Social Welfare History Project jhansan Page 64

Booth, Maud Ballington

Maud Ballington Booth (September 13, 1865 – August 26, 1948) – Co-founder of Volunteers of America, Advocate for Prisoners and Their Families and Inaugurator of the Volunteer Prison League NOTE: This entry is about the life and contributions of Maud Ballington Booth, a co-founder of Volunteers of America. It was excerpted from the…

Boys & Girls Clubs

This entry is about the history and contributions of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Howard University School of Social Work

Howard University School of Social Work, Washington, D.C. By Angelique Brown, MSW Historical Context The establishment of a social work education program at Howard took place during a critical period in American history. A time of social and financial unrest, it coincided with the Great Depression of the 1930s and, the enactment of the Social…

Mental Health America – Origins

In 1908, Clifford Whittingham Beers published his autobiography “A Mind That Found Itself.” The publication chronicled his struggle with mental illness and the shameful state of mental health care in America. In the first page of his book, Beers reveals why he wrote the book: “…I am not telling the story of my life just to write a book. I tell it because it seems my plain duty to do so. A narrow escape from death and a seemingly miraculous return to health after an apparently fatal illness are enough to make a man ask himself: For what purpose was my life spared? That question I have asked myself, and this book is, in part, an answer….”

Beers, Clifford Whittingham

This entry is about Clifford Whittingham Beers, the founder of Mental Health America and a pioneer in advocating for improved treatment of mental illness. It was excerpted from the booklet “Clifford W. Beers: The Founding of Mental Health 1908-1935” produced by The Human Spirit Initiative, an organization with a mission to inspire people to desire to make a difference and then act on it. Note: Michael Gray, working with Ted Deutsch, Deutsch Communications Group authored the narrative from which this entry is taken.

Orphan Trains

Between 1854 and 1929 the United States was engaged in an ambitious, and ultimately controversial, social experiment to rescue poor and homeless children, the Orphan Train Movement. The Orphan Trains operated prior to the federal government’s involvement in child protection and child welfare. While they operated, Orphan Trains moved approximately 200,000 children from cities like New York and Boston to the American West to be adopted. Many of these children were placed with parents who loved and cared for them; however others always felt out of place and some were even mistreated.

Scudder, Vida Dutton

Vida Dutton Scudder (Dec. 15, 1861, Madura, India—Oct. 9, 1954) — Educator, social worker, author, social gospel movement activist By Angelique Brown, MSW Introduction: Vida Scudder was involved in social change inside and outside of the Episcopal Church. A self described class-conscious and revolutionary socialist, she spent a large part of her life attempting to…

Children’s Bureau – A Brief History & Resources

Written by Angelique Brown, MSW. The early 1900’s was a time in which the United States was attempting to change it stance on child labor and end abusive child labor practices. As more advocates started to address the issue, they recognized that the federal government was not yet fully engaged in addressing the physical or mental well-being needs of children

Mott, Lucretia Coffin

Lucretia Coffin Mott (January 3, 1793 – 1880) — Quaker, Abolitionist, Woman’s Suffragist. By Angelique Brown, MSW Introduction: With a supportive Quaker community, husband and family Lucretia Mott was able to combine her work on behalf of women’s rights and the abolition of slavery. A strong advocate on both issues, she was confident in her…