From the first colonial settlements to the Civil War, many changes have taken place within American society. Increasing industrialization in the North and the increase in large-scale agriculture, along with the reliance on slave labor in the South, led to socially accepted values ​​and lifestyles that were very different from those that were common in the early colonies. In both of these societies there occurred a shift from a subsistence community existence to an existence based on the market and wages. These changes are reflected nowhere more distinctly and comprehensively than in individual “microcosms of society”: the American family. Definitions of what constitutes a family have changed over time in response to the functions it is expected to perform. In the early days of colonization, the family unit was more of a domestic unit. They had to perform all subsistence functions and often involved nonrelatives as family members and made minimal distinctions between such relatives and kin relationships. Marriage was essentially a practical arrangement that allowed two adults to share the labors of keeping themselves alive while contributing to the greater good of the community. They would produce offspring for this purpose; children were functional members of the family who helped with household chores from a young age. There was little need for love and affection to keep families together, they had no choice but to remain together in mutual dependence. As the production of goods began to move out of the home in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, family and community lost some of their power over the increasingly private lives of individuals. Divorce became more acceptable, socially and legally, and consequently more common. When families moved elsewhere... middle of paper... a cohesive economic unit by necessity. Slave families created broader definitions of kinship, because the realities of life in slavery did not allow them much control over their family lives. Ultimately, Native families resisted, but often succumbed to, the forces of social change imposed on them by the conquerors of their land. The most dramatic changes in family life occurred among those who enjoyed wealth and status, where a change in economic circumstances was reflected by a dramatic change in family structure. The family lives of other groups similarly reflected their circumstances during this time period, meaning they did not change dramatically in the same way. All families were affected by the economic transformation in one way or another, but overall each family group continued to reflect its own particular economic and social situation..