family life in antebellum america?

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antebellum

Answer 2

The US economy was still largely agricultural in most all states,that means but the first rush of the Industrial Revolution was being felt, largely in the northern and Eastern states. The south with cotton, indigo, rice and other staple crops had a variety of labor and land owner division. There were the great slave working plantations. Boys were educated, many sent away to school if it could be afforded. At least one son was expected to take interest in and help run the plantation. It was a plus though to have a son 'lawyerin' or an officer in the military. Most of the men belonged to some form of local militia and there was a lot of interest in politics in the South. Women were the workhorses, responsible for the daily running and overseeing of the entire domestic life, including gardening and small fowl or sheep raising. Girls were trained in the intricacies of managing the planation's households. In order to do this they had to learn basic reading writing and mathmatics Women were responsible for the training of slaves to both domestic and household duties, slaves, cooked, spun, wove, gardened and provided man power to keep a general household running. But the wife of planatation owner and her daughters were responsible for seeing all this happened.
In smaller holdings, all members of the family were frequently expected to lend a hand in some aspect of farm labor, be it harvesting and perserving vegetables and fruits for the winter, spinning and weaving and sewing clothing. Many time the entire family, include slave labor turned out to 'bring in the harvest' on which their survival depended. Education was spotty, boys were taught the basics of writing, reading and arthrimitic, girls, if they received any schooling at all, were taught at home.

Answer 3

More folks were farmers, I know that!