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Historical Overview of Social Welfare Policy in the US

Historical Overview of Social Welfare Policy in the US. Social Welfare Policy Spring 2006. Poor Laws in England, 1601. Important Principles of the Poor Laws. Compulsory taxation Local responsibility Emphasis on work Mistrust of dependency Deservingness Less eligibility.

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Historical Overview of Social Welfare Policy in the US

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  1. Historical Overview of Social Welfare Policy in the US Social Welfare Policy Spring 2006

  2. Poor Laws in England, 1601

  3. Important Principles of the Poor Laws • Compulsory taxation • Local responsibility • Emphasis on work • Mistrust of dependency • Deservingness • Less eligibility

  4. Functions of Poor Laws • Compassion • Deterrence • Control

  5. Colonial Period (1647-1776) • Indoor relief vs. outdoor relief • Special treatment of veterans

  6. Pre-Civil War (1777-1860) • Suspicion of national government • Slavery in Southern states • Industrialization and urbanization in Northern states • Response focused on reforming individuals • Almshouse predominant form

  7. Lawrence Poor Farm

  8. Civil War and after (1860-1900)

  9. The Post-Civil War South • Physical devastation • Destruction of economic base • Wounded veterans • Widows and orphans • Freed homeless blacks • Drought

  10. Transportation for refugees Food rations Hospitals and medical supplies Orphan asylums Schools for freed blacks Criticized for fostering dependency Ongoing suspicion of government Redistribution from North to South Racism Perception as radical Freedmen’s Bureau, 1865-1869

  11. Soldiers’ Home, Washington DC

  12. Charity Organization Movement Scientific approach Individual focus Private charity rather than government Social work and organization of private charities Settlement House Movement Mixed class settlements Assumption of mutual dependency Advocacy for systematic reforms Reform Movements, 1850-1900

  13. Progressive Era, 1900-1914 • Social justice through legal regulation and protection • Anti-trust legislation • Establishment of FDA • Regulation of railroads and other industries • Child labor laws • Work hour limitations for women • Mothers’ pensions

  14. Increasing Government Role • Establishment of Federal Income tax, 1913 • Shift in overseeing of poor relief • Regulatory power

  15. World War I and after, 1914-1929 • Postwar economic boom • Return to focus on individual • Veterans’ Bureau established, 1921

  16. The Great Depression, 1929

  17. The Great Depression • In 1933, one-quarter of the US labor force was unemployed • The Depression lasted for 12 years, until the beginning of WWII • Between 1929 and 1931, 30% of nation’s private charities forced to close • GNP dropped from $103 billion in 1929 to $55.6 billion in 1933

  18. Premises of New Deal policy • Scale of crisis demands federal intervention • Systematic view of poverty • Belief in efficacy of the market system • Importance of balanced budget • Keynesian theory of effective demand

  19. New Deal programs • Emergency Banking Bill, 1932 • Agricultural Adjustment Act, 1933 • Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933 • Tennessee Valley Authority, 1933 • Federal Emergency Relief Administration, 1933 • Works Progress Administration, 1935

  20. Social Security Act, 1935

  21. Social Security Act, 1935 • Old Age Insurance • Unemployment Benefits • Aid to Dependent Children

  22. World War II and Postwar Prosperity • Full employment due to war effort marked real end of depression • Elimination of New Deal work programs such as CCC and WPA • G.I. Bill of Rights, 1944

  23. Attack on public welfare • Shifting perception of adult recipients as unworthy • Shift from cash programs to service approach • Public Welfare Amendments, 1962

  24. War on Poverty • Economic Opportunity Act, 1964 • Community Mental Health Act, 1964 • Food Stamp Act, 1964 • Social Security Amendments to add Medicare and Medicaid, 1965

  25. Economic stagnation, 1970-1990 • Shift to seeing government as the problem rather than the solution • Reagan fiscal policy based on tax cuts and increased private investment • Overall diminishing role of federal government in social welfare provision

  26. 1990s to today • Contract with America • Welfare reform, 1996 • Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990

  27. Looking forward • Budget deficits and wartime expenses • Continuation of retreat from government involvement in social welfare provision • Continuation of retreat from language of rights • Significant problems that need solutions

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