Adoption of Children Act

Massachusetts, United States [1851]

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July 16, 2026

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The Adoption of Children Act was enacted in Massachusetts in 1851. This legislation marked a significant shift in adoption practices, moving away from ancient customs focused on lineage and inheritance towards a modern approach prioritizing child welfare.1

The Act required judges to ensure that prospective adoptive parents possessed the "sufficient ability to bring up the child" and that the adoption was "fit and proper". This law was a precursor to the broader adoption legislation that became more common in Europe and the United States after World War I, influenced by psychological and sociological studies emphasizing the importance of stable family life for child development.1

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adoption
…first modern adoption legislation, the Adoption of Children Act, was passed in the U.S. state of Massachusetts in 1851. It required judges to determine that adoptive parents had “sufficient ability to bring up the child” and that “it is fit and proper that such adoption should take effect.” In Great…
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…first modern adoption legislation, the Adoption of Children Act, was passed in the U.S. state of Massachusetts in 1851. It required judges to determine that adoptive parents had “sufficient ability to bring up the child” and that “it is fit and proper that such adoption should take effect.” In Great…
Read More