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* A law was signed (1949), which extended for one year to June 1950 reconversion and unemployment benefits for seamen provided by Title XIII of the Social Security Act<ref>ibid</ref>.
* A law was signed (1949), which extended for one year to June 1950 reconversion and unemployment benefits for seamen provided by Title XIII of the Social Security Act<ref>ibid</ref>.
* An act for the rehabilitation of the Navajo and Hopi tribes of Indians was approved (1950), which included a provision to increase the Federal participation in public assistance payments<ref>http://www.ssa.gov/history/1950.html</ref>.
* An act for the rehabilitation of the Navajo and Hopi tribes of Indians was approved (1950), which included a provision to increase the Federal participation in public assistance payments<ref>http://www.ssa.gov/history/1950.html</ref>.
* In September 1950, benefits began to be paid to dependent husbands, dependent widowers, wives under the age of sixty-five with children in their care, and divorced wives<ref>ibid</ref>.
* The Railroad Retirement Act was amended (1951) “to further extend coordination of the railroad retirement and old age and survivors insurance programs by providing for the transfer to old age and survivors insurance of wage records of workers who died or retired with less than 10 years of railroad employment and also provide for financial interchanges between the systems so that the old age and survivors insurance trust fund would be placed in the same position it would have been in if railroad employment had always been covered under old age and survivors insurance; and to reduce the retirement annuities for persons also getting old age benefits under old age and survivors insurance, if service before 1937 was used in computing the railroad annuity”<ref>ibid</ref>.
* The Railroad Retirement Act was amended (1951) “to further extend coordination of the railroad retirement and old age and survivors insurance programs by providing for the transfer to old age and survivors insurance of wage records of workers who died or retired with less than 10 years of railroad employment and also provide for financial interchanges between the systems so that the old age and survivors insurance trust fund would be placed in the same position it would have been in if railroad employment had always been covered under old age and survivors insurance; and to reduce the retirement annuities for persons also getting old age benefits under old age and survivors insurance, if service before 1937 was used in computing the railroad annuity”<ref>ibid</ref>.
* A law was signed (1952) which increased sickness and unemployment benefits for railroad workers by 30% to 60%, which was financed by a payroll levy on the railroads<ref>ibid</ref>.
* A law was signed (1952) which increased sickness and unemployment benefits for railroad workers by 30% to 60%, which was financed by a payroll levy on the railroads<ref>ibid</ref>.
Line 71: Line 72:
* Child labor was finally prohibited through an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act (1949)<ref>http://clear.uhwo.hawaii.edu/Timeline-US.html</ref>.
* Child labor was finally prohibited through an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act (1949)<ref>http://clear.uhwo.hawaii.edu/Timeline-US.html</ref>.
* The number of employees covered by the federal minimum wage was increased<ref>Harry S. Truman: A Life by Robert H. Ferrell</ref>.
* The number of employees covered by the federal minimum wage was increased<ref>Harry S. Truman: A Life by Robert H. Ferrell</ref>.
* The Judiciary and Judicial Procedure Act of 1948 prohibited employers from discharging, intimidating, discharging, threatening to discharge, or coercing permanent employees for serving jury duty<ref>http://employeeissues.com/federal_labor_laws.htm</ref>.


===Housing===
===Housing===

Revision as of 22:08, 4 October 2010

For the copyright doctrine, see Fair dealing.
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In September 1945, United States President Harry Truman addressed Congress and presented a 21 point program of domestic legislation outlining a series of proposed actions in the fields of economic development and social welfare.[1] The proposals to Congress became more and more abundant and by 1948 a legislative program that was more comprehensive came to be known as the Fair Deal.[2] In his 1949 State of the Union Address to Congress on January 5, 1949, Truman stated that "Every segment of our population, and every individual, has a right to expect from his government a fair deal." Despite a mixed record of legislative success, the Fair Deal remains significant in establishing the call for universal health care as a rallying cry for the Democratic Party. Lyndon Johnson credited Truman's unfulfilled program as influencing Great Society measures such as Medicare that Johnson successfully enacted during the 1960s.[3] The Fair Deal faced much opposition from the many conservative politicians who wanted a reduced role of the federal government. The series of domestic reforms was a major push to transform the United States from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy.[4] In a context of postwar reconstruction and entering the era of the Cold war, the Fair Deal sought to preserve and extend the liberal tradition of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal.[5] During this post-WWII time, people were growing more conservative as they were ready to enjoy the prosperity not seen since before The Great Depression.[6] The Fair Deal faced opposition by conservative Republicans and conservative Democrats. However, despite strong conservative opposition, there were elements of Truman’s agenda that did win congressional approval.[7]

Although Truman was unable to implement the entirety of his Fair Deal reform program, a great deal of social and economic progress took place under his administration. A Census report confirmed that gains in housing, education, living standards, and income under the Truman administration were unparallel in American history. By 1953, 62 million Americans had jobs, a gain of 11 million in seven years, while unemployment had all but vanished. Farm income, dividends, and corporate income were at all-time highs, and there had not been a failure of an insured bank in nearly nine years. The minimum wage had also been increased while social security benefits had been doubled, and 8 million veterans had attended college by the end of the Truman administration as a result of the GI Bill[8].

Millions of homes had been constructed through government financing, and progress had been made in slum clearance. Incomes had risen faster than prices, which meant that real living standards were considerably higher than seven years earlier. Progress had also been made in civil rights, with the desegregation of both the federal civil Service and the armed forces and the creation of the Commission of Civil Rights. In fact, according to one historian, Truman had

“done more than any President since Lincoln to awaken American conscience to the issues of civil rights”[9].

Legislation and programs

Civil Rights Movement

As Senator, Truman had not supported the nascent Civil Rights Movement. As President, he did put forward many civil rights programs but most were met with a lot of resistance by conservative southern Democrats. Most proposals were ultimately blocked.[10] However, he successfully integrated the armed forces, denied government contracts to firms with racially discriminatory practices and named African Americans to federal posts.[11] In a 1947 speech to the NAACP, which marked the first time a sitting President had ever addressed the group, Truman said "Every man should have the right to a decent home, the right to an education, the right to adequate medical care, the right to a worthwhile job, the right to an equal share in the making of public decisions through the ballot, and the right to a fair trial in a fair court."[12]

The Housing Act of 1949

The Housing Act of 1949 was a major legislative accomplishment stemming from the Fair Deal. This led to the allocation of federal funds to go towards new housing projects, urban renewal, and more public housing. This spawned the growth of urban regions in the post-war United States. Much of the mass urban development that took place during this time can still be seen today. The Housing Act of 1949 has had a lasting impact on the United States.[citation needed] This act also contributed to what is known as "white flight" while simultaneously contributing to the racial wealth gap.

The Social Security Act of 1950

The Social Security Act of 1950 increased welfare benefits[13], extended the coverage of social security to elderly Americans, and raised the minimum wage. These benefits appealed to both middle-class and working-class Americans[14]. Farm and domestic employees and nonfarm self-employed persons came to be covered for first time under Social Security Old-Age Insurance pension program[15]. As a result of thsee changes, an additional 10.5 million Americans were covered by Social Security[16].

Health

  • A bill was signed which authorized Federal agencies to provide minor medical and dental services to employees (1945)[17].
  • The National Mental Health Act (1946) authorized federal support for mental health research and treatment programs[18].
  • The Water Pollution Law (1948) provided funds for sewage treatment system and pollution research while empowering the Justice Department to file suit against polluters[19].
  • The Hill-Burton Act (Hospital Survey and Construction Act) (1946) established a federal program of financial assistance for the modernization and construction of hospital facilities[20]. The program brought national standards and financing to local hospitals, and raised standards of medical care throughout the United States during the course of the Fifties and sixties. While the legislation favoured middle-class communities because it required local financial contributions, it channelled federal funds to poor communities, thus raising hospital standards and equity in access to quality care. The program required hospitals assisted by federal funding to provide emergency treatment to the uninsured and a reasonable volume of free or reduced cost care to poor Americans[21].

Welfare

  • The Federal Railroad Disability Insurance program was enacted (1946)[22].
  • A program was established to fund payments to medical vendors for care of low-income persons (1950)[23].
  • The Social Security Act was amended (1950) to provide aid to the totally and permanently disabled[24].
  • Throughout 1950, more than thirty major changes were made to Social Security. Compulsory coverage was extended was extended to residents of Puerto Rico and the virgin islands, federal employees not covered by federal pensions, domestic servants, most self-employed workers, and agricultural workers. State and local government workers were provided with the option of joining the system. Survivor’s benefits were increased and expanded, and Social Security benefits were increased significantly for current beneficiaries by 77.5%. Changes were also made to increase the progressivity of benefits[25]. Another amendment granted wage credits toward all Social Security benefits for military service performed between September 1940 and July 1947[26].
  • A new category of State aid to the permanently and totally disabled was established (1950)[27].
  • The Aid to Families with Dependent Children program was expanded to include support for caregivers (1950)[28].
  • Grants to states for public assistance to needy individuals, those who were totally and permanently disabled, and also to maternal and child welfare services, were broadened and increased[29].
  • The National School Lunch Act (1946) established school lunch programs across the United States, with the purpose of safeguarding "the health and well-being of the nation's children and to encourage the consumption of agricultural abundance"[30].
  • The Displaced Persons Act admitted 200,000 outside the quota system[31].
  • The admissions numbers for displaced persons were doubled to 400,000 (1950)[32].
  • Federal financial participation of public assistance payments was increased (1946)[33].
  • The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) was amended in 1946 to permit states where employees made contributions under the unemployment insurance program to use some or all of these contributions for the payment of disability [34].benefits[35].
  • The Social Security Act was amended in 1946 to provide survivor benefits to the dependents of World War II veterans who died within three years of having been discharged from the military. The amendments considered veterans of the Second World War to be fully insured under Social Security for purposes of survivor benefits, even if they had not completed the required number of quarters of covered employment under Social Security[36].
  • The Civil Service Retirement Act was amended (1948) to provide protection for the survivors of Federal employees[37].
  • The Social Security Act was amended (1952) to grant wage credits toward Social Security benefits for each month of military service after July 1947 and before January 1954[38].
  • The Civil Service Retirement Act of 1930 was amended (1945) to provide retirement credit, in computing length of service, to persons who left Government service to enter the armed forces[39].
  • The Veterans' regulations were amended (1945) to provide increased rates of pension for certain service-incurred disabilities, generally on a parity with rates payable for similar disabilities under the World War I Veterans' Act, 1924, as amended[40].
  • The Internal Revenue Code and the Social Security Act were amended (1945) in order to extend coverage to all employees of the Bonneville Power Administration who were not covered under the Federal Civil Service Retirement Act and therefore had no retirement protection[41].
  • The Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act and Railroad Retirement Act amendments (1946) established monthly survivor benefits and sickness and maternity benefits for railroad employees. The Social Security Act was also amended by the provision making wages in railroad employment applicable for survivor benefits under the old-age and survivors insurance program[42].
  • The Social Security Act was amended (1946) to provide coverage to private maritime employees under State unemployment insurance, and monthly benefits under old age and survivors insurance for survivors of certain World War II veterans, and temporary unemployment benefits to seamen with wartime Federal employment Permission was given States, with employee contributions under their unemployment insurance laws, to use such funds for temporary disability insurance benefits. There would also be greater Federal sharing in public assistance payments for a specified period, and larger grants were to be provided for maternal and child health and child welfare, as well as the extension of these programs to the Virgin Islands[43].
  • A bill was approved (1947) which extended to July 1949 the time in which income from nursing service and agricultural labor could be disregarded in making old age assistance payments[44].
  • A law as passed (1947) under which certain aged recipients of assistance could continue, until July 1949, to care for the sick or work for wages on a farm without having such wages jeopardize their assistance payment[45].
  • The Railroad Retirement Act was amended (1948) to increase certain survivor and retirement benefits[46].
  • A law was passed (1948) which raised railroad pensions by 20%, yet reduced taxes on payrolls[47].
  • A law was passed (1948) which increased certain benefits payable under the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers Compensation Act[48].
  • A law was approved (1949) which authorized appropriations for the Federal Security Administrator to meet the emergency needs of crippled children for fiscal year 1949, in addition to funds authorized under the Social Security Act[49].
  • A law was signed (1949), which extended for one year to June 1950 reconversion and unemployment benefits for seamen provided by Title XIII of the Social Security Act[50].
  • An act for the rehabilitation of the Navajo and Hopi tribes of Indians was approved (1950), which included a provision to increase the Federal participation in public assistance payments[51].
  • In September 1950, benefits began to be paid to dependent husbands, dependent widowers, wives under the age of sixty-five with children in their care, and divorced wives[52].
  • The Railroad Retirement Act was amended (1951) “to further extend coordination of the railroad retirement and old age and survivors insurance programs by providing for the transfer to old age and survivors insurance of wage records of workers who died or retired with less than 10 years of railroad employment and also provide for financial interchanges between the systems so that the old age and survivors insurance trust fund would be placed in the same position it would have been in if railroad employment had always been covered under old age and survivors insurance; and to reduce the retirement annuities for persons also getting old age benefits under old age and survivors insurance, if service before 1937 was used in computing the railroad annuity”[53].
  • A law was signed (1952) which increased sickness and unemployment benefits for railroad workers by 30% to 60%, which was financed by a payroll levy on the railroads[54].
  • Legislation was approved (1952) which increased veteran's compensation and pension rates[55].
  • The Social Security Act was amended (1952) to extend for another year “the time within which State Governments could make agreements that were retroactive to January 1, 1951, for old-age and survivors insurance coverage of State and local Government employees”[56].
  • The Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act (1952) included provisions for unemployment compensation for veterans under a uniform Federal formula[57].
  • The Social Security Act of 1952 increased benefits under the old-age and survivors insurance program, extended the period of wage credits for military service through December 31, 1953, liberalized the retirement test and raised the retirement test from $50 to $75 a month. The legislation also changed, for a two year period, the grant formula for public assistance payments in order to make additional funds available to the States[58].

Labor

  • A new Fair Labour Standards Act established a 75-cent-an-hour minimum wage[59].
  • The Employment Act of 1946 created a clear legal obligation on the part of the federal government to use all practical means ‘to promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power.’ The Act also established “the basic core of machinery for such economic planning – the Council of Economic Advisers working directly for the President, and the joint Committee on the Economic report in Congress.” Under the Employment Act, within two decades following its passage, swift measures taken by the Federal Reserve authorities and by the administration in charge held in check four recessions, those of 1948-49, 1953-54, 1957-58, and 1960-61[60].
  • The George-Barden Act (1946) expanded federal support for vocational education[61].
  • Tax relief for low-income earners was passed by Congress[62].
  • The first code of federal regulations for mine safety was authorized by Congress(1947)[63].
  • The Federal Coal Mine Safety Act of 1952 provided for annual inspections in certain underground coal mines, and provided the Bureau with limited enforcement authority, including the power to issue violation notices and imminent danger withdrawal orders. The Act also authorized the assessment of civil penalties against mine operators for refusing to give inspectors access to mine property or for noncompliance with withdrawal orders, although no provision was made for monetary penalties for noncompliance with the safety provisions[64].
  • Child labor was finally prohibited through an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act (1949)[65].
  • The number of employees covered by the federal minimum wage was increased[66].
  • The Judiciary and Judicial Procedure Act of 1948 prohibited employers from discharging, intimidating, discharging, threatening to discharge, or coercing permanent employees for serving jury duty[67].

Housing

  • The Federal Housing and Rent Act (1947) was passed to encourage the construction of new rental housing in cities[68].
  • The Veterans' Emergency Housing Act (1946) encouraged the construction of housing for returning soldiers[69].
  • The Farmers Home Administration was established (1946) to assist self-help rural housing groups as well as to make grants and loans for the repair and construction of rural homes[70].
  • The Veterans' Emergency Housing Act (1946) encouraged the construction of housing for returning soldiers[71].
  • The Housing Act of 1950 enlarged and liberalized the loan guarantee privileges of Second World War veterans by administering a direct loan program for those veterans who were unable to acquire private home financing. The legislation also authorized a program of mortgage insurance for co-operative housing projects, a program of technical aid, and a new program of mortgage insurance for low-priced new rural housing[72].
  • Rent controls were extended (1951) to cover previously exempted categories[73].

Agriculture

  • The Farmers Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act (1946) stabilised, supported and protected farm incomes and prices, assisted in maintaining adequate supplies, and facilitated an orderly distribution of commodities[74].
  • The Agricultural Act (1948) introduced a more flexible system of price supports[75].
  • The Agricultural Act (1949) maintained price supports at 90% of parity[76]. The Act also made certain donated commodities acquired through price-support operations by the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) available for distribution to local public welfare organizations serving poor Americans, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and school lunch programs. It also authorized the CCC “to pay for added processing, packaging, and handling costs for foods acquired under price support so that recipient outlets could more fully use them”[77].
  • The Disaster Loan Act (1949) made farmers who experienced severe crop losses due to natural disasters eligible for special low-interest loans[78].

Federal power projects

  • Rural electrification and public power were extended[79].
  • New conservation projects were initiated[80].
  • Funds for the Tennessee Valley Authority were significantly increased[81].

See also

References

  • Hamby, Alonzo L. Man of the People: A Life of Harry S Truman (1995)
  1. ^ Hamby, Alonzo L. Harry S. Truman and the Fair Deal, page vii. D.C Heath and company, Lexington, Mass. 1974
  2. ^ Hamby, Alonzo L. Harry S. Truman and the Fair Deal, page 15. D.C Heath and company, Lexington, Mass. 1974
  3. ^ Hamby 1995
  4. ^ “The Fair Deal.” United States History. 30 Mar. 2008 <http://countrystudies.us/united-states/history-115.htm>.
  5. ^ Hamby, Alonzo L. Harry S. Truman and the Fair Deal, page vii. D.C Heath and company, Lexington, Mass. 1974
  6. ^ De Luna, Phyllis Komarek. Public Versus Private Power During the Truman Administration : a Study of Fair Deal Liberalism. New York: Peter Lang, 1997. 35-36.
  7. ^ Boyer, Paul S. Promises to Keep: The United States since World war II, page 78. Second ed. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999
  8. ^ Truman by David McCullough
  9. ^ ibid
  10. ^ Boyer, Paul S. Promises to Keep: The United States since World war II, page 78. Second ed. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999
  11. ^ Boyer, Paul S. Promises to Keep: The United States since World war II, page 78. Second ed. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999
  12. ^ President Truman (1947). "President Truman's Address to the NAACP, June 28, 1947". National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. {{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter |booktitle= ignored (|book-title= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Blame welfare, ignore poverty and inequality by Joel F. Handler and Yeheskel Hasenfeld
  14. ^ Boyer, Paul S. Promises to Keep: The United States since World war II, page 79. Second ed. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999
  15. ^ http://faculty.roosevelt.edu/Ziliak/doc/Social%20Welfare%20History.pdf
  16. ^ Beyond the liberal consensus: a political history of the United States since 1965 by Iwan W. Morgan
  17. ^ http://www.ssa.gov/history/1940.html
  18. ^ Healthcare reform in America: a reference handbook by Jennie J. Kronenfeld and Michael R. Kronenfeld
  19. ^ http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG/Article/data/02FEB2009/0902HHN_CoverStory_WebExtra&domain=HHNMAG
  20. ^ The U.S. healthcare certificate of need sourcebook by Robert James Cimasi
  21. ^ The new public health: an introduction for the 21st century by Theodore H. Tulchinsky and Elena Varavikova
  22. ^ http://faculty.roosevelt.edu/Ziliak/doc/Social%20Welfare%20History.pdf
  23. ^ ibid
  24. ^ ibid
  25. ^ A new deal for social security By Peter J. Ferrara and Michael Tanner
  26. ^ http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40428.pdf
  27. ^ http://www.ssa.gov/history/1940.html
  28. ^ http://www.basicincome.qut.edu.au/documents/Poverty%20Reduction%20and%20Welfare%20Provision%20for%20Single%20Parents%20in%20Aotearoa.pdf
  29. ^ Statistical handbook on the social safety net by Fernando Francisco Padró
  30. ^ http://www.sde.state.ok.us/Schools/ChildNut/lunch.html
  31. ^ America's wealth: the economic history of an open society by Peter d'Alroy Jones
  32. ^ ibid
  33. ^ http://www.ssa.gov/history/1940.html
  34. ^ http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40428.pdf
  35. ^ http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2006/tempdisability.html
  36. ^ http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40428.pdf
  37. ^ http://www.ssa.gov/history/1940.html
  38. ^ http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40428.pdf
  39. ^ http://www.ssa.gov/history/1940.html
  40. ^ ibid
  41. ^ ibid
  42. ^ ibid
  43. ^ ibid
  44. ^ ibid
  45. ^ ibid
  46. ^ ibid
  47. ^ ibid
  48. ^ ibid
  49. ^ ibid
  50. ^ ibid
  51. ^ http://www.ssa.gov/history/1950.html
  52. ^ ibid
  53. ^ ibid
  54. ^ ibid
  55. ^ ibid
  56. ^ ibid
  57. ^ ibid
  58. ^ ibid
  59. ^ ibid
  60. ^ ibid
  61. ^ Digest of Education Statistics, 2008 by Thomas D. Snyder, Sally A. Dillow
  62. ^ Boosting paychecks: the politics of supporting America's working poor by Daniel P. Gitterman
  63. ^ www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/MSHAINF2.HTM
  64. ^ ibid
  65. ^ http://clear.uhwo.hawaii.edu/Timeline-US.html
  66. ^ Harry S. Truman: A Life by Robert H. Ferrell
  67. ^ http://employeeissues.com/federal_labor_laws.htm
  68. ^ Selling the Lower East Side: culture, real estate, and resistance in New York City by Christopher Mele
  69. ^ Housing and society by Glenn H. Beyer
  70. ^ A more perfect union: advancing new American rights by Jesse Jackson and Frank E. Watkins
  71. ^ Housing and society by Glenn H. Beyer
  72. ^ Dictionary of American history by Michael Rheta Martin, Leonard Gelber, and Leo Lieberman
  73. ^ America in the twentieth century: a study of the United States since 1917 by David Keith Adams
  74. ^ From Prairie Farmer to Entrepreneur: The Transformation of Midwestern Agriculture by Dennis Sven Nordin and Roy Vernon Scott
  75. ^ America in the twentieth century: a study of the United States since 1917 by David Keith Adams
  76. ^ America's wealth: the economic history of an open society by Peter d'Alroy Jones
  77. ^ http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/aboutfd/history.htm
  78. ^ The economics of crop insurance and disaster aid by Barry K. Goodwin and Vincent H. Smith
  79. ^ A Brief History of the United States since 1945 by Robert D. Marcus
  80. ^ America in the twentieth century: a study of the United States since 1917 by David Keith Adams
  81. ^ America in the twentieth century: a study of the United States since 1917 by David Keith Adams
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