Social welfare policy and programs in America have roots going back to early Colonial days.
Some entries may appear in more than one time period, as historical periods overlap and events or issues may persist over multiple eras. Use the search bar (at upper right) to locate additional programs and influential people.
Colonial and Post-Revolutionary America (approx. 1600-1800)
The Antebellum Period (approx. 1800-1860)
Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction
Woman Suffrage and the years leading to passage of the Nineteenth Amendment
World War I and the 1920s (1914-1929)
The Great Depression and the New Deal(approx. 1930-1940)
World War II and the 1950s (approx. 1941-1955)
The Civil Rights Era (1950s -1960s)
The War on Poverty (Lyndon B. Johnson era)
