The Impact of Legislation on the Problem of Poverty in the Sixteenth Century
The legislation for poverty in the sixteenth century was affected by a
concoction of factors. The most prominent ones being, the conducting
of the legislation, the changes in belief, and attitude of the people
and the economy. The impact of the legislation is so difficult to
measure as there were a number of local schemes, which emerged at the
same time. The evidence from this period suggests that the local
schemes were like customised versions of the national schemes, some
carrying out little of the national legislation. The way in which they
adapted the laws was found to have consequences on their
effectiveness. The belief and attitudes of the public living with the
schemes are also a prominent factor as they were highly influenced by
Protestantism and Humanism throughout this century, which affected
their co-operation with the legislation. The economy to this day has a
huge impact on the unemployment figures, and therefore poverty and it
was certainly no different in the sixteenth century. A number of
factors caused fluctuations in it that certainly had implications for
the poor figures, which the legislation had to cope with. What must be
taken into account about all the evidence of this time is that there
are many debates on how seriously living standards fell during the
sixteenth century. The main figures of the poor are from parish
records and censors, many of which are not in existence anymore and
out of the ones left the information is patchy as in some places
little was done to enforce that they were kept accurate and up to
date. The censuses that d...
... middle of paper ...
... evidence suggests though that
the legislation did reduce poor but only in certain places at
particular periods within the century. Therefore the success seems to
have progressed and regressed in patterns throughout the century. The
economy and attitudes area factors which affected the progression at
certain times. With the problems with the evidence form this century
there are no clear figures to support whether the poor problem was
solved or not and as historians have equally good cases for proving
this was or wasn't the case the issue remains one of endless debate.
Bibliography
============
State Formation in England, early modern England 1550- 1700 by Micheal
J Bradelick.
Tudor England by John Guy
Society and Puritanism Christopher hill
Tudor and Stuart Britain 1471- 1714 by Rodger Lockyer
So the peasants were extremely poor at that time. After the Black Death, population decreased, serfs and peasants were able to move around and they had much more freedom than before. They were no longer belong to the lord, and had choices of who they would work for. Most peasants chose to work for high paid jobs. The landowners, in order to attract people to work for them, provided the workers tools, housing and land. “The worker farmed all he could and paid only the rent.” The better treatment of serfs weakened the manorialism, as well as the decline of nobles.The plague killed so many people, and even nobles could not escape. The wealthy families were incapable of continuing growing, because their descendants died. So their position could not be passed on. Many families extinct. To fix this problem, the government setted up a new inheritance law which allowed both sons and daughter inherited property.
Between 1450 and 1700, attitudes toward the European poor changed dynamically, roughly following a three-part cycle. In the late 1400's, the poor were regarded with sympathy and compassion; generous aid from both public and religious institutions was common. By the 16th Century, however, the poor were treated with suspicion and harsh measures, to ensure that they were not becoming lazy, using welfare as a substitute for labor. Beginning in the 17th Century, the attitudes toward the poor again shifted, returning to more sympathetic views and responses, though many members of the upper-class still retained the negative outlook on the destitute of the 16th Century.
In 1601, England passed the Act for the Relief of the Poor, which would be the commanding authority on this issue until 1834. This act established the church as the sole establishment responsible for the care of the poor. If a family was not able to get by, it was the responsibility of the area parish to ensure that the family was taken care of (Woodbridge 272).
In fact, many believed the poor were just worthless idlers who were not even trying to better there own situations, but instead were taking the high roads away from taxes and worries (Document 11). There were many observed instances in which those in poverty, when given the opputinity to better their lives, chose to stay poor and recieve handouts. One such cause comes from William Turner, and English Physican for Lord Earl of Somerset when he recounts how poor folks often begged on the Earl's door but when Turner offered to help health wise, they chose to stay sick and beg (Document 6). Similar to modern day abusers of the American Wellfare system, officals became very angry with idlers who did nothing but feed off the wealth of the working class in the form of alms. They even believed that idlers should be expelled from their communites as they only bring economics down (Document 5). Many also thought that in order received any aid at all a person must be working. Reforms such as the Workhouse Test Act in 1723, though this occured later than the period of discussion, were a result of these opinions. This act, among others, required that people work a set amount of hours before they could receive any aid. Even the famous Cardinal Richelieu of France believed that the idlers were “good-for-nothings” who were restricting those who actually needed help from getting it while they were being lazy and greedy (Document 8). This opinion of certain poor indivudals being lazy and abusing resources remains amoung those in power even today in
During the period 1500 to 1815 studied in class there were numerous developments in Europe. In many ways it was a fast growing period. There were numerous reforms that affected the educational, political, and economical system of countries. Furthermore, scientific developments have also occurred which lead to advances in exploration and military. I believe that the most important development was the printing press, which connected Europe, so that ideas can be communicated. Furthermore, the “Age of Exploration,” was a significant development that leads to an increased knowledge of the seas, which eventually helped the welfare of coastal countries. Another development that was important was the scientific revolution, more specifically how their
Loach, Jennifer. “Mary Tudor And The Re-Catholicisation Of England.” History Today 44.11 (1994): 16. World History Collection. Web. 18 Nov.2013
During the period of 1492 to 1750 some things managed to stay constant. European values were imposed on the Americas. Due to this there were Patriarchies (male dominated societies). The spread of their religion, Christianity, is constant. The importance of corn, beans, squash in providing food in Americas stays the same as well. Besides these few similarities there are many changes that occur. As Europeans came to economically dominate trans-Atlantic trade, their influence over the social customs of Native Americans and Africans also expanded.
Alves argues that Vives recognized the importance of planned relief and distinguished between the poor who were in need and the deserving. The social work done in the sixteenth century was a crucial time in history. Vives played an important role in the subsequent development of the sixteenth century poor relief. During poor relief in the 1600’s in Europe, there was a strong battle in societies between religion and the government. Society as a whole changed from a society dictated by the church, to a more open, government-orientated facility. Safley argues that charity itself changed in Early Modern Europe as a fundamental change transitioning into modernization. For the first time, people in poverty were not facing a battle between their relationship with god and their soul, but society held all people to an equal level for the first time giving everyone an opportunity of poor relief. Alves author of The Christian Social Organism and Social Welfare argues that it was Vives ideas that lead to the care of the entire social body in early modern Europe during the time of the poor relief efforts and argues that Vives recognized the importance of planned relief and distinguished between who needed it and who was deserving. Terpstra, author of Apprenticeship in Social Welfare agrees adding that Vives was the inspiration behind many future assistance programs that emerged in the sixteenth century. Likewise, Michielse of Policing the Poor notes that Vives argument on the poor being an obligation to the government would allow for more peace being that everyone’s needs would be
In Georges Duby’s article, “Rural Economy and Country Life in the Medieval West,” Duby intends to educate the reader on the economic lives of the peasants, or countrymen, during the ninth and tenth centuries, and also compares them to the modern rural Western world (Duby 161).
Poverty to the majority of people of the Gilded Age was a way of life, working long shifts with little pay. When looking in to poverty from the outside there is a few ways to interpret the “why” people have fallen into the pit of scarcity. William Graham Sumner the author of “What Social Classes Owe to Each Other” makes the argument that lower class people basically are choosing to be poor by not trying their best to succeed and blaming their problems on the wealthy. On the other hand Philip S. Foner the author of “We the Other People” argues that the wealthy has taken the freedom of the poor by making them work for long hours for little to nothing. The underline of both sources is that, there is a type of mutualism between the rich and the
In the Middle Ages, eighteenth-century European society was legally divided into social groups with special privileges; the nobility and the clergy, and groups with special burdens, such as the peasantry (McKay 612). As the economy began to change within European
Around the mid- 1520’s, political and social upheaval was rampant in the wake of the onset of the Reformation. The greed and exploitation of the clerical lords were pushing the commoners to their limit. The hasty introduction of public taxation, private loans, and other revenue-enhancing devices on the commoners was seen as threatening not only to their political autonomy, but also to their communal spirituality. It is clear to see then, in the eyes of the commoners, that a profound societal disturbance was impending. However, I don’t believe many foresaw it as something that would have as great of an impact than it actually did. That being said, the Peasant’s War of 1512 was one of the greatest popular rebellions in European history. Around
In the 1300s, Europe was in turmoil. Climate change beginning in about 900 A.D. (Britannica) led to favorable growing conditions and lengthened growing seasons this coupled with an improvement in farming techniques had led to rampant, unchecked population growth for hundreds of years. The greatly increased population of Europe was beginning to outgrow the food supply and a severe economic crisis began to take place in the early 1300s as the realities of severe overpopulation began to set in. Social and economic problems plagued all of Europe, and the malnutrition and poor health caused by these problems set the stage for a major epidemic to occur. Beginning in 1339, seven bad years of weather and famine struck Europe and left the already malnourished majority even more susceptible to disease. In 1347 the Black Death began spreading throughout Western Europe, having arrived from Asia where it was already endemic. Over
Social norms were considerably different in the 1800’s. The English considered the poor to be unworthy of help and passed laws preventing anybody from assisting them. “In 1834, the Commission’s report resulted in the Poor Law Amendment Act, which was intended to end all out-relief for the able-bodied. The care and training...
Pettegree, Andrew. "The English Reformation." BBC History. BBC, 17 Feb 2011. Web. 1 Oct 2013.