1. Historical Overview of Social Welfare Policy in the US Social Welfare Policy Spring 2013

2. Poor Laws in England, 1601

3. Important Principles of the Poor Laws Compulsory taxation Local/family responsibility Emphasis on work Mistrust of dependency Deserving vs. undeserving categories 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. Freedmen’s Bureau, 1865-1869 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

11. Soldiers’ Home, Washington DC

12. Reform Movements, 1850-1900 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

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. 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