Social Reform Dbq

The Europeans between the 1450’s and 1700’s held many negative attitudes towards the poor themselves and the idlers who they believed were a menace to society. Also during this time period the Europeans had many responses like in England where they put them in poorhouses or tried to heal them or in others places where they tried to give them alms.

As a consequence of the industrialisation in Britain, the mobilisation of masses started. Working class families migrated from other cities seeking for job opportunities and a better life. However, industrialised cities became affected by this and soon became overcrowded. Working class families used to dwell in tenements in rather poor sanitary conditions due to the lack of hygiene and artificial feeding in children. Children and their parents struggled to cope with freezing temperatures during the winter since they could not afford to pay

The historical definitions of worthy and unworthy poor come from the early 1600’s for dealing with the poor. Family was expected to take care of other poor family members (Hansan, 2011). The worthy poor are to be considered true victims of poverty. They were pregnant women, people who are truly unwell and unable to work or someone over the age of sixty. These were the people that were allowed to beg on the street since the government deemed them worthy (Martin, 2014, p.21). The unworthy poor were the legally defined drifter, or beggars. If people were able to work but they were without a job, they were whipped, marched through the streets, returned to where they came from, or thrown in jail. Repeat offenders of begging often had ears cut off or were killed (Martin, 2014, p.21).

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.

The Poor Law The Poor Law was a system established since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, about two hundred years before the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. In this system the able-bodied poor should be set to work, whilst the others had to be provided for by their parish of birth. By 1795 when the whole system was under strain, an attempted solution was the Speenhamland system also know as the allowance system that was devised in 1795.

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.

Over the last century health and social care has changed and developed immensely with the implementation of the NHS and becoming a welfare state. Prior to this health care was only available to a minority of people, those who could afford it. In 1815 the old poor law was passed, it stated that each parish must look after its own poor and those who could not work were provided enough money to help them survive. By 1830 the poor law cost around £7 million, which came from taxing the middle and upper class, causing a sense of resentment towards lower class, unemployed people. In 1834 the new poor law was passed, its aim was to reduce the cost of looking after the poor. Workhouses helped with this, they provided clothes, food and healthcare in return for manual labour. Despite

First, she encouraged the blend of protestant and Catholic beliefs throughout her rule.The Anglican was established during 1559 under her lead; it accepted some of the Catholic traditions along with the Protestant Reforms. This conformed to the standards of the Elizabethan society by considering compromises, strengthening England’s power, and developing a sense of unity between Protestants and Catholic (Beck, Black, Krieger, Naylor, and Shabaka 60). In addition, Queen Elizabeth created the Poor Laws throughout 1563-1601, which were a series of laws that established a tax that would benefit the poor by decreasing poverty ( Briscoe, Alexandra “Poverty in the Elizabethan Era”). Furthermore, establishing the Poor Laws was a change that conformed to the expectations of society because Queen Elizabeth took the needs of people into account which resulted in England’s social and economic growth during the

Prior to the progressive Movement there were many social and political conditions that existed in America. Without the progressive reform these problems would not have been solved - the most important progressive era reforms were: women’s suffrage, racism, and working conditions. While the Progressives differed in their assessment of the problems and how to resolve them, they generally shared in common the view that government at every level must be actively involved in these reforms. The existing constitutional system was outdated and must be made into a dynamic, evolving instrument of social change, aided by scientific knowledge and the development of administrative bureaucracy. The Progressives believed that these changes

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.

People couldn't afford to live alone there for jobs were needed to support their credit families they were offered to men and women but women were paid at a lesser wage men work long hours with a

As the British came over to America, many ideas and government laws and practices came along with the people. The British people came to America to create a new and better life therefore they desired to create an improved government. Laws and practices were brought over with the people but were adapted and amended in many ways. The Elizabethan Poor Law, a law that established a way for the government to assist the needy, had been in place for for over 250 years in England (p.11). The Poor Law of 1601 was the head start of the colonists initiative to nurture the needy.

Social policies the fundamental principles in which a society is based. Created to tackle poverty, protect society addressing issues such as social welfare, justice and individual wellbeing. By 1834 the government were under fierce criticism due to rising and mounting costs of looking after the poor, it became clear a change was needed to fix problems in society. The government brought in an amendment act titled the Poor Law (1834) which was designed to reduce the cost of looking after the poor, passed by parliament this new law meant anyone seeking relief from poverty had to now enter a workhouse (BBC-Bitesize, 2017). In the early 1800's the population was rapidly rising, an industrial revolution, the development of towns and the first experience of modern unemployment caused problems within British society (Spicker, 2017). There was suspicion from middle and upper-class taxpayers that their money encouraged the poor to be lazy and avoid work, Squandering money on alcohol and tobacco. In addition, this encouraged the poor to have more children in which they could not afford to support causing resentment and dividing society (Murray, 2013).

Social work laws and provisions, have set how social workers practice today. The foundation of social work has so many contributors, but one of the first laws to contribute to the welfare of individuals was The Poor Law Act 1601. Under the provisions of this act, it enabled parishes to offer two forms of relief. This then enabled people to receive; if deemed eligible under the criteria 's: indoor relief and outdoor relief. The act was later amended in 1834.

The lowborn workers toiled away for hours in physically exhausting jobs only to afford apartments that were sterile and cold. “There were some nine cots in the place . . . he was sick of the bareness and privation connected with his venture” (Dreiser, 304). The pay affected the men and woman’s own mode of life. They were forced to share living spaces with other families and more often than naught, had to bunk with complete strangers. The very comforts associated with a home, such as wood and furniture, were often too large of an expense. Even with Governmental/ Charity handouts the citizens had no money in which they could afford better living conditions. The rooms they were given to stay in were cold and sterile, and they were not guaranteed a place to stay every night.