Child Welfare Trends in the United States During the First Half of the Twentieth Century: Programs in Health, Education and Social Services Resulting From Five White House Conferences, 1909-1950

Marie Leo O'Brien, Fordham University

Abstract

In her book, Unto the Least of These, Emma Lundberg refers to the twentieth century as "The Century of Promise" and states that in its early years it was spoken of as the century of the child. To understand why this our country has earned this title we must first learn what led to this emphasis on the child as this period and then follow the decades as they unfold to determine if and how well our focus has been kept on the child and his problems.And now for a backward glance to discover how trends in child care led to the types that were prevalent at the beginning of this era.There were the children in the manorial community cared for according to their status under the feudal system. With the downfall of feudalism it was considered a step forward for the waif and stray child to be indentured or bound out to some person whose duty it was to give him at least a minimum of food and a roof under which he belonged.

Subject Area

American history|Public administration|Social work

Recommended Citation

O'Brien, Marie Leo, "Child Welfare Trends in the United States During the First Half of the Twentieth Century: Programs in Health, Education and Social Services Resulting From Five White House Conferences, 1909-1950" (1957). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30509589.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30509589

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