Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
Why and how the 1935 Social Security bill was created.
The Roots of Social Security
In this 1962 speech, Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, describes the challenges faced by Edwin Witte and the others who drafted the original Social Security Act. She graphically recalls the effects of the Depression on common people's lives and the urgency with which she and her colleagues worked to remedy the crisis that confronted them. This informal yet highly professional memoir explains the motives and actions of those who created the program in 1935.
| Related Topics: |
Industrialization and Urbanization Depression and Unemployment |
| Creator: | Perkins, Frances, 1880-1965. |
| Pub Data: | Delivered at Social Security Administration Headquarters, Baltimore, Maryland, October 23, 1962. |
| Citation: | Perkins, Frances. "The Roots of Social Security." Speech Delivered at Social Security Administration Headquarters, Baltimore, Maryland, October 23, 1962. Online facsimile at: http://www.ssa.gov/history/perkins5.html; Visited on: 4/25/2024 |
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