Orphan Trains

Between 1853 and 1929, a quarter of a million children were shipped on trains to the rural Midwest of the United States from Eastern cities.

They were packed into trains and shipped off to to towns where they were often put on display, singing/dancing for interest adoption parents.

" In its early days, some abolitionists viewed it as a form of slavery, while some pro-slavery advocates saw it as part of the abolitionist movement, since the labor provided by the children helped to make slaves unnecessary."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_trains#History