The era of Social Reform happened between 1891 to 1940, which was when they distinguished the change from volunteer workers, to trained and paid Social Service Workers. (Notes phase 2, Slide 2&3) In the early nineteenth century, relief was given mostly by private humanitarian societies to improve the living conditions for the poor. Charities and churches that took the poor in, were claimed to be unsystematic and wasteful, and overtime created training programs where they were evolving from volunteers, to trained Social Service Workers. By 1894, just in Toronto alone, there were 43 different charities deemed uncoordinated, and with the new training programs available, they eventually formed the foundation for the University of Toronto’s Social Services Program in 1914. (Hicks Page 36) This was also the era where moral judgement of the …show more content…
In the nineteenth century, Christian churches and other forms of church members decided that they wanted to reach out and become an aid to those in need. Some of the people they laid their hands out for were people with social inequality, alcoholism, racial tensions and labour rights. (Hicks page 44) The church considered these acts to be a provision of God, so that they could help people living in the world, instead of in the afterlife. (Notes phase 2, slide 16) Methodist minister J.S Woodsworth, who became interested in social welfare while studying at Oxford University, began working with the poor immigrants of his city in Winnipeg and became one of the lead roles in the Social Gospel Movement. His efforts created social workers among the immigrants, and then spread to other parts of Canada. Along with Alberta MP William and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) who was led by Tommy Douglas, Woodsworth and his team took authority in Saskatchewan, and brought the world medicare, family allowance, and old age pensions. (Hicks page
Ehrenreich, J. H. (1985). The altruistic imagination: A history of social work and social policy in the United States. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
As argued in the cooperative commonwealth, they addressed the issue was that having liberty as well as monopoly cannot be happening at the same time in order for society to function in a civilized manner. The Social Gospel became known as relief programs that would take place to establish the mission and the relief to the harsh problems that were brought on by the robber barons of society. The arguments of the wage workers clearly state that the church can support the political movement of the labor.
Popple , P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2011). Social work, social welfare, and american society. (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
The Effects of American Reform Movements in the 1900s Living in the United States of America is all about opportunity. The opportunity to get a good job, make money, and lead a life of good quality; in other words, the opportunity to live, live, and live the Pursuit of Happiness. However, the opportunity for many people was not around throughout the 1800s. Certain groups of people did not hold the basic rights that were guaranteed by the Constitution. In fact, most of the people that had opportunity were the wealthy white men, and few other people ever had any chance to lead a good life.
Sean Lee. Ignoring the institution of slavery, look at the social change between 1815-1860, How did the US change socially and for what reason?
Reform Judaism started as a response to the Enlightenment that occurred in the late 17th and the early 18th century. The Jewish people needed to determine how to best combine new ideologies with their religious practices. The Jewish people suddenly had a new, non-Jewish world that they could be apart of. Some started to lose interest in religion. The Reform Judaism movement was created to adapt to these changes in society. The movement’s fundamental belief was that religious change is good (Kaplan 183). Platforms were created to define the boundaries for Reform Judaism and show how the Reform Movement is different than the traditional form of Judaism (Meyer & Plaut 195). The Reform movement has undergone many significant changes of their ideologies including Israel and the Halacha. These changes display their core idea of adapting Judaism to the social environments but simultaneously always keeping the Jewish community bound together. These changes are made from 1885 to 1999 with the Pittsburgh Platform, Columbus Principles, and Statement of Principles.
American reform movements in the early to mid 1800’s strived at improving our developing society. America was growing larger, and with the expanding population, many new ideas sprang up. Conflicting opinions between the people of the United States caused the emergence of an Age of Reform, where people tried to change things such as the educational system and women’s rights. These movements were the result of our nation’s self-determination and interest in improving the society we live in.
Social work pursues to meet the demands and addresses the changing profession of fighting for human rights, improving social policies, and practice. I agree with the Abramovitz article that we have to know and understand the history of the social work profession. If people go without learning and comprehending the past, people cannot make accommodations for the future. Knowledge of the past will keep history alive, it will guide workers and their efforts to reform. The past also helps society in understanding programs that did not work. Society needs to understand the values that historical knowledge can bring positive changes in the future. Advocates for early social workers and their issues and concerns are still relevant in today's
The Age of Reform throughout 1825-1850 was a great turning point for American society. The ideas and beliefs throughout the reform movements greatly expanded the democratic ideals. Reform movements in the United States sought to express ideas through religion and education, start movements through abolition and temperance acts, expand beliefs by caring for the insane, and take a stand by speaking up for personal rights .
From the humble beginning of Social Work there have been many people who have tirelessly worked, fought, and dedicated their life advocating for the people in our world who are disadvantaged. Furthermore, many of these people have been women who not only were strong enough to fight for the rights of others, but also had to fight the forces whom thought that women where in some way second hand citizens themselves. These women were brave and determined enough to break out of the box that society placed them in, and stand up for the social injustices that they seen taking place, and try to make a difference. Of the many women from the early days of Social Work none fought harder for social reform than Grace Abbott. Grace Abbott spent her life fighting to enact legislation for the betterment of society as a whole. This work would eventually earn her the nickname “the mother of America’s forty-three million children.”
Karen Bridget Murray’s article, “Governing ‘Unwed Mothers’ in Toronto at the Turn of the Twentieth Century”, is a valuable reference into the struggles and triumphs of social welfare for unwed mothers. For me the article highlighted how government ideologies influence social welfare, how important the change from religious reformers practices to social work was and finally how appalling it is that the struggles and barriers these women faced are still relevant to single mothers today.
The Anglicans and other Christian groups viewed charity differently in the nineteenth century. Each religion had and preached its own concept. We learn that the Anglicans’ views are more in opposition to charity when Cheryl Walsh indicates that, "Through this type of religion, there was very little encouragement for the development of a social conscience—of recognition of any kind of responsibility for the welfare of fellow human beings"(353). Walsh also mentions that Anglicans "Felt neither responsible for the suffering of the poor nor called on to help alleviate that suffering"(353). The belief of not being responsible for the misfortunes of the poor and not attempting to help them in any way draws the notion that Anglicans clearly didn’t favor charitable acts. On the other hand, according to St. Paul, Christianity’s view on charity was more an act of duty than the expected one of kindness.
Bell and Bain Ltd, Glasgow.. Tompson, N., 2009. Understanding Social Work - a new approach. 3rd ed. of the year. London: Palgrave Macmillan, c. 1895.
According to Murdach (2011), Richmond, throughout her career, taught that social workers were teachers – they used methods that dealt with the educational and social aspects of a client’s life to help develop them into better functioning members of society. Richmond saw education as an absolute must for charitable workers (what would become Social Workers). She developed short training programs during her time with the Baltimore Charity Organization Society that focused on house-hold economics, child care methods, and health measures so clients could be better served (Murdach,
When they are in need we must do everything in our power to make a change. Sometimes this involve advocating for them to see a change in social problems. The definition of a social worker states that they are trained person that carries out work with the aim of alleviating conditions of those in need (12). This often calls the need for social justice. After learning about social workers throughout history, I realize there’s multiple ways to help those in need (11). They’ve been able to implement social welfare for the public.