ABSTRACT

The evolution of the phrase is a useful way of thinking about how Americans have understood the connection between age and sexuality. A related theme in the history of sexuality, and one linked closely to age, is that of generation. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was quite possible to live in the American colonies and be unaware of one’s age or even birthday. The rise of age consciousness occurred alongside the shrinking of the middle-class family and the increased valorization of childhood and the individual identities of children that accompanied it. One manifestation of this awareness was the spread of schooling, and especially age-graded schooling, which grouped same-aged peers in classrooms, simultaneously emphasizing and producing shared characteristics among those of the same age. To understand the development of age regulations related to sexuality, as well as the interaction between age and desire, it helps to trace a few phenomena over time.