An American History of Aging and Attitudes
In the days of Pilgrims and Puritans, and the struggle to settle the eastern seaboard, few people lived to see old age. When they did, they were highly respected. To age was to overcome death, so senior citizens were heroes. No one was considered “over the hill” in colonial Amerika. Men of age, because they had weathered the storms of life and become, supposedly, moderate and wise, were preferred in colonial politics. Young colonial Americans wanted to look older, and some wore white wigs in an effort to conceal their youth. Clothes were designed to be just as concealing; men`s coats had narrow, rounded shoulders, and britches were broad in the hip and waist.
A family`s land was the measure of its wealth. The father usually held on to it, well into his old age, while his sons worked the land for him. The youth of colonial America obeyed their elders.
Attitudes changed with growth of the new nation. The expansion of the frontier brought opportunities for the young to leave father and home. Pioneers in the wilderness became the new American heroes. The growth of cities and the rise of industry created a larger job market, making it possible for young people to build lives independent of their families, to accumulate wealth, and to gain power and prestige. Youth became the time of life for recognition through personal accomplishment.
The authors and poets of the United States, like those in Europe had done for centuries, both lamented and praised the aged and aging. Was old age a gift, a curse, or both? Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “We do not count a man`s years until he has nothing else to count”. Longfellow wrote, “For age is opportunity and no less...Than youth itself...”.
Reference :
Barash D: Aging. An Exploration, Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1983.
Farrell J : Nursing Care of the Older Person, J.B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, 1990.
