6 Industrialising the poor
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Mark Henrickson
Abstract
The Industrial Revolution, capitalism, profit, and wage labour had far-reaching effects throughout Britain, Europe, and America. In the UK, the Old Poor Law could no longer respond to the labouring poor or protect scarce state resources. The New Poor Law of 1834 retained the Calvinist assumption that the poor were responsible for their own poverty and for working their way out of it. The 1834 reform was very punitive, and many theological influences shaped responses to it. These included Evangelicalism and its emphasis on personal regeneration, Christian Socialism, the Tractarians and Broad Church factions, and the British Idealists. These influences informed the Charity Organisation Society and the Settlement House movements on both sides of the Atlantic. Evangelicals were prominent in many social reforms including the abolition of the slave trade; Christian Socialists took up a number of social policy reforms. Broad Church women and clergy were deeply critical of the New Poor Law, the atomised responses of Evangelicals and Tractarians, and private charity. They developed community-level interventions that systematised poor relief. On both sides of the Atlantic, Charity Organisation Societies and settlement houses attempted to fill in the gaps left by Calvinist-informed public policies of poor relief.
Abstract
The Industrial Revolution, capitalism, profit, and wage labour had far-reaching effects throughout Britain, Europe, and America. In the UK, the Old Poor Law could no longer respond to the labouring poor or protect scarce state resources. The New Poor Law of 1834 retained the Calvinist assumption that the poor were responsible for their own poverty and for working their way out of it. The 1834 reform was very punitive, and many theological influences shaped responses to it. These included Evangelicalism and its emphasis on personal regeneration, Christian Socialism, the Tractarians and Broad Church factions, and the British Idealists. These influences informed the Charity Organisation Society and the Settlement House movements on both sides of the Atlantic. Evangelicals were prominent in many social reforms including the abolition of the slave trade; Christian Socialists took up a number of social policy reforms. Broad Church women and clergy were deeply critical of the New Poor Law, the atomised responses of Evangelicals and Tractarians, and private charity. They developed community-level interventions that systematised poor relief. On both sides of the Atlantic, Charity Organisation Societies and settlement houses attempted to fill in the gaps left by Calvinist-informed public policies of poor relief.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents ix
- Acknowledgements xi
- Introduction 1
- A royal responsibility 18
- Inventing the poor 42
- Reforming the poor 67
- Capitalising the poor 94
- Industrialising the poor 121
- Liberalising the poor 154
- Professionalising work with the poor 180
- A global perspective 198
- Creating a global future 214
- References 224
- Index 246
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents ix
- Acknowledgements xi
- Introduction 1
- A royal responsibility 18
- Inventing the poor 42
- Reforming the poor 67
- Capitalising the poor 94
- Industrialising the poor 121
- Liberalising the poor 154
- Professionalising work with the poor 180
- A global perspective 198
- Creating a global future 214
- References 224
- Index 246
