The Change in Family and Civic Dynamics between 1650–1800

There was expansion of Atlantic trade during 1650 and 1800 which brought about great change in the involved regions which included Europe, America, and Northern and Western parts of Africa. This duration experienced growth in slave trade which involved capturing of Africans and transporting them to Westerns nations as laborers. This resulted to distraction of families where family members were separated. The sailors also left their families to explorer and expand their trades internationally. The main catalyst of change was desire for colonists to accumulate wealth from their colonies for themselves. There was also development of industries and mechanization that resulted to ability to expand agricultural activities and more labor to handle the manufacturing process. Industrialization and development new transportation system resulted to migration of people, mostly men to urban areas in search for jobs or for trade purposes. This resulted to separation of families in western nations with the role of raising kids being delegated to women as men concentrated on trade and formal employment (Inikori, 2002). There was also increase in inter-relation between people of different regions. Although intermarriages were not common, people, there was interrelation from people of different regions resulting to birth of mixed raced children. The development of urban centers resulted to emergency of municipality form of governance where the landlords and owners of the industries ruled over laborers. People focused their life more on improving their economic and financial status to be able to acquire a position in the society. There was development of classes, with those with massive wealth forming the upper class, those offering services were lower class whose fate lied on the upper class and slaves who never had any rights. This duration thus introduced great changes in the society, especially due to high level of migration at local and international level (Morgan, 2001).

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