The Social Security Act (H.R. 7260, Public Law No. 271, 74th Congress) was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 14, 1935, guaranteeing income for the unemployed and retirees. You’ll recall your history lessons about the Great Depression and Roosevelt’s New Deal programs to put people back to work (like the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration).
You can read the text of the original legislation and about the history of the Social Security program on the Social Security Administrations’ web site.
If you would like to read a guide to the social security programs today, see the online Social Security Handbook.
And if you want to learn more, Andersen Library can help! Search HALCAT to find books and government publications such as Social security: A fresh look at policy alternatives, Social security in contemporary Japan: A comparative analysis, The woman behind the New Deal: The life of Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor and his moral conscience, and Fulfilling the mission of health and retirement security: Hearing before the Committee on the Budget, House of Representatives, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, first session, hearing held in Washington, DC, March 17, 2011 (hearing chaired by Rep. Paul Ryan).
Search article databases to find articles such as “The gender impact of Social Security reform” (Journal Of Health Politics, Policy & Law, vol.35:no.1, pp.138-143) and “Social Security reconsidered” (National Tax Journal, vol.64:no.2, pp.385-414).
For assistance with finding additional materials, please ask a librarian.
Andersen Library is a federal and Wisconsin depository library with many federal and state government documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and online. Check out your government at Andersen Library!
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