What It Meant to Be a Mom in the 19th Century

Before 19 33, before we get a real federal presence in welfare, getting aid was a really personal process. It involved presenting yourself personally and going through a rigorous examination to figure out if you were part of the worthy poor or not. By 19 33, about the most that any community could give to an individual family per week was about two dollars and 50 cents. The moment the children started going hungry, mothers tended to say, enough of this and to ask for help.