National Florence Crittenton Mission
Encyclopedia
The National Florence Crittenton Mission was an organization established in 1883 by Charles N. Crittenton
. It attempted to reform prostitutes and unwed pregnant women through the creation of establishments where they were to live and learn skills.
The first of the organization's homes was located in New York City. Just seven years later, in 1890, the second Florence Crittenton Home was opened in San Jose, California. Shortly thereafter, pioneering female physician Dr. Kate Waller Barrett joined Charles Crittenton as the driving force behind the organization and helped expand the Crittenton movement into a network of affiliated homes that at its peak included 76 homes across the U.S., in addition to homes in China, France, Japan and Mexico.
This turn-of-the-century social welfare movement helped shape the professionalization of social work, and changed social attitudes about motherhood and the role of women in society. Dr. Barrett's views on the education and training of women were considered radical at the time, but these ideas were adopted into the services provided to young women and girls at many Crittenton homes.
A special act of Congress in 1898, signed by President McKinley, granted a national charter in perpetuity to the National Florence Crittenton Mission, and was the first U.S. national charter ever given to a charitable organization. The headquarters of the national mission was in Washington, D. C.
The largest work of the mission was carried out in New York City
.
In 1950, there were two organizations associated with the original mission: the National Florence Crittenton Mission and the Florence Crittenton Homes Association, which had its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. In 1976, the Florence Crittenton Association of America merged with the Child Welfare League of America. The Florence Crittenton Mission continued to provide financial support to the Crittenton Division of the Child Welfare League.
In 2006, The National Florence Crittenton Mission adopted a new name: The National Crittenton Foundation. The organization separated from the Child Welfare League of America and returned to being a stand-alone organization affiliated with dozens of Crittenton-affiliated agences around the country. The National Crittenton Foundation's headquarters are located in Portland, Oregon
.
The National Florence Crittendon Mission's approach to adoption
and to unwed pregnancy has been criticized. Rather than to aid pregnant women, families sent them to Crittendon homes to hide them from public view and avoid shame. Women in these homes were required to give up their children for adoption. The coercive practices of these homes were detailed in The Girls Who Went Away
.
Charles Nelson Crittenton
Charles Nelson Crittenton was an American philanthropist, born in Adams, Jefferson County, New York He went into the drug business in New York City in 1861; but after 1882, when his five-year-old daughter Florence died, he devoted his time and wealth to the establishment of the Florence Crittenton...
. It attempted to reform prostitutes and unwed pregnant women through the creation of establishments where they were to live and learn skills.
The first of the organization's homes was located in New York City. Just seven years later, in 1890, the second Florence Crittenton Home was opened in San Jose, California. Shortly thereafter, pioneering female physician Dr. Kate Waller Barrett joined Charles Crittenton as the driving force behind the organization and helped expand the Crittenton movement into a network of affiliated homes that at its peak included 76 homes across the U.S., in addition to homes in China, France, Japan and Mexico.
This turn-of-the-century social welfare movement helped shape the professionalization of social work, and changed social attitudes about motherhood and the role of women in society. Dr. Barrett's views on the education and training of women were considered radical at the time, but these ideas were adopted into the services provided to young women and girls at many Crittenton homes.
A special act of Congress in 1898, signed by President McKinley, granted a national charter in perpetuity to the National Florence Crittenton Mission, and was the first U.S. national charter ever given to a charitable organization. The headquarters of the national mission was in Washington, D. C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The largest work of the mission was carried out in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In 1950, there were two organizations associated with the original mission: the National Florence Crittenton Mission and the Florence Crittenton Homes Association, which had its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. In 1976, the Florence Crittenton Association of America merged with the Child Welfare League of America. The Florence Crittenton Mission continued to provide financial support to the Crittenton Division of the Child Welfare League.
In 2006, The National Florence Crittenton Mission adopted a new name: The National Crittenton Foundation. The organization separated from the Child Welfare League of America and returned to being a stand-alone organization affiliated with dozens of Crittenton-affiliated agences around the country. The National Crittenton Foundation's headquarters are located in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
The National Florence Crittendon Mission's approach to adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
and to unwed pregnancy has been criticized. Rather than to aid pregnant women, families sent them to Crittendon homes to hide them from public view and avoid shame. Women in these homes were required to give up their children for adoption. The coercive practices of these homes were detailed in The Girls Who Went Away
The Girls Who Went Away
The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade is a 2006 book by Ann Fessler which describes and recounts the experiences of women in the United States who relinquished babies for adoption between 1950 and the Roe v...
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