User:Vpham16/sandbox

Almshouses, also called Poor houses, were extremely stigmatized in America throughout the 19th century. Almshouses were turned to as a last resort for those who were poor, disabled, and elderly. Inmates who resided within almshouses experienced mistreatment, destitute, and inhumanity; this ultimately caused a direct correlation to the perception American society viewed the disabled. As the detriment within almshouses continued throughout the 19th century, it wasn't until the mid 1800s when activists such as Dorothea Dix strived for institutional reform. Dix sought out to remove children, mentally ill, and developmentally disabled from all almshouses and increase the amount of institutions, hospitals, and asylums for those to reside in. As her movements began to gain momentum, she played a vital role in the establishment and expansion of over 30 hospitals for the treatment of the mentally ill. Her efforts removed specific groups from almshouses, leaving the elderly to remain. Society's perception continued to elevate in which poor houses were then perceived as a place to pass. However, after the Civil War, highly influential reforms to legislation were enacted. The detriments of the Civil War left America with hundreds of thousands of citizens injured, galvanizing the first influential turn towards equality in the 20th century, the Social Security Act. The evolution of American legislative history from Poor Laws to the Social Security Act of 1935 signifies a corresponding evolution in societal perception. The Social Security Act established a system of benefits for the old, unemployed, and disabled, providing those who were once deemed as worthless a chance to prove their independence and self worth.