America's French Orphans
Mobilization, Humanitarianism, and the Protection of France, 1914–1921

An exploration of how Americans evaded neutrality by sponsoring 300,000 children of France's war dead between 1914 and 1921.

Emmanuel Destenay (Author)

9781009517898, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 13 June 2024

308 pages
23.6 x 16.1 x 2.1 cm, 0.59 kg

'Destenay's incredibly well researched story is a fine intervention in how Americans were mobilised to give humanitarian assistance - with a focus on a new, sympathetic population: children. … Destenay must be loudly applauded for consulting over one hundred different archives, and for making incredibly good use of digitised local newspapers to discover how these philanthropies played out at the local level.' Brett A. Berliner, First World War Studies

During and after World War I, two humanitarian organizations galvanized the support of American men, women, and children to provide for France's children. Between 1914 and 1921, the Committee Franco-American for the Protection of the Children of the Frontier (CFAPCF) and the Fatherless Children of France Society (FCFS) capitalized on the generosity of Americans who believed that supporting a French child in need was seen as a moral and patriotic duty. Through a network of twenty-eight colonies – private homes and estates loaned for this specific purpose – the CFAPCF rescued, sheltered, and cared for children from invaded and occupied war zones, while the FCFS asked Americans to sponsor France's children of the war dead. Combining cultural, political, and diplomatic history, Emmanuel Destenay charts the rapid growth of these organizations and brings to light the unparalleled contribution made by Americans in support of France's children in time of war.

Introduction
1. Rescuing and sheltering: the wartime colonies
2. Mobilizing support for France's fatherless children
3. Defending the future of France
4. Writing in wartime
5. Peace, remobilization, and memorialization
6. Rebuilding devastated France
Conclusion how (and why) Americans (and their children) answered France's call
Appendices
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: History of the Americas [HBJK]