Time lines
Historical Events
Influencing Time Period of The Orphan Trains, Orphan Train Rider, Train
To Somewhere, and the “Orphan Train Children” Series:
1804
President Thomas Jefferson orders the Lewis and Clark Expedition team on May 14th to chart a course from St. Louis, MO to the Pacific Ocean. Westward expansion begins.
1841
First emigrant wagon leaves for California.
1849
“Gold Rush” leads 80,000 people (prospectors) to head west.
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***Over
2,600,000 immigrants enter the U.S. in the 1850’s—primarily from Ireland and
Germany.
1850
New York City’s population reaches 500,000. 30,000 are homeless children roaming the streets.
1853
Charles Loring Brace founds the Children’s Aid Society in New York. It is devoted entirely to the needs of poor and homeless children.
1854
The first orphan train leaves New York and transports children to Michigan.
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**Orphan Trains pull into more than 30 states throughout the U.S. in the 1860’s. 3,000 children find homes yearly. This is severely needed, because the Civil War tears the nation apart.
1861
First transcontinental telegraph line completed.
1862
Homestead Act approved: grants free family farms to settlers.
1869
Transcontinental railroad completed.
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**The Civil War leads to a depression throughout much of the 1870’s. During one period in 1874, over 90,000 homeless people slept in the New York City Streets.
Mid-1870’s
Sisters of Charity is founded by Sister Irene to help place primarily toddlers and infants into loving homes. Spawns the “baby train” era.
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1890
Charles Loring Brace dies, but the Children’s Aid Society continues. During the year of his death—36 states, one territory, Canada, and Europe for a total of 2,851 children sent out. The year before, over 4,026 children were sent out.
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**The orphan trains continued to flourish for the next three decades primarily from events such as World War I, the Great Depression, and influenza outbreaks in New York city (during 1918 and 1919).
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1929
Due to many factors (lack of funding, increased regulation of the railroads, changing attitudes on how poor families should be treated by the government) the orphan trains are shut down.
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1996
500 known orphan train riders were still living. It is estimated that 2 million people are descendants of orphan train riders.
Historical Civil Rights Events
Occurring During
White Socks Only Time
Period:
1954
Brown v. Board of Education overturns Plessy v. Ferguson; segregation deemed illegal in United States.
1955
Rosa Parks of Montgomery, Alabama refuses to give up her seat on the bus to a white rider, defying southern custom at the time. Parks is jailed and it causes massive boycotts by African-Americans (lasts nearly a year). Boycott is spurred on by a young civil rights leader--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
1957
King becomes president of the clergy-led Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Group’s goal is to have civil rights for all people—regardless of color.
1960
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College students begin sit-ins designed to end segregation at southern lunch counters. Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee is (SVCC) formed.
1963
SVCC launches major campaign in Birmingham, Alabama. Protests between them and police gain national sympathy. Prompts President John F. Kennedy pushes for new civil rights legislation.
AUGUST 28, 1963: King leads 200,000 people in March on Washington. Delivers his famous “I have a dream” speech.
1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws segregation in public facilities and racial discrimination in employment and education.
1965
Civil rights march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery ends in police
attacking protesters with clubs and tear gas. News
documents “Bloody Sunday” and more sympathy is given to civil rights leaders in
the south.
Voting Rights Act of 1965 greatly increases number of southern blacks able to register to vote.
1968
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated on the balcony of a Memphis, Tennessee motel.
Guatemalan Historical Events Occurring around Out Of The Dump’s Time
Period:
1962-1970
1970-1980
**A 1976 earthquake kills 25,000 people and creates over a million homeless people—all from the poorest sector of the population. This creates even more social inequality between the rich and poor.
** The United States cuts off aid to Guatemala, citing human rights violations due to continuing unrest/violence between Guatemalan community leaders and their people.
**On Jan. 31, 1980, several Guatemalan Embassy staff members and 39 peasants are murdered when the government burns down the embassy after a seemingly peaceful protest by the Committee for Peasant Unity (CUC).
1980-1985
**Starting in 1981, Guatemalan army destroys over 400 villages in the country’s highland region. By the mid-1980’s, an estimated 50,000-75,000 people have been killed or disappeared and 200,000 fled to Mexico.
**In 1982, government establishes a system of model villages, forcing peasants to live under army control. Males serve the government by protecting the villages from guerrilla soldiers.
**Guerillas oust leader Rios Montt in a 1983 coup and war ensues.
**New Guatemalan constitution written in 1984 and elections are held the following year.
**President Reagan officially resumes economic and military aid to Guatemala in 1985.
1985-1994
**In 1985, Vinicio Cerezo wins presidential election and establishes formal democracy in Guatemala.
**Dec. 2, 1990---soldiers massacre 13 villagers in Santiago Atitlan. United States (once again) suspends military aid to Guatemala.
**Early 1991—Jorge Serrano Elias becomes new president. After Elias’ election, United States agrees to release $50 million of economic support funds from ten-month freeze.
**May 1993—President Serrano Elias attempts to suspend the constitution and close down congress. He is forced to flee the country.
1994-PRESENT
**United Nations gives Guatemala internal verification of human rights; However, political violence continues and major social inequalities (between rich and peasants) exist in the country today.
