The Contribution to Change of Attitudes Toward the Poor by Charles Booth, William booth, Dr. T. Barnardo and Seebohm Rowntree

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The Contribution to Change of Attitudes Toward the Poor by Charles Booth, William booth, Dr. T. Barnardo and Seebohm Rowntree At the beginning of the 19th century if you were poor it was considered by the majority of others that it was your own fault and the reason you were poor was that you were lazy or idle. People had always been willing to give money to charities that they deemed worthy, they just objected to paying the poor rate that kept rising. However, during the 19th Century changes were made a charitable movements began that had a huge impact on the poor. These changes meant that by the end of the 19th century people started to think that maybe people were genuinely poor through no fault of there own. One such person, William Booth founded the Salvation Army in 1878. This organisation, aimed to bring religion to the poor that were neglected by churches using military lines that made it’s Christian message more attractive to the labouring classes. Booth’s main aim for The Salvation Army, although it was not a charity, was to lead people away from ‘sins’ such as drinking and gambling by teaching them to lead a better life in the eyes of God. William Booth, also a General, wrote many books such as Darkest England in 1890, which help to change the upper classes opinion of the poor and to help bring home the problems to the poor people themselves and the country. Before Booth however came Thomas Barnado, an Irishman who travelled to London in 1866 and became a Doctor. He was shocked and disturbed by the condition of Orphan children living in the city and in 1867 set up his first home for destitute young boys, in Stepney London. He home provided a caring atmosphere with education and training that was aimed to provide the young boys with a career and give them a chance in life. By 1890 Barnado had set up 50 of these homes named, Barnado’s Homes which housed in excess of 5,000 young orphan boys and provided

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