 Adolescence was not a recognized phase of life in Plymouth colony , and there was not a single rite of passage that marked transition from youth to adulthood . Several important transitions occurred at various ages , but none marked a single " coming of age " event . As early as eight years old , children were expected to begin learning their adult roles in life by taking on some of the family work or by being placed in foster homes to learn a trade . Most children experienced religious conversion around the age of eight as well , thus becoming church members . Orphaned children were given the right to choose their own guardians at age 14 . At 16 , males became eligible for military duty and were also considered adults for legal purposes , such as standing trial for crimes . Age 21 was the youngest at which a male could become a freeman , though for practical purposes this occurred some time in a man 's mid @-@ twenties . Twenty @-@ one was the assumed age of inheritance , as well , although the law respected the rights of the deceased to name an earlier age in his will . 
