Good for Whom? Olmsted, Parks, and Public Good
Adding Contexts of Settler Colonialism and Systemic Racism
Democracy for Whom?
Contextualizing Social Reform Movements of Olmsted and his Peers
Critical Inquiry: Who did American democracy include in Olmsted's time? Who did it exclude?
Who do you think today's American democracy excludes?
When do you think social reform becomes another iteration of racism and colonization? Who would you want to include when proposing social reforms?
Charles Loring Brace, Olmsted's close friend and peer, is a controversial figure. Considered a founding father of adoption and foster care, he created a system which removed children from Northeastern urban areas to be placed with Midwestern families, often as laborers. Some children deemed orphans by the state did in fact have parents and families and were separated from their families of origin via his Emigration Plan.
This StoryMaps project created by Creighton University student Maddy Cromidas uses historical data sets from New York Children's Aid Society to illustrate where children from Boston and New York City were relocated across the Midwest. Cromidas' project does not include discussion of Brace's racism, anti-immigrant sentiment, or any criticism of his facilitation of child labor and family separation.
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