The Legacy of F.D.R.

Franklin D. Roosevelt led the U.S. through a depression and a world war. By the time he died, the nation was profoundly changed — and we owe much of the change to him and his bold presidency

The New Deal

WELFARE

dek — Dorothea Lange Collection, Oakland Museum of California, City of Oakland, Gift of Paul Taylor
Migratory family traveling from South Dakota to California.

The New Deal:
Whereas private charities previously took the lead in caring for the poor, the New Deal laid the foundation for the modern welfare state by establishing Aid to Dependent Children in 1935, the first federal program offering cash payments to the poor.

Today:
The Welfare Reform Act of 1996 transformed the system by imposing a five-year limit on assistance and requiring recipients to be engaged in a search for work.

By Eric Dodds and Rebecca Kaplan

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