Over the course of American history both the experience of childhood and our understandings of childhood have changed radically. Children have been bought and sold as slaves, hanged as convicted witches, and purchased slaves themselves. A century ago many children were sent "out to work" at ages that our society now defines as too young even to be left alone in the house. Common experiences of modern middle-class American childhood--summer camp, secondary school, and organized youth sports teams--are recent additions to American life. Through reading works of history and autobiography we will explore American childhood and what attitudes toward specific groups of children reveals about American society. This course is an EDI course; as such, we will consistently study groups of children that differ by race and class. In addition, we will interrogate the category of childhood and debate its universality and usefulness. Does the experience of childhood help to "unify" diverse groups of people?