Written By AI: Selling Children In America’s Great Depression
A time when children and newborns were sold like cattle
“A big ‘For Sale’ sign in a Chicago yard mutely tells the tragic story of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Chalifoux, who face eviction from their apartment. With no place to turn, the jobless coal truck driver and his wife decide to sell their four children. Mrs. Lucille Chalifoux, who is pregnant with her fifth child, turns her head from the camera above while her children stare wonderingly. On the top step are Lana, 6, and Rae, 5. Below are Milton, 4, and Sue Ellen, 2”.
Introduction
When the country was falling apart during The Great Depression, a move to bring in money by selling off the kids was not shocking.
Some parents had no choice but to sell their children. In many cases, they did this out of desperation, as they were unable to support themselves and their families. Others had more faith in their children’s ability to get by on their own; still others just didn’t want their babies around anymore because they couldn’t afford to raise them.
The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in American history, and one that spread across the globe. In its wake, millions of people lost their jobs and millions of others were thrown into poverty. By 1933 about a quarter of the…
