Social Security Administration Robert, Ethan, Zoe

What is the SSA?

How effective was it? Goal: To address the widespread suffering caused by the Great Depression by creating a support system for the elderly. It was not meant to be a short term relief program The SSA was able to successfully address this, however many groups were left out. Reforms in later years would fix this problem. The SSA is one of the most successful programs to come out of the Depression. Today, the SSA is the government's largest benefit program. Over 47 million people rely on social security for money after retirement.

Controversies Job Loss: Some critics of the SSA thought it would increase job loss. The retirement benefits actually encouraged older people to retire. This opened up job opportunities for a younger work force. Lowered unemployment rates. Privacy: Some thought that social security was interfering too much with the private sphere. Taxes: People didn't want to pay more taxes.

Controversies - Exclusion Jobs in agriculture Domestic Service (ex: maids, caretakers, etc) [90% women] Teachers Nurses Librarians Social workers Government employees (but they had a different plan)

Controversies - Exclusion Excluded jobs occupied mainly by women or minorities. As a result, nearly half of the work force was not covered by SSA. Half of all women were not covered. Two thirds of working African Americans (up to 80% in some parts of the South) had no coverage. The program was protested by the NAACP. "A sieve with holes just big enough for the majority of Negroes to fall through" Reinforced stereotypes: many women were only able to qualify through their husbands' or children. "Mothers' Pension" for stay at home moms, based on the assumption that most mothers did not have jobs. Some states decided that African American families needed less money than white families.

Controversies - Exclusion Social Security money was distributed by the States. Some states decided that African American families needed less money than white families did. Since the grants were so low, many African American moms had to work. As a consequence, they did not qualify for social security because the program required that mothers were unemployed. Some states did not include children born out of wedlock, which had a large impact on African Americans.

Robert's Slide Before the great depression Social Security did not exist. During the depression the President Herbert Hoover thought that the depression was going to fix its self, so he had the American people rely on charity and voluntary relief, such as the red cross Social security was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt “New Deal”. The reason it was created was because the old people in the United States were not able to pay for the things that they needed to survive.

Robert's Next Slide It gave Older workers a reason to retire, Making space for newer younger workers. Social Security also created the nations unemployment system, an old-age assistance program. Social Security made it so that the government was much more responsible for the people once they have retired, before social security they had to rely on their family's and there saved up past earnings for their retirement, so many workers stayed in the work force for a much longer time then they do now.

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