During the early 19th century, there was a dramatic increase in the population of many east coast cities, as a result of immigration. As more immigrants arrived, there was more competition for low paying jobs. Often, children were removed from their families because their parents were unfit to support them. The number of homeless children exponentially increased. During the mid-19th century, the Children’s Aid Society was founded to provide support for impoverished children. It sent orphaned children to desirable homes in the mid-west which was known to be the emergence of the Orphan Train Movement. Unfortunately, the goal to help all homeless children find respectable homes was not achieved. Rescued children became victims of exploitation …show more content…
It was considered to be controversial in the attempts to rescue homeless children. Brace believed that “the best of all asylums for the outcast child is the farmer’s home... to send them away to kind Christian homes” (CAS 10). One of the controversial aspect of this movement was the dehumanizing nature of the entire process. The exploitation of homeless children was the result of the lack of concern for their wellbeing. Children were often treated as objects ready to be shipped to their new owners. Adopters would sent requests for a specific kind of child and any child that matched the description would be delivered and a “receipt” would be sent to the family (Trammell). Children were also paraded around like objects and animals, being “prodded, looked at, felt and asked how many teeth they had” (Scheuerman).This auctioning- atmosphere parallels back to the time of slave trade. The auctioning of children contradicts the Christian beliefs that built the foundation of children welfare. The recognition of “the little ones of Christ” (Brace) did not exist but rather, the children were mistreated. The demand for orphan train riders is the result of the need for cheap labor, particularly in the west. Often, many families’ motives for adopting were not for good intentions; they saw the children as cheap labor, a disguised form a child slavery. Another part of the dehumanizing process is the designated trial period in which during the time allotted, people were able to decide whether or not to keep the child. This further shows how children were treated like objects. The process of “adoption” as a whole was corrupted because there was a lack in attention to details. There was mishandling in paperwork and there was not thoroughness in background checks of families. Attitudes towards orphaned children seemed nonchalant because there was a lack of concern for