Newspaper Coverage of Child Emigration through the Children’s Emigration Homes from 1872 to 1895
Abstract
From 1872 to 1895, the Children’s Emigration Homes, under the care of Birmingham philanthropist Dr. John T. Middlemore, facilitated the emigration of children to a receiving home and sent them to live in Ontario as domestic servants and agricultural labourers. Newspapers played an important role in promoting child emigration as a viable solution to reduce poverty in Great Britain by rehabilitating the public perception of child emigrants from a drain on the taxpayer to a benefit to Canadian communities. Newspaper coverage focused on several key themes: the transformation of a child’s character; the success of the organization’s mission; organizational accountability; and the consequences of leaving these children in Birmingham. This thesis analyzes the CEH’s presence in the public discourse through newspapers, alongside other child emigration advocates, to turn child emigration from a fringe policy into a mainstream practice during the Child Emigration Movement.