How Prisoners Contributed During World War II
Prisoners not only supported the war effort in surprising ways during World War II, they fought and died in it.
A Century of History in Five Hawaiian Prison Newspapers
Hawaiian language and culture are emphasized throughout, ranging from before statehood and during martial law to modern day women's prisons.
To Get Help for Sick Kids, Mothers Wrote to Washington
In the 1930s, mothers wrote to the US president and the federal Children’s Bureau asking for support for their sick children. They rarely received help.
Origins of Child Protection
Legend has it that the campaign to save abused children in New York was driven by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The truth is more complicated.
The Feminist History of “Child Allowances”
The Biden administration’s proposed “child allowances” draw on the feminist thought of Crystal Eastman, who advocated “motherhood endowments” 100 years ago.
Indentured Servants and The Domestic Economy
Many 18th-century households included not only relatives and slaves, but also indentured servants, people sold into bondage for a specified length of time.
Tracing Orphans in Your Ancestry
Modern-day DNA research is beginning to unlock longstanding mysteries regarding orphans.
Our Obsession with Orphans: A Short History from Jane Eyre to Annie
Little Orphan Annie is the latest in a sequence of pop culture foundlings, but America’s orphans of the Great Depression weren’t endearing at all.
Can Part-Time Jobs Be Good Jobs?
Brandeis University researcher Hilda Kahne argued for a more thoughtful approach to part-time jobs in a 1994 issue of Social Service Review