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1531
1500's Era
The 1500's Era was a time where poor people begged until they were able to get the help they needed. Nobody should have to beg for basic needs, but in this time period, they did. In 1531 the English parliament outlawed begging. However, the act also had officials seek out the worthy poor and assign them areas where they could beg. This is an important time for social welfare and social workers because poor people needed tools to gain strength and help and laws were needed to help that as well. -
1600's Era
The 1600's Era was a time where the English government established the Elizabeth poor laws. These laws were put in place to control the poor at the time. This Era is connected to social work and social welfare because they needed to step in to provide support for the people in need at the time. The English poor laws came into play and institutionalized the responsibility for the government to provide relief for the needy and provided the people in need with a legal right to get help. -
Civil War Era
The Civil War Era was a time where people were placed into public mental institutions, jails, and almshouses. This was a big time for social workers to step in and social welfare to take place because of all of the needs in the community. People were in need during this time. Families lost breadwinners, in response to all of this, localities enacted laws that raised funds for the sick and needy. During this time, the U.S Sanitary Commission, the first important public health group was organized. -
1860's Era
The 1860's Era was a very important time for refugees and freed slaves to gain the assistance they needed post Civil War. Former slaves after the emancipation had no job training and needed jobs. This prompted congress to establish the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands in 1865. This is an important time for social welfare policies because former slaves didn't have the right tools or preparation for having normal paying jobs and these laws allowed them to have what they needed. -
Late 1880's Era
In 1889, Jane Addams started Hull House. This is an important Era in history because she approached the Chicago ethnic community with a brand of Christian Socialism. The mission of the Hull House was to provide relief for people living in poverty. This is an important time for social welfare and social workers because Jane Addams worked towards a mission of residence, research, and reform. These are all things people in the social work field should work towards. This set a good standard. -
1920's Era
The 1920's Era was a time of extreme poverty. This era is of importance to social worker because of Herbert Hoovers success. He won the hearts of many social workers due to his humanitarian views and his strong prohibitionist stance. The stock market crash of 1929 caused many americans to lose their job and become homeless. This created a space for social workers to jump in and find resources for those in need. In 1932, Hoover proposed an unemployment assistance program to those in need.