The Orphan Train - Airs May 31st
The Orphan Train by Annie Wu
In September, 1854, the first "orphan train" carried 46 homeless children from New York City to far off homes to become laborers in the pioneer West. It was the first step in what was to become the emigration of as many as 250,000 orphan children to new homes throughout the entire United States. Widely duplicated throughout its 75 year history, the original orphan train was the creation and life project of Charles Loring Brace, a now largely forgotten man who became the father of American child welfare policy. In this one-hour documentary we will hear interviews from surviving orphan train riders as well as readings from period newspapers, letters, and journals about one of the least known, yet most significant social experiments in American history.
In September, 1854, the first "orphan train" carried 46 homeless children from New York City to far off homes to become laborers in the pioneer West. It was the first step in what was to become the emigration of as many as 250,000 orphan children to new homes throughout the entire United States. Widely duplicated throughout its 75 year history, the original orphan train was the creation and life project of Charles Loring Brace, a now largely forgotten man who became the father of American child welfare policy. In this one-hour documentary we will hear interviews from surviving orphan train riders as well as readings from period newspapers, letters, and journals about one of the least known, yet most significant social experiments in American history.
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