Sumptuary Laws In The Elizabethan Era

Elizabethan women dressed reasonably different than we do today. Women often wore many layers. The first layer would

During the Elizabethan Era, there were a set of rules controlling which classes could wear which clothing called the Sumptuary Laws. The Sumptuary Laws controlled the colors and types of clothing a person could wear. This allowed an easy and immediate way to identify rank and privilege (Elizabethan Era | Clothing). Those found dressed in inappropriate clothing could be fined, lose property, lose rank, and even be killed (Elizabethan Dress

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.

According to Source B in Government passages, "To all free men of our kingdom we have also granted, for us and to our heirs for ever, all the liberties written out below, to have and to keep for them and their heirs, of us and our heirs. " This shows that they wanted the laws to last for a long time, with no one exempted from the rules. Although these laws were clear, the punishments were harsh. In Source A of the Government passages, “Concerning false money, we have ordered that he who has been proved to have made it shall have his hand cut off.” Because a person made fake money, they had to have a limb cut

The consequences of not following the laws were: you would get hanged, if you stole a silver spoon, you would be put to death, sometimes you would be whipped at the whipping post, and if you spoke back to your husband you would get ducked in the water on a ducking

The Elizabethan Poor Law was passed in 1601. This law enforced all church communities to annually on Easter select a couple of head supervisors over the indigent. They were not compensated for their time. Usually those chosen did not want the position but they were supervised making sure that they were doing the work. This law helped keep order during that era and reduced the beggars and poverty-stricken in the streets. There were two kinds of help the outdoor and indoor help. The outdoor help meant that if the needy still had their place of residence then they could acquire some cash or obtain needed clothing or food. Outdoor help was most commonly used during these times. Indoor help was when a family was taken to a community almshouse. The

The Elizabethan Poor Law required Overseers to provide the poor with either money or some form of

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.

The Human Services world we know today is based on a law that started back in the 15th century. Before the Reformation, it was considered a religious duty to assist the poor. However, after the establishment of the Church of England, those duties seemed to slowly decimate. Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the Virgin Queen, started the Poor Act of 1601 These laws were implemented in English society to assist those in need of help. Thus, giving human services a foundation.

In the Elizabethan period, the law on what clothing people wore was so strict that people could have penalties such as fines, the loss of property, and even life (www.elizabethan-era.org.uk)! Clothing was very important to people in the Elizabethan period, and regardless of what social class people where in, what they wore mattered a lot to them and defined them. This applies to younger girls and younger boys, who spent a lot of time dressing nice. Young girls spent their morning putting on their many layers of clothing.

The elizabethan era was a pretty tough time to be alive, and so crime was rampant in the streets. But no amount of crime was worth the large assortment or punishments that were lined up for the next person who dared cross the line.

They had to wear what they were told, by law. Those laws about clothes in the Elizabethan era were called Sumptuary Laws, and they were strictly obeyed. (L.K. Alchin. Elizabethan Era. May 16th 2012.)Lower class women were required to wear the less appealing fabrics and material.

I agree that the ideas presented by the Elizabethan Poor Law are still presented in current times. Although there has been a tremendous change in aspect to establishing social welfare programs, many people are hesitant about improving the programs. People are hesitant because they continue to believe that the poor aren't deserving of the help provided by the federal government. On the contrary, poverty is drastically increasing due to the loss of jobs and/or lack of resources. Even while working a tremendous amount of hours in one or even multiple jobs, people are unable to sustain for their family. This is proof that the federal government (and conservative followers) should increase aid to those in need rather than shaming the poor for being

During the Elizabethan Era, there were a set of rules controlling which clothing different classes could wear, a rule called the Sumptuary Laws. The Sumptuary Laws was the controlling

The people who lived during the Elizabethan Era were not allowed to wear whatever they like or desired. Their Fashion choices had to be followed by a strict law! The English people chose to establish social classes by the colors they wore and this had an affect on costumes used in theatre. Queen Elizabeth I followed the sumptuary laws, which was only certain classes were consent to wear specific fabric and colors. Therefore in plays the actors could only wear certain colors for their costumes that displayed what role and class their character was in. The clothes worn during this era was a result of Queen Elizabeth’s sumptuary laws, which had an affect on costumes used in plays, and each color a person wore had a significant meaning.