The Impact of Social Policies from Yesterday

As I watch the news and prepare for elections in 2023, in the State of Florida. I am faced with the foundation of making a vote based on the backbones of my ancestors and yet within the boundaries of my previous government’s mindset, and the foundation they laid before us. In 2023, we face the highest gun violence and economic and public health crises. Does the current world issues like racism, the option of adoption, or the rise of interest only affecting the low-to-middle income families fall into the hands of the current official or those who held office in 1867?

Let’s Look at This in a Few Different Ways

When we look at the Four Presidents, they are known as the Grandfathers of America, George Washington, the 1st President; Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President; Abraham Lincoln, the 16th, and Theodore Roosevelt 26th President of the United States. They each brought something to the table as they built this government system. President Washington was known to lay the foundation of American democracy. Who did he have in mind when it came to creating a democracy? If he had created the foundation, with a desire not to lead but control, set boundaries and structure yet manipulate for his selfish gains. Could President G. Washington have had to create a more vital or different pathway that would have originated a narrative for all with humility? Our Third President, Thomas Jefferson, is primarily responsible for establishing the Declaration of Independence. As the Declaration was signed on 1776th, July 4 and gave “the now states” freedom from the colonies, yet as they wanted to be seen and respected by President Jefferson, slavery was the creation for labor workers, and Caucasian women were not heard or were not represented in physically any form or fashion. As we jump from number three to sixteen, I want you to reflect on the various historical facts and stories shared from that decade era. President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, freeing those within the Confederacy. I would like to look at this from a different prospect. Let’s try to put ourselves in President Lincoln’s circumstances. This document allows slaves to be set free, within the same document now “allow freed slaves” to enter the army yet leaving several union states to continue to recognize and implement slavery that now is seen as inhuman. Then America’s 4th Grandfather of America is President Theodore Roosevelt, known for his “Progressivism”. During Presidents Roosevelt’s 2nd term in office became the spokesman for labeling men identified as businesses, corporations, combinations, wealth, and enterprises for personal gain. Within thirteen Presidents the years 1801- 1965, women of any race do not have the right to vote until 1920, and the Negro male received the right to vote in the late 1870s. When I think of the social issues of today… does the foundation of today’s society fall on the shoulders of American Grandfathers.

Who Knows the Truth Enough to Make Change

Social Welfare Policy influences us beyond the social and economics of living in America today. We also use social welfare policy to analyze how society again, individually and collectively, has progressed, stagnated, or regressed based on several areas of interest such as community, sociability, generational, regional, and national, and because of social media and the digital world, we live in global. We also include stereotypes and brackets of barriers when it comes to this understanding which includes: race, gender, demographics, geographics, income, education, and a few other areas of interest. I want to display that because of history, even with a spiritual approach, we have constantly fought a fight that includes two powerful words and makes impacts that have those who know right from wrong looking in the opposite direction into government and households of America. Our root cause that was allowed to be incorporated with the policies and laws of America is hate and greed.

The Ability to Destroy with Discrimination

When we look at poverty, we need to not only look at the history of the people, mindsets, behaviors, and of those first immigrants that came to America, those who were already here in Native America, and those brought to America by ships. We must go back to the 1500s when the Spanish and French led the Europeans. When we look at the reasons each colonizer came to America, it has two typical top desires in mind “wealth and control.”

The social problem of this dilemma is that it was one blessing to free the slaves, but the government, the policies, and procedures that we implemented, and the laws that were created built bondage and delayed the colored folks with resources, rights, and opportunities for decades to come. When were slaves freed, what welfare, settlement, or resources were handed to each of them to offer them an opportunity to build the American Dream? The mental and emotional mindset of some slaves was that they were “better off slaved”. That way, they knew they had housing and food. Some say that the colored man lost himself and pride during this time because now they were looked upon as the provider for the family and community yet were restricted by the laws. The Labor Movement was not for color, yet they were expected to work and provide. Most of the now-freed slaves could not read or write, and the few offered some form of support found themselves not intellectually capable of maintaining the financial requirements to hold on to the land or even their families. This began poverty for freed colored people, now known as African Americans.

Social Justice for All

“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” originally written in 1882 by a Socialist minister, Francis Bellamy. As we remember, the Civil War was basically from 1860-1900, which means mid-way this pledge was written and published, but again was it for all humans and just those whom the American Dream was designed for? There are articles and stories shared about those who disagreed with this pledge that was rewritten at least three more times. The original pledge with the wording “my”, indicates that this was not everyone’s flag. The controversy about “God,” those who did not believe in God had to pledge to a flag with a spiritual being in it. When I think of one nation, America is the land of the freed that everyone’s ancestors migrated to with the expectation of the Native Americans, indivisible not to be able to divide, and justice for all people no matter their race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or culture should be treated fairly. Yet, we find that even during the civil war, women, colored and children had no rights. Welfare policies that were put in place would display “wordplay” that would make you think that it was a resource for single women but then have a clause within them that would disqualify blacks, mothers with children born out of wedlock, etc. When President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, was this just because it was moral and humanly degrading or was it because the government truly could overall make more money off of the lack of resources that the slaves would have encountered and the years of unhealthy behaviors that today we see as crime, drugs, childbirth from underage kids, poverty, financial debt and so on. When I think of “The Freedman” Bureau that the government set up by a small group that was truly designed a resource to help these freed slaves learn how to read and write, pick up trades, clothes, and even receive medical support. It is said that most never made it to this resource because of the Black Code. The Black Code was a law that held the negroes back from being able to obtain an education, wages, legal marriages, and other vital living accomplishments needed to become self-sufficient.

Social Issues Affecting Families National and Federal

When I look at the government’s foundation and the policies set in place, I see the same manipulation today as over 1000 years ago. Today, African American still have a higher percentage of people of color in poverty in Jacksonville, FL, but the overall number of Caucasians is higher than those of POCs. The statics show that we maintain the highest in every opposing economic bracket, but this is untrue. The media only shows crime stores in selective neighborhoods and schools, but there are not the only areas of crime. Social Welfare has a blessing and curse on those in poverty regardless of their demographic status. Yet, you only hear of it negatively regarding African Americans. Social Economics is the collaboration of behaviors and relationships between finances, education, and the ability to maintain stability within your dreams. Image with me that we take every current public housing resident and give each one a fresh start with free education (vocational or higher learning). Then we would make them debt-free, pay each one the same wages based on their industry of choice, teach each one about budgeting, credit, and savings, and help each one provides the same quality of education for their children what these families would look like in 5 to 10 years. If we exposed them to mental health therapists, helped them find the best version of themselves no matter their race, gender identity, or culture, and celebrated them equally, where would America be? If health insurance was free for all Americans, if we tried all people with respect regardless of skin color, would we respect ourselves more? I genuinely believe that the Social Welfare system, from the Civil War to today, was not developed for all mankind. Still, I think that if we unite as one government, lawmakers, agencies, and education, we could build communities with thriving families. Developing communities that have thriving communities means less crime, less homeless, fewer drugs and mental health barriers, and more growth that we could recite the pledge with pride.

Roots Cause from Yesterday’s Social Policies

The 13th Amendment has several significant gaps that allowed specific individuals in positions to monopolize it. This, along with other acts and eras like the Reconstruction Act and the Comprise 1877 Black Code, put the Negros in a whirlwind of defeat. Let’s think about a few things: the same men and women, along with children, who have been whipped for trying to stand for something, yet slaved and used for free labor, and abused mentally, physically, and even sexually. These are the same individuals who were stolen, sold, and put on display like a piece of meat in the grocery store for sale. Their mentality, these individuals have no identity, grit, or sense of direction yet are happy to be freed but with no land, value, or worth. Then the people who were the ones who whipped and used them won’t give them the same rights and resources they want and need to become the American Dream.

Social Welfare Policy Still Today

I close with this, in the 1800’s the men from the European country came to America with a mindset to conquer, role, and capitalize by any means necessary. Today, the largest trade for making money is the prison system, drugs, and poverty. You still have men of the Caucasian race tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies. You have men who still make 16% more than women do. We have a country that is more worried about a gay pride parade and banding drags from performing the putting a law to stop allowing individuals to open buy guns and rifles. Did those who created policies and laws, in the 1800s think about where the world will be in 2000 years, and do those who hold positions even care where we will be in 200 years?

ReferencesNational Association of School Psychologists, (2016). Understanding Race and Privilege [handout]. Bethesda, MD: Author. Schaefer, R. T. (2019). Racial and ethnic groups (15th ed.). Pearson.Neukrug, E. S. (2017). Theory, practice, and trends in human services: An introduction (6th ed.). Cengage Learningwww.ushistory.org The Pledge of AllianceFoner, E. (2015, Mar 29). Why Reconstruction Matters: [Op-Ed]. New York Times http://library.capella.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fnewspapers%2Fwhy-reconstruction-matters%2Fdocview%2F1667229041%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D27965Stern, M. J. & Axinn, J. (2018). Social welfare: A history of the American response to need (9th ed.). Pearson.