Adoption was recognized by Roman law but not by common law . Statutes first introduced adoption into U.S. law in the mid-19th cent.
Adoption is generally a judicial proceeding, requiring a hearing before a judge.
An adopted child generally assumes the rights and duties of a natural legitimate child. The natural parents have no right to control an adopted child, nor have they any duties toward it, but in some states the child does not lose the right to inherit from them. In many cases children are adopted by relatives. Most adoptions are of the same race. Transracial adoptions are controversial, pitting issues of culture and heritage against the need of a child for a stable parent-child relationship as early in life as possible, regardless of race.