Philanthropy In Poverty

In 1879 Henry George wrote an article titled “Progress and Poverty”. In this article he discussed the ongoing industry and he stated that “the wealthy class is becoming more wealthy; but the poorer class is becoming more dependent.

There was a great willingness to keep the poor in one place and so by

The basic principles of the Elizabethan Poor Laws of 1601 were “local investigation and administration of relief, work as a component of all assistance, and categorization of the poor into three groups: the able-bodied poor, the impotent poor, and dependent children” (Day & Schiele, 2013, p. 104). Basically, creating a welfare system to help assist the poor, implementing programs to get people working, and categorizing the poor as worthy or unworthy poor. Examples of this in the present social welfare system are TANF, unemployment insurance, Social Security, SSI, and SDI. Within the TANF and unemployment program, there is a job search requirement to encourage people to find work. Also, much like the Elizabethan Poor Laws, people are categorized to receive specific benefits based on whether they can work or not, like SSI, which is for people who are currently unable to work because of old age or disability.

Between 1450 and 1700, attitudes toward the European poor changed dynamically, roughly following a three-part cycle. In the late 1400's, the poor were regarded with sympathy and compassion; generous aid from both public and religious institutions was common. By the 16th Century, however, the poor were treated with suspicion and harsh measures, to ensure that they were not becoming lazy, using welfare as a substitute for labor. Beginning in the 17th Century, the attitudes toward the poor again shifted, returning to more sympathetic views and responses, though many members of the upper-class still retained the negative outlook on the destitute of the 16th Century.

(d-11) He notes that the poor often talk about how accustomed they were to that lifestyle in that they can be independent and sleep where wherever they want because they have no worries. This view of the poor can be debated because during the mid-1500s, a peasant revolt occurred and was violently suppressed when Martin Luther expressed his distain for the stupid peasants and their misinterpretation of his teachings. In 1625, cardinal Richelieu suggested that people should give discerningly to the poor because the vagabonds were taking advantage of the situation and were being helped out by the kindhearted. (d-8)

Prior to the amendment attitudes toward the poor were changing as the Industrial Revolution caused a rapid upsurge in the number of poor. The poor were being increasingly viewed as criminals by the wealthy Upper Class and this is directly reflected in the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act. As with years previous, parliament during this

Between 1450 and 1700 the attitudes towards the European poor changed dramatically. In the 1400’s the poor were looked at with sympathy and compassion and the aid from the public and institutions was very common. By the 16th century they were looked at with suspicion and harsh measures, to make sure they were not becoming lazy using welfare as a substitute for labor. The more religious people had attitudes towards them hoping to assist them, but some with a harsher view saw them as lazy and unwilling to work hard to earn a living. During the period of 1450 and 1700 people tried to create some relief for the poor.

The Poor Law act 1601 was introduced and classified the poor into three groups, setting policies for each, the impotent poor, able bodied poor and persistent idler. It viewed poverty as the fault of the person, not their situation. Following industrialisation and a decrease in agricultural jobs, workers moved to factories working for low pay and in appalling conditions, but those needing employment outweighed the availability of such.

Before the Liberal reforms of 1906-14 the attitude of government, politicians and the members of the middle and upper classes towards the poor was summed up as ‘laissez-faire’, meaning they left them alone. They believed it was your fault if you were poor and it wasn’t the government’s responsibility to help the poor. Many of the poor’s problems like unemployment, lack of health care, and lack of elderly care became apparent in Booth and Rowntree’s surveys. The Liberal reforms attempted to change this system.

Prior to the Poor Law Amendment Act there was the Elizabethan Poor Law 1601 which was more generous towards the poor. It was becoming impossible for the government to sustain this law due to the growing costs. Statistics show that in 1802 the expenditure on poor relief was costing the government £4,078,000, this figure continued to

Many different programs were implemented for orphans throughout history. In 1656 colony’s appointed orphan masters to oversee care for the orphans within their community. The Poor Law of 1661 limits public aid people who lived in poverty were neglected assistance unless they qualified. No able-bodied citizen was allowed assistance those who weren’t able bodied consisted of the ill, the infirm, the elderly, and children. After the Poor law of 1661 was developed, another poor law was passed, requiring provided assistance to legal residents. Then following the ministry act was implemented empowering residents to support ministers as well as for poor relief through taxes. Churchwardens were then placed in charge for distributing aid to the poor

Historically poverty is irrefutably one of the largest driving factors for wide societies to express anxiety and fear throughout European society. The upsurge of begging and vagrancy during the Victorian era and extending into the 19th century drove society to involve the state to ideally control, and minimize both vagrancy and beggary. Prior to the 18th century, charity for the poor was commonly placed upon Christian parishes and citizen’s moral obligation to provide for those in destitution. Also, during that time religious obligation and a widespread understanding of misfortune governed the society’s attitudes towards the poor. Although, in 1700, the Vagrant Removal Costs Act removed the responsibility of paying for the removal of vagrants

This meant that younger people had nothing to do which was a whole different problem in its self. Inflation meant that people were expected to pay more for resources and items that they needed, as the prices went up wages stayed low. The government failed to recognise that poverty may be unavoidable, instead of helping they made laws in strict punishment if caught begging. Source G was a description on different types of poor people available in towns and how its changed. However local authorities set up a way to tackle poverty, for those deserving of charity local authorities organised collections of voluntary donations which they shared amongst the sick, elderly or other impotent poor. This however was enforced by government in 1572 Poor relief act making donations compulsory. However idle poor were still punished by whipping and houses of correction but ultimately people in poverty were being helped.

From 1450 to 1700, one half of Europe’s population was in poverty. The Great Famine, Black Death, and the Hundred Year War led to poverty becoming more and more visible to individuals during that time. In the social class system, peasants represented the lowest class and most of them were impoverished. kings, popes, and emperors set rules restricting peasants from society and didn’t see them as members of society. Priests as well as doctors felt sympathetic for the peasants. As one can see, different classes saw poverty differently.

Poverty- In any society or group of people, it will always exist, no matter the circumstances. Even in the early modern ages of Europe, where guilds thrived, there was still a large, “countless” group of individuals and families that did not just have a struggle to find power, but “it was simply a struggle to survive from day to day (Friedrichs).” Even today with modern technology and an abundance of resources, people still have the same struggles. “Nearly 1 in 7 people are at risk of poverty. (Palmer).” Seeing that poverty is still very well prevalent in Europe today, surprisingly, the views and opinions of it are still somewhat similar compared to ones of the Renaissance. Public opinions about poverty and government action taken today are similar to those in early modern European history because today there are still an abundance of dishonest beggars, charities run by churches in order to help those that are poverty stricken, and forms of welfare to insist them.