Attack on the Meatpackers
At the beginning of 20th century America experienced growth that it had never imagined before. As industry developed, so did the work force. The American worker worked sacrificing his or her health and welfare. Conditions in Meat packing plants were especially disgusting. Complete unsanitary and poor attention to basic rules threatened not only workers but also customers. The author described exactly what went into sausage of an American and all the ways meatpackers try to increase their revenues.
Those who served in the cooking rooms and a fertilizer man could scare only by their looking, the smell was awful everywhere. Dead cattle were on the floor without proper treatment. The beef lugers, those who worked in the chilling rooms and pluckers dealt with the cattle with meat with their bare hands. The whole production process was disgusting. It could lead to serious disease and dramatic consequences. This was the result of competition, an endless attempt to lower costs by caring less about the quality. It was necessary to adopt some legislation and to draw attention of the politicians to the problem of complete negligence. Some standards of work, production and products must have been implemented in order to grant safety to consumers.
Woodrow Wilson
President Woodrow Wilson outlined his Fourteen Points to the Congress in 1918. The main idea of the document was to establish lasting peace and to ensure that World War I is the last major conflict that has happened in the world. The Fourteen Points provided for the strategy for ending the war.
Those Points was the goals which must have been achieved and the represented what exactly American soldiers fought for. They mostly referred to the post-war social, economic and territorial order in Europe. They prohibited any secret agreements between countries. Diplomacy and negotiations should have become the best means of dispute settlement. Freedom of navigation must have been declared on all international seas. Also some issues about weapons, colonies and trade were mentioned. Other Points referred to determination of peoples of certain countries and empires that ceased to exist. Woodrow Wilson was the one who suggested the establishment of an international organization to deal with the problems of the world community called League of Nations.
Social Security Act
The Social Security Act came into force in 1935. It consisted of the Preamble and 11 Titles. The main idea of the Act was to establish a system for federal benefits that was the first attempt to provide for the general welfare. For such purposes it established a Social Security Board. The Social Security Act of 1935 has become a framework for further developments and amendments to the Social Security of the U.S.
In particular, it was intended to ensure that the least provided people in the country receive federal assistance and such threats to prosperity as unemployment or poverty are limited and tackled. This Act also advocated federal assistance for elderly people. Payment to people entitled by this Act to receive assistance was financed from the payroll tax on the wages of current workers (a half by the employee and another half was paid by the employer). Under this Act some amount was given to states to provide some assistance and public services for people eligible to this.
