HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS THE 1834 POOR LAW AMENDMENT ACT?

The first 200 words of this essay...

HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS THE 1834 POOR LAW AMENDMENT ACT?

The 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act was essentially meant to aid the fight against pauperism and to assist the poor into work and hopefully lead them to be better citizens and no longer a burden to the state. In order to analyse how successful the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act was we have to examine what was in practice before, why it was implemented and what changed after the Act.

Before the new Act the system of relief to the Poor that was in practice was the Poor Law Act of 1601, where the state (through the parishes) was responsible for those who were unable to support themselves: the sick, the elderly and the orphans - "the deserving poor" (because it wasn't their fault). They would be taken care in Poorhouses. For the able-bodied - "the undeserving poor" (they could provide for themselves but they didn't want to) or the unemployed, work would be provided, or they would receive cash or food (allowance), in order to help them. (Murray, 1999, p. 16). The money for the relief to the Poor was provided by rates (poor-rates), a local tax based on