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2.1: England and The Roots of the American System

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    England and the Roots of the American System

    From a sociological perspective, it is difficult to trace the exact beginnings of the practice of helping others (Martin, 2018). However, the current human services profession traces its roots to the late 1800s. Because the United States began as a colony of England, it is understandable that many U.S. values, laws, and systems are rooted in English history. As we attempt to understand the current social welfare system, it is important to understand the history of social welfare in England and how those practices influenced our beliefs today.

    The Feudal System: 1100-1550

    From the 11th to the 15th century, the primary system of caring for the poor was a system known as feudalism (Martin, 2018). Under feudalism, wealthy landowners parceled off small portions of their land to be worked by peasants or serfs. In exchange for housing and protection, the serfs provided all of the labor to work the land. Under this system, serfs generally had enough to "survive" but never enough to "get ahead." The lords (landowners) had complete control over their serfs. Some scholars consider feudalism a form of government imposed slavery because individuals became serfs through economic and racial discrimination, and there was little chance of escaping this situation. Serfs were generally born into their station and were considered, by law, to be "property" of their landowner. Although the system was harsh and unfair, it did provide at least a base level of protection from poverty for the lower classes. And poverty, at this time, was accepted as an inescapable reality for those born into it.

    Although the feudal system did provide a level of care for the poor, it did not allow those in poverty to improve their situation through hard work (Trueman, 2015). Instead, it merely reinforced the hierarchy that existed that ensured the rich and powerful stayed rich, and the poor stayed poor. During this time, to gain status and improve one's situation required land ownership. But serfs never achieved land ownership. No matter how hard they worked, they remained under the control of their lords. Serfs had few rights, were often exploited by their lords, and generally lived in harsh conditions. Because they could not improve their status no matter how hard they worked, the system perpetuated inequality and injustice.

    English Poor Laws: 1500s-1601

    During the 1500s, two important things led to significant change in England (Martin, 2018). The feudal system began to decline due to disease, wars, and a peasant revolt. At the same time, the need for factory labor resulted in significant numbers of people moving to urban areas. Unfortunately, this mass urbanization led to a dramatic increase in poverty. From the mid-1500s to early 1600s, nearly one-third of the population in England was poor. The result was a complete overhaul of the social welfare system.

    The increase in urban poverty was first addressed by the Tudor Poor Laws (Martin, 2018). Established in the mid-1500s, the Tudor Poor Laws took a harsh view of poverty. Poverty was not considered a government responsibility and was instead handled at the local level with laws that demonstrated no tolerance for "idleness." Local police arrested beggars and vagrants and then sought to determine if they were "worthy" or "unworthy" poor. The worthy poor were considered deserving of poor relief. These included the elderly, children, and disabled individuals who could not work. The worthy poor were sometimes provided with food assistance or placed in poor houses. Some were simply given permission to beg. Overall, though they were not punished, little was done to improve their situation. The unworthy poor were those who were considered able but unwilling to work. Not only were the unworthy poor denied assistance, but they were punished with whippings, jail, or placed in stocks and paraded through the streets naked. Those who were arrested repeatedly often had an ear cut off or faced execution.

    During this time period, there was little grace or sympathy for the poor. Almost no consideration was given to the situations that led to poverty. The laws did not acknowledge the cycle of poverty--the social and economic dynamics that trap generation after generation in poverty.

    Elizabethan Poor Laws of 1601

    The Elizabethan Poor Laws replaced the Tudor Poor Laws in 1601 (Martin, 2018). Named after Queen Elizabeth, these laws created a more defined and organized system for addressing poverty. The Elizabethan Poor Laws formalized four driving principles of poor relief:

    1. The family is primarily responsible for poor relief

    2. Poor relief should be handled at the local level

    3. Poverty and vagrancy are criminal offenses

    4. People should not be able to move to a new community if they cannot provide for themselves

    During this time period, there were two types of "relief" provided for the poor. Indoor relief was the approach for the unworthy poor (those who were considered able but unwilling to work) and required mandatory institutionalization in work houses. The unworthy poor were forced to work in harsh conditions with the goal of deterring poverty and encouraging self-sufficiency. Outdoor relief was for the worthy poor. Outdoor relief provided money, clothing, food, and medicine for those (eldery, widows, children, disabled) considered deserving of help.

    According to Walter I. Trattner in his book From Poor Law to Welfare State, “It was in this context that the modern institution of social welfare emerged.”

    The American colonies and state governments modeled their public assistance for the poor on the Elizabethan Poor Laws.

    Attributions:

    Martin, M. (2018). Introduction to human services: Through the eyes of practice setting. Pearson.

    Trueman, C.N. (2015). Feudalism.


    2.1: England and The Roots of the American System is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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