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Laws for the Poor

 

            The Elizabethan poor laws were established to keep peace and order within society. To bring some sort of understanding that there are people less fortunate that may or may not choose to be that way but regardless are also human and should be looked after with care and compassion. During these times there were appointed officials much like we have today although they were resistant to the new ways and unwilling to cooperate. In today's times we have elected officials who oversee social welfare policies. These laws have remained in force for more than 250 years with only minor changes. .
             Essentially, the laws distinguished three major categories of dependents: the vagrant, the involuntary unemployed, and the helpless. The vagrants were those who could work but would not. They were to be whipped through the streets publicly until they learned the errors of their ways. The involuntary unemployed were those who would work but could not. They were the able-bodied or deserving poor. They were to be given help either through outdoor relief or by being given work in return for a wage. The helpless were those who were too old, ill or too young to work. They were the impotent or deserving poor. They were to be looked after in almshouses, hospitals, orphanages or poor houses. Orphans and children of the poor were to be given a trade apprenticeship so that they would have a trade to pursue when they grew up. .
             In the 1800s, there was a shift and the Charity Organization Societies emerged. These groups attempted to understand the causes of poverty and worked with other groups in order to provide better resources. They advocated for knowledge and support rather than just financial aid. They became a primary resource for the poor, as were settlement houses, which were designed to help immigrants find jobs, education and childcare. As immigration and industrialization increased populations in urban areas, social problems rose.


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