Evolution of the Teen

When thinking about possible topics for the upcoming essay, I was most intrigued by the perception of teenagers throughout the short history of the United States. It seems little attention was paid to the transition time between childhood and adulthood during the early years of our country. It was viewed, rather, as a time when children were able to make a more significant contribution to the labor force or as an additional hand to help with farm work.

I am interested to discover just what changes were happening in our American society that led to more insightful perceptions of the teenager, as well as uncovering other forces that were forging this new awareness, including significant events and people. Although the evolution of the teen is probably far from over, it is interesting to see the effects of these different perceptions on teens, as we are able to examine its effects as time passes. It's almost if society is the petri dish that is turning out variations on the teen. As always, history is a very good teacher, and a lot can be learned by looking back.