiasm I would watch the neighbors 4 & 5 yr olds helping as thay can. I know people who worked farms was given the gifts of good health, built character,and strength. And knew the fruits of their labor. Then the goverments inacted regulations that put more and more family farmers out of the picture as they could not afford the upgrades needed to comply. USDA inspections(intrusions) where common resulting in closings. In came the corporate farms with enough money given to them as well as incentives. that pushed out even further the existence of the family farm. In came the immigrants to allow the money pigs a differing form of cheap labor, othen with the nod and a wink from our governments with the lack of foresight in all that thay do.
Certain corporations are succeeding very well to keep the citizenry dependent upon what they make and are going to all drastic measures to insure we become more dependent on their genitically Modified tasteless food. their efforts to disease the wild animals are working nicely as deer and other game are becomeing tainted with bad genitics(An ammune wasting disease). the above is from my culmination of investigation and in speaking with insiders of the modification of genes.
Alzheimers is caused directly from the mad cow disease that has been prevalent since science interviened with the natural order of life.
We are allowed Hobby farms(what a slap). My tolorance is thin. this is a little more than you needed to know,sorry i rant.
2006-10-14 09:56:41 · answer #5 · answered by BONES 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Of course. Farming was and is a hard life. The more workers you had the more successfull your were apt to be . the bottom line was making a buck it was cheaper to have a son work for you than hire a worker
2006-10-14 08:57:24 · answer #6 · answered by Peace of Mind 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They had big families for the lack of birth control....
2006-10-14 08:56:50 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Partly and partly because of the high mortality rate.
2006-10-14 08:51:20 · answer #8 · answered by Eldude 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That and also no birth control
2006-10-14 08:58:08 · answer #9 · answered by Just Askin' 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That may have been one reason, another may have been cold nights and nothing else to do.
2006-10-14 08:58:50 · answer #10 · answered by drg5609 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋