Orphan Trains

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A - In the mid-1800's, New York City had a large population of orphans living on the streets or in orphanages. These orphans were often children of immigrants who could no longer care for them for one reason or another. The orphanages were generally poor quality and released kids at age fourteen. A man named Charles Loring Brace started an organization to help children and introduced a European practice of placign orphans in homes in specific destinations.

B - Because there were thousands of orphans in New York City in 1850, they were sent to their new homes in midwest on trains, which were later known as "orphan trains". Many of these orphans were children of immigrants who has died, who has disease, or who were too poor to care for them. A lot of the orphans were homeless because life in an orphanage was not a much better choice, but all that changed with the introduction fo the orphan train.

C - Orphan trains began because of a man named Charles Loring Brace. When he was in Europe, he learned that orphans were often sent to differnt areas for adoption. He began the Children's Aid Society in the 1850's, and he brought the orphan train idea to the United States.

D - Around 1850, Charles Loring Brace intoduced a solution to New York City's homeless orphan problem: send the children to new homes out West. To reach their new families, orphans rode trains across the county, often without knwoing where thyer were going or why. Imagine how scared they were. Even though Brace wanted to help children, a lot of orphans ended up even more unhappy in their new homes.