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Sisters of Mercy

From: With Good Reason
Length: 00:28:56

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In a little known chapter of American history, hundreds of thousands of Irish Catholic children were taken from their families in New York City and sent West by train to live with Protestant families. Read the full description.

Orphantrain1_1__small The contributions that Irish nuns made to help destitute immigrant Catholic children in New York City were instrumental in developing modern American social institutions like foster care and welfare. Maureen Fitzgerald says before the nuns aided these children, they were being sent to live with Protestant families outside NYC, often never seeing their parents again. Also: Cindy Hahamovitch compares the history and experience of guest workers in the United States to other countries.

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Piece Description

The contributions that Irish nuns made to help destitute immigrant Catholic children in New York City were instrumental in developing modern American social institutions like foster care and welfare. Maureen Fitzgerald says before the nuns aided these children, they were being sent to live with Protestant families outside NYC, often never seeing their parents again. Also: Cindy Hahamovitch compares the history and experience of guest workers in the United States to other countries.

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