Describe the economic and social conditions in 1854 at the time the Orphan Trains first started rolling west?
The people in New Yolk were poor and living in low standards. At time one small room of 12 by 10 feet would house two women and five children at once. Many of the children were jobless and unskilled. Even those that were skilled would not escape poverty as their skills had little practical use.
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The children were homeless and most of them living in the streets without food or shelter and sought food from the streets by begging. There was disregard to childhood where adults were locked in the same cells as children.
Desperately poor, neglected, children were shipped out of New York City by the thousands to the Mid-West farming country where they were to be provided good homes and care. However, we know there was a ‘dark’ side to this program! (1) What were the reasons destitute children were sent to the mid-west? (2) What were some unforeseen consequences of the Orphan Trains?
The Orphan Trains transported children from the city in search of a better life in the west. They were purposed to give the homeless children from the eastern cities a home. The program was set up to give orphaned children families in the rural Midwest.
Some of the unforeseen consequences include family separations. Most of the brothers and sisters were placed in different homes and never saw them again. Abuse and mistreatment by foster families was also an issue. Some of children would not be allowed to go to school, they were overworked and were restricted to their homes ( Ardelean, 2017 ). The orphans were discriminated in school, they were not allowed to attend birthday parties and sometime could not walk or talk with other children.
How did American society’s view of childhood change over time?
Many things have change in the view of childhood since the era of The Orphan Trains. The foster care system no longer place children to foster home by auctioning. The children are no longer viewed in financial value where some families preferred children who could work in their farms. The children are provided by their parent as opposed to those days when children feed themselves by borrowing in the streets. Orphans are no longer viewed as a plague like in those days when they were discriminated. Education in children has also developed where all children are required to attend schools. The regard to childhood has changed as children are no longer locked together with adults in cells.
Foster care programs as a part of DCF are responsible for abused and neglected children. Is the system today similar or different to the time of the Orphan Trains? (2) Explain your view point.
The foster care program is different and has evolved since the era of Orphan Trains. These programs have a better funding and more agents than that of those days. There is proper supervision and more visits as opposed to those days when a foster child was visited once per year. There are more ways to communicate with foster care agents in case of mistreatment or displeasure.
Name an additional observation you made about the film and share it with the class.
Even though there were challenges in the Orphan Trains era of children placement program, the program had a lot of positive results. Most of the children had a life changing experience when they boarded the train. They had a positive upbringing and provisions they did not have in the cities. They write letters of appreciation, gratitude and expression of satisfaction. A large number of the children did well and grew up to become credible members of the society, with some even rising to top leadership positions.
References
Ardelean, J. (2017). Sylvia Mignon: Child Welfare in the United States: Challenges, Policy, and Practice.
