Orphan Trains

The Orphan Trains began in the 1850s and lasted into the mid 1930s. This was a controversial and also ambitious effort with the mission of rescuing poor and homeless children at a time when young children were forced to roam the streets to attempt to survive; either because they were abandoned by their parents or their parents were just unemployed. Children would pawn anything they could find, and united together in the form of gangs to avoid street violence. The increasing number of gangs became a growing concern for police officers who would often arrest children as young as five-year old, putting them in jail cells with adults. Massive immigration to the east coast in the 19^th century coupled with poor economic conditions was a large factor in this phenomena, this was extremely profound in New York. Charles Loring Brace was so horrified while visiting the city that he became consumed with the fates of these children and made it his goal to help them. He organized a team who began sending out orphaned, abandoned or destitute children on "orphan trains," accompanied by aid-society employees, in hopes of finding them loving homes. Brace founded the Children's Aid Society to arrange the trips, raise the money, and obtain the legal permissions needed for relocation. Brace is quoted as saying, “The great duty is to get utterly out of their surroundings and to send them away to kind Christian homes.” Between 1854 and 1933, more than 100,000 children were sent, via orphan trains, to new homes in rural America. Children had a wide range of experiences; some became "another member of the family", others were just "hired help", and there was also those who fled back to the east. It is also important to note that many children did not want to go in the first place and were forced to.

We see a surplus in children migration, as expected, when economic times worsen, and especially in the late 1920’s. This is where modern-day foster care derives from. I think this program was great; it saved so many children by giving them a real chance at life. The program only started to decline during the Great Depression in the 1930’s when all families were struggling and not just those on the east coast. Changing attitudes on social responsibility and especially new child labor restrictions led to the decline in the number of orphan trains.

(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/orphan/)

(http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2007-01-30/news/26781248_1_charles-loring-brace-orphan-trains-goshen)