U.S History Social Security

Social Security Primary Documents Activity

Document A: FDR (Modified)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave this speech on August 14, 1935 when he signed the Social Security Act.

Today along-held hope is largely fulfilled. The civilization of the past 100 years, with its startling industrial changes, has made life insecure. Young people have come to wonder what would happen to them inold age. The man with a job has wondered how long the job would last.

This social security measure gives some protection to 30 million of our citizens who will receive direct benefits throughunemployment compensation, through old-age pensions, and through increased services for the protection of children and the prevention of ill health.

We can never insure 100 percent of the populationagainst 100 percent of the ups and downs of life, but we have tried to pass a law which will give some protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and againstpoverty-ridden old age.

This law, too, represents a cornerstone in a structure intended to lessen the force of possible future depressions. It will act as a protection to future Administrations against thenecessity of going deeply into debt to help the needy. It is, in short, a law that will take care of human needs and at the same time provide the United States a sound economic structure.

QUESTIONS:1. Who gave this speech and when? Who is the intended audience? How might this influence the tone and content of the speech?

2. What programs are included in the Social Security bill? How doesSocial Security represent FDR’s program of “relief, recovery, and reform”? For each of the three “R” words, write one example from the speech that illustrates it.

Document B: NAACP (Modified)President Roosevelt sent his Social Security bill, named the “Economic Security Act,” to Congress in January 1935. Congress held committee hearings on the bill. Here, a representative of the National...