Lesson plan
Poorhouse
Poorhouses were public institutions used from the seventeenth through the mid twentieth centuries to provide relief for people unable to support themselves, including the elderly, the sick, people with disabilities, widows, and others. In North America—particularly in the United States and Canada—they were usually operated by local governments and often took the form of "poor farms", where residents who were able to work were expected to contribute labor. One Vermont Law from 1797 detailed that towns were squarely responsible for social welfare, not the state or federal government. Similar laws existed across the nation at the time. Poorhouses developed from earlier systems of poor relief influenced by the English Poor Laws and by social attitudes that distinguished between the "deserving" and "undeserving" poor. Known by various names—including almshouses, poor farms, houses of industry, and county homes—these institutions varied widely in organization and purpose. Unlike the British workhouse system, however, North American poorhouses were typically locally administered and served primarily as residential institutions for a wide range of dependent populations. During the nineteenth century poorhouses became the principal institutions of public welfare in much of North America.…
Article summary
Poorhouses were public institutions used from the seventeenth through the mid twentieth centuries to provide relief for people unable to support themselves, including the elderly, the sick, people with disabilities, widows, and others. In North America—particularly in the United States and Canada—they were usually operated by local governments and often took the form of "poor farms", where residents who were able to work were expected to contribute labor. One Vermont Law from 1797 detailed that towns were squarely responsible for social welfare, not the state or federal government. Similar laws existed across the nation at the time. Poorhouses developed from earlier systems of poor relief influenced by the English Poor Laws and by social attitudes that distinguished between the "deserving" and "undeserving" poor. Known by various names—including almshouses, poor farms, houses of industry, and county homes—these institutions varied widely in organization and purpose. Unlike the British workhouse system, however, North American poorhouses were typically locally administered and served primarily as residential institutions for a wide range of dependent populations. During the nineteenth century poorhouses became the principal institutions of public welfare in much of North America.…
Key claims
- date of foundation: 1736 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- The record states that the date of foundation is "1736". What evidence would count against this claim?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1373355905
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.