Social welfare in the United States

Social Welfare

Explain how Christianity has strongly influenced U.S. social welfare history.

Social welfare maintains the well-being of individuals in the society. Poor people are affected by different circumstances like poverty and need assistance from volunteers as Christians and the government. In the 1700s, Christians was visiting various homes of the poor people and giving them items like food and water. They could also provide other necessary items like clothes. There were efforts in England that helped to shape the social welfare of United States by addressing poverty. Christians initiated the efforts and the government assisted them later to advance the support. One of the efforts was the Speenhamland Act of 1795. The Act helped in the provision of minimum wages to the employees and even their families. The government would assist in paying some part of the wages if the employers were unable to pay all costs. The act was later.

What is the difference between being poor and being destitute?

Being poor is a situation that you do not have the basic needs but you can still struggle to get some although it might not be enough or satisfy their needs (Karger & Stoesz 2010, p. 95). In contrast, destitution is a state where one is inadequate to the extent that he/she cannot struggle to have even food. At this extent, the person is relying on the support from other people.

3. Explain the reason for the rekindling of the evangelistic fervor of the Second Great Awakening during the course of the Civil War.

There was rekindle because the soldiers from both sides of the war required the assistance in terms of food and water. Private organizations and existing churches were willing and generous to assist the soldiers by providing the needs. More than $3 million in cash and millions in supplies was raised in the North by Christian Commission. In addition, five hundred volunteers were recruited to assist the Northern soldiers.

4.

Explain Social Darwinism and give a relative example of this occurring today.

Social Darwinism is a theory that explains how groups, persons, and races are subjected to natural laws as plants and animals. The theory was popular in 19th and 20th centuries. The theory states that those individuals who were weak would diminish, and even their cultures eliminated. In contrast, those who were strong would grow in cultural influence and power over the weak. The life of human beings was a struggle for existence. Currently, those who are able to continue to have higher education and get better jobs while the poor remain to be poor, as they cannot support themselves (Zastrow 2013, p. 126).

5.

Based on your understanding of privatization and social services, explain whether you are "for or against" it.

I am against privatization and social services because its existence will limit the benefits of the services to the hands of few individuals or organizations. The services will not reach all people because payments will be made before the service delivery. In the end, only the financially stable people will get the services while the poor will not.

Voluntary Sector Worksheet

Explain and discuss the argument that government should deploy only "safety net" social programs as a last resort.

The government should provide safety nets as the last resort because the residents or the beneficiaries of the programs will be reluctant waiting for the safety nets if they offer them regularly. The safety nets include subsidized food prices, conditional cash transfers, fee waivers in schools and health care, and many others.

2.

Explain your understanding of "preferential selection means that the organization providing social services differentiates clients according to their effect on organization performance."

Preferential selection means that the organization distinguishes clients as per their performance in relation to the organization. For example, the clients are given duties and resources to use in the field or anywhere else. After completing the task, they are grouped according to their performance: a team is rated in relation to the work of the clients because all the clients will not work or perform as expected.

3.

Explain what it means to be a member of the voluntary sector providing social services.