"Special article" in honor of the bicentennial year 1776-1976.

During this bicentennial year it is worthwhile to review the history of children who have suffered from mental illness during the course of America's movement from a small colony to a major "superpower." The lesson to be found in the history of these children suggests that perphaps our major priorities were not the mental health of children. Hopefully America's next bicentennial celebration will reveal a more enlightened attitude and concern for emotionally disturbed children.