While the practice of adoption has been around for millennia, the recent history of adoption in the United States can be tracked to the 1850s, with the passage of the first "modern" adoption law in Massachusetts that recognized adoption as a social and legal process based on child welfare rather than adult interests. The 1850s also began the era of the orphan trains that relocated children from New York to live with families throughout the United States and Canada. In this section, find information on the history of adoption practice in the United States, including major Federal legislation dating back to 1974.

The Adoption History Project
University of Oregon
Provides a history of adoption practice in the United States.

Children's Bureau Historical Publications
The Maternal & Child Health Library at Georgetown University
Presents a digitized collection of U.S. Children's Bureau publications from 1912 to 1969.

Major Federal Legislation Concerned With Child Protection, Child Welfare, and Adoption

Series Title
Factsheets
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
View
Download (PDF - 453KB)
Order (Free)
Year Published
2019
Presents a summary of Federal legislation since 1974 that has had a significant impact on the child welfare field. It provides an overview of each act and its major provisions. To browse or search the summaries of acts included in this publication, visit the Major Federal Legislation Index and Search. The full text of the acts included in this publication can be found on Information Gateway's Index of Federal Child Welfare Laws. The PDF version presents an overview of the legislative history of the included acts. For a Spanish summary of the text related to the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 included in this publication, see Ley de 2008 Sobre el Promover de las Conexiones Para Lograr el Éxito y el Aumento de las Adopciones: Un Resumen.