Government Assistance Programs

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Unemployment and poverty pervaded American society during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Fatherless children ran abundant in the streets. Money was worthless unless it was for toilet paper. Many families were evicted from their homes, marriage was delayed, and the birthrate fell. The economic collapse of the 1930s was terrifying. For about seven years, Americans suffered greatly in the Great Depression until in 1933 when Franklin D. Roosevelt started his First Hundred Days campaign, leading to the start up of the government assistance programs. As the years progressed, more government assistance programs came into existence and old ones transformed. Today, there are numerous government assistance programs ranging from food needs to unemployment issues. Having a broad amount of government assistance programs has its pros and cons, which will significantly affect society’s financial, social, and emotional standing as well as the future of the nation.
The government provides enough government programs to share assistance with the 317,018,130 and counting Americans, leading them to have an enormous impact on America. They provide many financial benefits to Americans, such as a safety net in case of hardships, supplemental benefits to sustain a post retirement income, and job opportunities. During hard times, assistance programs can offer people a way to stay out of poverty. In 2012, Social Security kept roughly 21.4 million people out of poverty, and unemployment benefits helped an additional 2.3 million out of poverty. Without government assistance programs, many Americans would be living in poverty, which could lead to a rise in the crime rate, high school drop outs, and many families being evicted from their homes. Life withou...

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...society might just come together as a nation. The future may look dim in the area of government assistance, but hopefully Americans can come past its differences and help each out in this difficult time for the nation.

Works Cited

. N.p.. Web. 5 Nov 2013. .
. N.p.. Web. 5 Nov 2013. .
Kathleen, Short. United States. U.S. Department Of Commerce. Research Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2012. Web. .
Robert, Galbraith. n.d., n. pag. .
Travis, Waldron. n.d., n. pag. .
United States. U.S. Departments of Labor. Benefits.gov. Web. .
United States. U.S. Social Security Administration. Fast Facts & Figures About Social Security, 2013. Web. .

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