Elizabethan Poor Laws to Civil War Era Welfare and Slavery (Lecture Notes)

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering Elizabethan Poor Laws, colonial poverty and labor systems, slavery and slave codes, Civil War-era relief, and Reconstruction-era welfare policies and institutions.

What were the three categories of the poor under the Elizabethan Poor Laws (1601)?

Vagrant (able-bodied, refused to work); Unemployed (involuntary, but deserving of help); Helpless (sick, children, and mentally ill; deserving of help).

What did local control mean in the Elizabethan Poor Laws?

Relief decisions were administered by the parish; the parish was responsible for administering the laws.

What did kinship responsibilities require under the Elizabethan Poor Laws?

Parents were responsible for their children, and when children were adults, they were responsible for aging parents; if a parent could not afford care, the child’s responsibility or custody could be enforced by the community.

What happened to vagrants under the Elizabethan Poor Laws?

Vagrants had to be punished as part of the relief policy.

How was labor organized in the American colonies?

Labor and crop work were seasonal; there was little to no work in winter.

In the South, who were indentured servants and who were slaves?

Indentured servants were poor whites; slaves were poor people of color.

Approximately how many settlers did England ship to the colonies, including many poor people?

At least 50,000 settlers.

What change occurred regarding indentured servitude laws and practice?

Ship captains could levy fees for each person; many poor were sold at auctions as indentured servants.

What proportion of households experienced poverty before the American Revolution?

About 1 in 5 households.

What does the phrase 'maximum wage but no minimum' imply in colonial labor terms?

Wages were capped at a maximum, but there was no guaranteed minimum, leaving workers at risk of becoming unfree.

What were the two broad categories used to describe colonial poor?

Worthy (deserving) and unworthy (not deserving).

New England Poor Laws allowed settled residents to seek relief by what mechanism?

Certification of rights by neighbors; if not neighbors, the person’s origin was traced and they could be sent back; towns would compensate.

Southern colonies’ poor laws were administered by which bodies?

Parishes and counties, overseen by vestries; Overseers of the Poor created in 1712.

Name one form of relief used in Southern colonies besides outdoor relief and poorhouses.

Contracting: a contract with a non-poor household to take in a poor person for a stipend; the poor had little control.

What was 'vendue' (auctioning) as a form of relief?

Poor individuals could be sold at auction to non-poor households or for labor.

What were almshouses, workhouses, or houses of correction?

Institutions for the sick, disabled, and mentally ill; often used as punishment; inmates faced harsh conditions and loss of money and freedom until labor costs are paid.

What was 'outdoor relief' in colonial poor relief?

Relief given to the poor while they remained in their own homes (fuel, money, wood, food).

What was the typical weekly amount of outdoor relief?

About 65 cents per week.

At what age did binding out of poor children typically begin?

Around age 6; boys commonly bound at until 14; girls bound between until 16 and 21.

What happened to children who did not go into poorhouses?

Many ended up in orphanages; average stays under four years.

How many indentured servants arrived during the colonial era?

About 500,000.

What were 'freedom dues' for indentured servants?

Material goods, or lands and opportunities, granted at the end of the term.

What was Bacon's Rebellion and its significance?

An uprising of poorer whites against Virginia’s governor; led to a social hierarchy placing whites above enslaved people; after the rebellion, some rights (e.g., gun ownership) were extended to some poor whites.

By 1700, what was the share of Africans in Virginia's population?

Africans accounted for about 10% of the population, increasing to a majority over time.

What were Slave Codes designed to do?

Define slaves as property; restrict slaves from owning guns and receiving education; reinforce white supremacy and slave labor systems.

What was the staple diet and living conditions of enslaved people?

Diet centered on corn with some rice and legumes; protein scarce; housing in small, dark, unventilated cabins or outbuildings; often barefoot; limited clothing.

What was a treadwheel?

A punishment device where inmates walked on a wheel to generate energy for machinery; used to punish lazy inmates and sometimes the mentally ill.

What were the Civil War–era pension programs for veterans and their families?

In 1862, veterans’ pensions were established for injured soldiers; pensions expanded to dependents by the 1890s; initially limited to Union veterans.

What was the Freedmen's Bureau?

A federal agency to aid freed people: distribute clothes, food, fuel; establish schools; settle disputes; ensure justice; not all promised land (40 acres and a mule) was delivered; land distribution was limited.

What were Mother’s Pensions?

State-level pensions for widows to support their families; first adopted in Illinois; spread to other states; benefits generally limited to white women.

What urban reform occurred in Brooklyn regarding outdoor relief?

Relief authority split between county boards and the Commissioners of Charities; restrictions on outdoor relief, especially for female-headed households; coal relief persisted briefly; outdoor relief phased out by 1877.

What did Andrew Johnson do regarding Reconstruction land policy and freedpeople’s land?

Pardoned former Confederates and ordered land returned to former masters; freedpeople were largely evicted from land; only a small number (about 2,000) retained promised land.

What were the goals of the Freedmen’s Bureau after the Civil War aside from land promises?

Assist freedpeople with jobs, education, disputes, and basic rights; establish schools and administrative support; assist in obtaining justice and resources.