History of Spanking in America

Of course, spanking as a form of disciplining children goes back a long. long way, but the question is, how did it become so prevalent in America. Most Americans are not aware of it, but corporal punishment is uncommon in most advanced Western nations, and most of these people are appalled when they hear about our routine use of it. Several historians of childhood have studied this and all have agreed on the roots. Starting with the Puritans, there has been a strong fundamentalist streak in much of American religion. Basic to this theology is an emphasis on sin and the Devil. A common belief has been that when children are young - and not as smart as us adults - they are susceptible to the Devil's influence and if we do not punish them sufficiently, they may be lost forever and on the way to Hell. So we have to hurt them to dissuade them from their potentially sinful ways. In fact, a very popular Christian Fundamentalist psychologist, James Dobson, argues that spanking is not only necessary but it is good for the child. Dobson is wildly popular and has a large following. This, despite the fact that most mental health experts disagree strongly with him. A good book that will take you further into this  topic is Philip Greven's "Spare the Child."