The Background of U.S. Welfare State

Ancient CivilizationsAncient 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

Druids and ancient Celts & Gauls cared for needy, orphans of illness and war

Duty of giving (tzedakah)

Right, actually a duty, to receive

Sense of justice

Jewish lawJewish law

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

ChristianityChristianity

MoralityMorality All major religions thru history have contained

some sort of charity or service in their basic belief structure

Social work is, by its nature, a moral vocation.

Public policy is made up of collective decisions that are made. Although we are an EXTREMELY diverse nation, we are able to agree on some things.

These decisions are based in histories: our religious traditions, our family traditions, our national traditions, etc.

Feudal European Feudal European SocietySociety

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.

Conditions Leading to Conditions Leading to Poor LawsPoor 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

Results of Social Results of Social UpheavalsUpheavals

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

Statute of Laborers Statute of Laborers 13491349

Unemployed had to work where they lived for anyone who would hire them at the wages fixed by law

No moving around for better work (or spreading the plague)

No charity to be given to able bodied persons

Principles Underlying Principles Underlying English Poor LawsEnglish 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

Major Features of Major Features of 1601 Poor Law1601 Poor 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