Search Results for: social work

Origins of the State and Federal Public Welfare Programs (1932 – 1935)

The history of public welfare in the United States has been one of continuing change and growth. Prior to the 1900’s local governments shared with private charitable organizations major responsibility for public assistance or as it was often termed, “public relief.” As the nation’s economy became more industrial and the population more concentrated in urban areas, the need for public relief often grew beyond the means, and sometimes the willingness, of local public and private authorities to provide needed assistance. During the Progressive Era, some state governments began to assume more responsibility for helping the worthy poor. By 1926, forty states had established some type of public relief program for mothers with dependent children. A few states also provided cash assistance to needy elderly residents through old-age pensions.

Poor Relief in the Early America

Poor Relief in Early America by John E. Hansan, Ph.D. Introduction Early American patterns of publicly funded poor relief emerged mainly from the English heritage of early settlers. The policies and practices of aiding the poor current in England when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts were shaped primarily by the Elizabethan Poor Laws of…

English Poor Laws

English Poor Laws: Historical Precedents of Tax-Supported Relief for the Poor In 1601, England was experiencing a severe economic depression, with large scale unemployment and widespread famine. Queen Elizabeth proclaimed a set of laws designed to maintain order and contribute to the general good of the kingdom: the English Poor Laws. These laws remained…

Employment Services: A Brief History

President Warren Harding called a Conference on Unemployment in 1921. This Conference, of which Mr. Herbert Hoover (at that time Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce) was chairman…In commenting on the need for such a service, Secretary Hoover said, “One of the causes of ill will that weighs heavily upon the community is the whole problem of unemployment. I know of nothing [more important] than the necessity to develop further remedy, first, for the vast calamities of unemployment in the cyclic periods of depression, and, second, some assurance to the individual of reasonable economic security–to remove the fear of total family disaster in loss of the job. . . . I am not one who regards these matters as incalculable. . . There is a solution somewhere and its working out will be the greatest blessing yet given to our economic system, both to the employer and the employee.”

Jane Addams’ and Rev. Edgar Murphy’s Views on Child Labor Reform in 1903

Introduction: At the 1903 annual meeting of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections held in Atlanta, GA May 6-12, an entire section of presentations was devoted to child labor issues. Miss Jane Addams, Director of Hull-House, Chicago, IL presented the first paper: “Child Labor and Pauperism.” In the second presentation on child labor Rev….

Aid for the Aged (OAA) 1935

Title I of the 1935 Social Security Act created a program, called Old Age Assistance (OAA), which would give cash payments to poor elderly people, regardless of their work record. OAA provided for a federal match of state old-age assistance expenditures. Among other things, OAA is important in the history of long term care because it later spawned the Medicaid program, which has become the primary funding source for long term care today.

Burns, Lucy

Lucy Burns (1879 – 1966) – Suffragette and Militant Activist on Behalf of Women’s Rights Introduction: Lucy Burns was an American suffragette and women’s rights advocate. She was a close friend of Alice Stokes Paul. Together, they formed the National Woman’s Party, the militant wing of the women’s suffrage movement that utilized picketing and…

Brace, Charles Loring

Charles Loring Brace (June 19, 1826 – August 11, 1890): Congregational Minister, Child Welfare Advocate, Founder of the New York Children’s Aid Society and Organizer of the Orphan’s Train Introduction Charles Loring Brace was born into a well-connected New England family. At the time of his birth, his father, John Brace, was principal of…

Barton, Clara

Clara Harlowe Barton (December 25, 1821 – April 12, 1912) — Teacher, Humanitarian, Nurse, Founder of American Red Cross Introduction: Clarissa Harlowe Barton was born in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Her father, Captain Stephen Barton, was a farmer, horsebreeder, and respected member of the community. Her mother, Sarah, managed the household and taught Barton the…

Ball, Robert M.

Robert M. Ball: Social Security Pioneer A Personal Remembrance by Larry DeWitt Editor’s Note: Larry DeWitt is the public historian at the U.S. Social Security Administration. He is the co-editor of Social Security: A Documentary History (Washington, D.C., Congressional Quarterly Press, 2008). Late in the night of January 29, 2008 Robert M. Ball, a leading figure…