The Background of U.S. Welfare State

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The Background of U.S. Welfare State
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Ancient Civilizations

• Babylon protection of widows and orphans
• Buddhism love and charity
• Aristotle more blessed to give than receive
• Cicero mercy on all
• Greeks and Romans helped crippled, needy, orphans
  of war

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Jewish law

• Duty of giving
• Right, actually a duty, to receive
• Sense of justice

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Christianity

• Held to Jewish tradition
• Charity important
• Need is a result of misfortune those who can
  help must do so, those who need have a right to
  receive
  
• Monasteries and hospitals sources of aid
• Bishop must protect the poor

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Feudal European Society

• Everyone had an assigned place in a stable
  community
  
• Serfs under protection of lords
• Guilds in cities helped members and others
• Church helped sick and dependent
• Relief given to community members in unusual
  cases of accident, calamity, etc.

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Conditions Leading to Poor Laws

• Breakup of feudal system
• Enclosure (for sheep) resulted in persons with no
  land to farm
  
• Black Death 1348-49
• Protestant reformation and dissolution of
  English monasteries in 1536

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Results of Social Upheavals

• Huge increases in unemployment, poverty,
  vagabondage, begging, thievery
  
• Rise of towns and cities
• Population movement labor shortages in some
  areas as landless moved from place to place

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Statute of Laborers 1349

• Unemployed had to work where they lived for
  anyone who would hire them at the at wages fixed
  by law
  
• No moving around for better work (or spreading
  the plague)
  
• No charity to be given to able bodied persons

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Principles Underlying English Poor Laws

• Punitive measures alone would not solve problems
• Poverty was an economic not personal matter
• Recognized involuntary unemployment
• State should help those who could not help
  themselves
  
• Relief should be locally administered and
  financed
  

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Major Features of 1601 Law

• Relatives first source of help
• Vagrants could be punished
• Needy people had legal right to help by local
  government
  
• 3 categories of dependents children,
  able-bodied, impotent
  
• Taxes raised to help the poor