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Running head: THE POOR LAWS OF 1601

The Poor Laws of 1601

Warren Miller

Howard University School of Social Work

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Introduction

“The welfare of each is bound up in the welfare of all.” The previous listed quote was

said by Helen Keller. This quote also summarizes why the Poor Laws of 1601 were created

(initially). The Elizabethan Poor Laws were designed to protect the old, the young, and the sick

(Axinn & Stern, 2008). The poor laws were the foundation for the American welfare system that

exists to this very day. This “Defining Moment” in history helped shape the way society view,

helps and create welfare programs to aid the needy.

Poor Laws at a Glance

This paper is not meant to regurgitate what the poor laws are and how they were created.

It is my own perspective (informed through readings) on the Poor Laws and how they helped

shape the American welfare system. But one cannot adequately address the laws critically

without providing a description.

The Elizabethan Poor Laws of 1601 definitely recognized the standard of local

accountability, at the lowest point, for the care of those in need. The laws defined what was

considered “worthy poor” and three major types of needy; children, the able-bodied, and the

impotent (Trattner, 1999). The poor laws informed the current welfare system on who should

receive assistance and how assistance should be rendered. This statute put in place a system

where the worthy poor was cared for by the public through taxes paid by parishes (Trattner,

1999). In which, a justice of the peace in each parish were created to oversee the implementation

of the laws of charging the parishes taxes and assessing the rate of tax.

Values of the Poor Laws

At one glance of the poor laws of 1601, one might state the laws were created off of

Judeo-Christian values because of the history of friendly visitors helping the needy and the

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church being responsible for charging parishes the tax (Trattner, 1999). Another might posit that

the poor laws were a response to the massive amount of poor people not working which was not

helping in creating an independent economy (Trattner, 1999). Whichever end on the continuum

one may sit on, the poor laws were created out of the work of charity for the local worthy poor

and corrective actions for the beggar who chose to violate the notion of not working if able-

bodied.

The poor laws were incredibly value driven; driven by the value of creating and

maintaining a strong but self-reliable economic state in each parish. While exerting force and

cruel punishment to the “…vagrants refusing work…” (Trattner, 1999). The laws created a law

and order nature for England.

Designated Population

The poor laws had two types of designated populations. The needy individuals and the

local government benefited from the statute. The poor laws made provisions with the justice of

the peace in each parish to provide assistance to the able-bodied who could not work, the able

bodied who would not work and the elderly, ill and too young to work poor. These individuals in

these categories were to be given help through either outdoor or indoor relief (Trattner, 1999).

The outdoor relief consisted of relief in the form of clothes, food and money. The indoor

relief, which was usually provided to the poor who was willing to work but could not, consisted

of shelter in almshouses, orphanages and/or workhouses.

The local government in England became a covert beneficiary from the poor laws

because there were poor rates charged to every parish and property taxes pushed on to property

owners. According to Axinn & Stern (2008), there were over 15,000 parishes throughout

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England and Wales. Every parish was being charged with a poor rate tax, in which, developed

revenue to help the needy and fund the local government.

Poor Laws Influence on Social Welfare Policies

The poor laws established many of the principles we use to deal with the economically

disadvantaged person. These laws were local based rather than nationally based. In the 21st

century, we have programs such as social security, Medicare, Medicaid, public housing, food and

nutrition programs that were created to address the lack of resources for the poor or

disadvantaged.

According to the Social Work Dictionary (2003), welfare is defined as “…system of

programs, benefits, and services that help people meet those social, economic, educational, and

health needs that are fundamental to maintenance of society.” Essentially, this is what the poor

laws founded. Even though it was focused on more economic relief, the statutes helped shape the

basis of how the American welfare system deals with the well being of the society.

For example, the social security act was enacted in 1935 and was designed to meet the

needs of the elderly, the dependent and needy families. The previous listed categories were the

same as the populations pointed out in the poor laws of 1601. Those categories are constant

across many of the listed social welfare programs. As wage earners, we pay taxes to the social

security in order to assist the disadvantaged and our future stake in retirement. There is a tax

charged to fund this social welfare program. The value of the public is responsible for the

disadvantaged and poor still exist in the 21st century.

Poor Laws Influence on Healthcare Reform

The healthcare reform that was put forth by President Barack Obama is expected to help

over 30 million Americans access healthcare insurance. The pressing issue or major concern

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people are having is supporting such a large social economic program. Just as the poor law taxes,

concerns and issues were probably raised when the laws went into effect and people were

outraged to pay a poor law tax and an additional property tax to support the needy. Taxes and

charges in other avenues may arise to support the effort of the healthcare reform bill.

Healthcare reform was created to increase the population that will receive healthcare

coverage through the private and/or public division. It is a debate of fairness, right to healthcare

access, sustainability and quality of services. These are some of the same issues Parliament

probably struggled with when drafting the poor laws for England. In order to support the

substantial amount of uninsured individuals, issues of responsibility, funding, access, and quality

of services will arise. These are all important issues that President Obama had to address while

requesting support for the passing of this law. These issues are intrinsically built into any social

welfare program.

ConclusionThe Elizabethan Poor Laws of 1601 was the last revision of laws that were constituted

centuries before. But, the poor laws of 1601 codified the laws into a program to establish

resources for the worthy poor and corrective actions for the unworthy poor. The poor laws were

successful in creating a model or a practical framework for the American welfare system to

follow.

Many of the social welfare programs that exist have been informed by the poor laws. The

programs are value driven and focus on aiding the poor, ill and elderly. The country is still

examining and overhauling programs in order to address the growing needs of the worthy poor.

The poor laws were monumental in creating the welfare state that exists today.

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References

Axinn, J. & Stern, M.J. (2008). Social Welfare-A history of American response to need (Seventh Edition). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Barker, R. L. (2003). The Social Work Dictionary. Washington, DC: NASW Press.

Trattner, W. I. (1999). From poor law to welfare state: A history of social welfare in America. (Sixth Edition). New York, NY: The Free Press