Social Security as a Turning Point in History
Never since my inauguration in March, 1933, have I felt so unmistakably the atmosphere of recovery. But it is more than the recovery of the material basis of our individual lives. It is the recovery of confidence in our democratic processes and institutions.
- President Roosevelt, Fireside Chat 7, April 28, 1935
It represents an extension of basic American principles from the narrow local insularity of our early public-welfare provisions to the new line-up of federal, state, and local forces for social security today.
- Frank Bane (Executive Director, Social Security Board), 1938
First unemployment check issued under the act
Realized through the Social Security Act of 1935, the ideas of Edwin Witte constituted a turning point in the way the American government treated its people: accepting responsibility for their basic care and security. In the nearly 80 years since the original act, the Social Security Program has continued to expand and evolve, maintaining the livelihoods of an increasing number of Americans.
Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.
- Barack Obama, 2013 Inaugural Address