The Moments That Changed the Meaning of Adoption in the U.S.

With more than 100,000 American children in foster care, the goal of National Adoption Day — which falls on Saturday — may seem to be an obvious one: to raise awareness, with the aim of finding permanent homes for children who need them.

But, while adoption has been around since ancient times, the means and ends of the process have changed significantly, and that goal would not always have been part of the equation.