Taking Children: A History of American Terror

The United States has taken children for political ends for four hundred years, including black children, Native children, Latinx children, and the children of the poor. This practice has played out on the auction block, in boarding schools, foster care systems, and anti-Communist coups. Laura Briggs' narrative shows how Central Americans were made into a population that could be stripped of their children and how every US administration has put children of immigrants and refugees in detention camps. Briggs challenges us to stand and resist.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 256 pages
\n Publication date: 10 August 2021
\n Publisher: University of California Press
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Taking Children: A History of Political Exploitation

For centuries, the United States has engaged in a practice that has taken children away from their families and caregivers for political purposes. This practice has affected various groups of children, including Black, Native, Latinx, and poor children. The author, Laura Briggs, presents a comprehensive narrative that reveals how this practice unfolded in different contexts, such as on auction blocks, in boarding schools intended to assimilate Native Americans, in the foster care system used to suppress the Black freedom movement, during US anti-Communist coups in Central America, and in the moral panic surrounding crack babies.

In a chilling account, Briggs details how Central Americans were targeted and stripped of their children, with every US administration since Reagan implementing policies that resulted in the detention of children of immigrants and refugees in camps. Despite the widespread use of these tactics of terror, Briggs challenges us to resist and stand against this historical injustice.

This book serves as a powerful corrective to American history, shedding light on the systematic exploitation of children for political gain and the need for collective action to address this issue. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of American history and the ongoing struggle for social justice.

\n Weight: 312g\n
Dimension: 139 x 287 x 18 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780520385771\n \n