What was American welfare like in George Washington's day? It was expensive, extensive, and run by local governments. Known as "poor relief," it included what w

"The year George Washington was finishing his first term as president, 1792, William Larned was beginning his first term as overseer of the poor for Providence,

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

Much of today's political rhetoric decries the welfare state and our maze of government regulations. Critics hark back to a time before the state intervened so

Welfare has been central to a number of significant political debates in modern America: What role should the government play in alleviating poverty? What does