How Did The Romantic Reflection Surrounding Childhood?

397 Words2 Pages
During the Romantic period, a distinction surrounding childhood began to emerge. Romantic thinkers such as Rousseau and Locke rejected the Christian principles of ancestral sin and helped dictate the growing perception of childhood innocence. Their viewpoint aligned with the idea that freewill and reason were the guiding principles of human understanding. Locke extended this philosophy by asserting that the human mind was a black slate developed through the experience. (Locke, 1689) Rousseau differed in ideology solely because he believed that man was intrinsically amoral. He encouraged education that fostered these innate habits of peace and equality. (Nutbrown, 2014) This idea gave children an opportunity to transfer culpability to the parent