Explore the history of American social reform and social services 

The Social Welfare History Image Portal brings together photographs, pamphlets, artifacts and documents chronicling the history of the nation's response to human need. This history includes the work of volunteer organizations, reform movements, social workers, and government legislation and systems.

Featured Items

Bethany Home for Friendless Children, Chesterfield, VA

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Lucy and J. R. F. Burroughs founded the Bethany Home for Friendless Children in 1894. The childless couple established the orphanage on their 165-acre…

Anti-School Busing Protest, February 1972

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Black and white photograph of a man and a woman in a car during an anti-busing motorcade to Washington, D.C. The car is driving past the U.S. Supreme…

Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story

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Educational comic book published by the Fellowship of Reconciliationfollowing the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The comic book advocates for…