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Good Intentions and Fearsome Prejudice: New York's 1876 Act to Prevent and Punish Wrongs to Children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2001

Shauna Vey
Shauna Vey
Affiliation:
City University of New York
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Abstract

During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, there was a major effort in the United States to remove child performers from professional stages. The campaign began in New York State with the passage of An Act to Prevent and Punish Wrongs to Children (1876), prohibiting children from a variety of performance venues, and subsequently grew into a nationwide crusade. The movement was spearheaded by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (SPCC) and its leader, Elbridge T. Gerry. The intense response of the theatre industry resulted in a protracted political struggle.

Type
Research Article
Information
Theatre Survey , Volume 42 , Issue 1 , May 2001 , pp. 53 - 68
Copyright
© 2001 The American Society for Theatre Research, Inc.

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