The Social Security Act

Social Security law as an element of the United States legal system can be traced back to the strained economic circumstances of the Great Depression, in which senior citizens were placed particularly in harm’s way as incomes and employment opportunities plummeted.

In this context, the Social Security Act was carried out in 1935 as one of the first ambitious measures of the newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt for realizing the ability of the government to step in and take an ambitious role in reversing the suffering of economic misfortune. In this regard, the Social Security Act of 1935 is currently regarded as an element of the Depression-era New Deal program pursued by the Roosevelt administration.

The Social Security law was initially drafted by a Presidentially-appointed committee, one which was devoted to the subject of Economic Security, and headed by U.S. Secretary of Labor Frances Perkin. The Social Security Act, having passed through Congress, was then signed into law by President Roosevelt on August 14, 1935.

People interested in looking into the formal wording of the Social Security Act can find it referred to as Chapter 531, 49 Statute 620. Moreover, Social Security act language is contained in United States Code, Title 42, Chapter 7. Title I of the Social Security Act dispensed funds for state government use toward helping older people, while Title III pertained to insurance for those currently employed, Title IV is on Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Title V on Maternal and Child Welfare, and Title X concerns blind people.