Chapter 2 Visual: Orphan Trains
This photo from 1904 shows boys heading to Texas on an “Orphan Train” Americans used to send roughly 250,000 homeless or abandoned children from the East Coast to the Midwest for foster care between 1853-1929. Impoverished living conditions in cities such as New York and Jersey City caused many parents to die young or to abandon their children. Government officials and private philanthropists wanted to solve the social problems caused by gangs of children roaming city streets committing crimes. Many children found loving foster homes, but oral histories suggest that some children were treated more as workers for the farm. What consequences can you imagine to this solution?
Senator Jeff Sessions
- Here are examples for Analyze Question 3:
- Example claim of fact: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act in 1935.
- Example claim of value: The U.S. government should give financial support to help elderly Americans cover basic living expenses.
Poverty, Inc. Documentary
- Explores the reasons why poverty exists and how global aid plays a role.