The welfare system is a public policy concept, where government constructed programs assist people in need, helps them to reenter the workforce and …show more content…
In the 16th century, society was dealing with the issue of handling the poor. The Elizabethan government decided that they were in need of a program to offer aid to the poor. How they managed this rudimentary welfare system was to implement a local tax to help the poor and disabled. In addition they made work available to the poor that were capable of working. Those that refused to work and were able bodies, were beaten and housed in a correction home. During the 17th century we saw more and more wealthy town folks leaving their money and willing their almshouses to be used to house the poor, and eventually the parishes built workhouses to house the destitute. In 1834, the Poor Law Amendment Act, was passed that stated that in the future, the poor were to be treated as badly and harshly as possible in order to make them think twice before seeking help from the state. If they were forced to accept help and they were capable of working, life was hard. They were forced to live in a workhouse or “Bastilles” as they were labeled. In these bastilles, they separated the married couples and again separated the children over the age of seven. They were essentially inmates of sorts, and made to work hard manual labor such as breaking large stones to make roads or breaking up bone to create