Social Security's Controversy and Compromise
Witte claimed their proposals “were well received by the entire country. They were praised by congressional leaders of all parties, with only a few dissents. The program recommended was acclaimed as sound and conservative… Only considerably later was any opposition manifested” (Witte, 86). This opposition came from both sides: those who believed the act to be too socialistic, such as the American Liberty League, and those who desired even more extensive action, like Upton Sinclair and the NAACP. |
Despite these conflicts - and those over fund allocation and constitutionality - the act was ultimately upheld through Steward Machine Company v. Davis (1937) and Helvering v. Davis (1937), as promotion of the general welfare.