From Poor Law to Welfare State or Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism

From Poor Law to Welfare State: A History of Social Welfare in America

Author: Walter I Trattner

Over twenty-five years and through five editions, Walter I. Trattner's From Poor Law to Welfare State has served as the standard text on the history of welfare policy in the United States. The only comprehensive account of American social welfare history from the colonial era to the present, the new sixth edition has been updated to include the latest developments in our society as well as trends in social welfare.

Trattner provides in-depth examination of developments in child welfare, public health, and the evolution of social work as a profession, showing how all these changes affected the treatment of the poor and needy in America. He explores the impact of public policies on social workers and other helping professions -- all against the backdrop of social and intellectual trends in American history. From Poor Law to Welfare State directly addresses racism and sexism and pays special attention to the worsening problems of child abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Topics new to this sixth edition include:

• A review of President Clinton's health-care reform and its failure, and his efforts to "end welfare as we know it"

• Recent developments in child welfare including an expanded section on the voluntary use of children's institutions by parents in the nineteenth century, and the continued discrimination against black youth in the juvenile justice system

• An in-depth discussion of Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein's controversial book, The Bell Curve, which provided social conservatives new weapons in their war on the black poor and social welfare in general

• The latest information on AIDS and the reappearanceof tuberculosis -- and their impact on public health policy

• A new Preface and Conclusion, and substantially updated Bibliographies

Written for students in social work and other human service professions, From Poor Law to Welfare State: A History of Social Welfare in America is also an essential resource for historians, political scientists, sociologists, and policymakers.

Social Work

Trattner writes clearly and simply. It is a pleasure to read a book that one not only understands but that stimulates hope in the future from insights drawn from the past.

Table of Contents:

	Preface to the Sixth Edition
	Preface to the Fifth Edition
	Preface to the Fourth Edition
	Preface to the Third Edition
	Preface to the Second Edition
	Preface to the First Edition
Ch. 1	The Background	1
Ch. 2	Colonial America	15
Ch. 3	The Era of the American Revolution	30
Ch. 4	The Trend Toward Indoor Relief	47
Ch. 5	The Civil War and After - Scientific Charity	77
Ch. 6	Child Welfare	108
Ch. 7	The Public Health Movement	140
Ch. 8	The Settlement House Movement	163
Ch. 9	The Mental Health Movement	192
Ch. 10	Renaissance of Public Welfare	214
Ch. 11	The Quest for Professionalization	233
Ch. 12	Social Work and Welfare in the 1920s	253
Ch. 13	Depression and a New Deal	273
Ch. 14	From World War to Great Society	304
Ch. 15	A Transitional Era	337
Ch. 16	War on the Welfare State	362
Ch. 17	Looking Forward - Or Backward?	388
	Index	403

New interesting book: Economic Theory in Retrospect or Fair Division

Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism

Author: Ronald J Pestritto

In the first book-length treatment of Wilson's political thought written by a political theorist, Ronald J. Pestritto highlights the sharp departure that Wilson took from the traditional principles of American government. Wilson was the first American president who had clearly and consistently criticized the American Constitution. While Wilson is often not even considered part of the Progressive movement, Pestritto places Wilson squarely within the Progressives assault on the original principles of American constitutionalism.