collect benefits from the government do work, but do not earn enough
money to sufficiently support themselves and their families.
3. Identify that because of the recession of 2008, in which many
Americans lost their jobs and homes, some of the stereotypes of the poor
may change, since many former workers and homeowners found
themselves in dire straits.
Topic: The Role of the Federal Government in Social Policy; The Expansion of
Social Policy in the Twentieth Century
Learning Objective: LO 17.1: Outline the goals of the federal government’s
social policy and the forms of protection it provides; LO 17.2: Outline the
evolution of social policy throughout the twentieth century.
Page Reference: 506, 513
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
103. One goal of social policy is to raise the quality of life for all citizens. How does
the federal government meet that goal? What kinds of programs help all citizens,
instead of just those in a certain category? How might categorical programs also
be of help to all citizens?
1. Describe various programs that improve the quality of life for all
citizens, such as environmental programs that improve air and water
quality; programs to build roads, bridges, and parks; regulating air traffic
and improving national security; fighting crime and terrorism; and
strengthening schools.
2. Discuss how categorical programs can be seen as helping all citizens.
Answers will vary, but students might note that these programs provide a
social safety net for citizens in need and, given the right set of
circumstances, all citizen could find themselves in need of help at some
time; and they may identify the idea behind Lyndon Johnson’s Great
Society agenda that all of society benefits from improved education, the
elimination of poverty, and so on.
Topic: The Role of the Federal Government in Social Policy; The Expansion of
Social Policy in the Twentieth Century
Learning Objective: LO 17.1: Outline the goals of the federal government’s
social policy and the forms of protection it provides; LO 17.2: Outline the
evolution of social policy throughout the twentieth century.
Page Reference: 508, 514 – 515
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Difficulty Level: Difficult
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104. What is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)? How does it work? Has it been an
effective social policy?
1. Identify the EITC as a tax credit instituted in 1975 that reduces or
eliminates all taxes for the working poor.
2. Describe how the credit allows low-income workers to receive money
back from the government in the form of a tax refund.
3. Detail how the policy has been extremely effective, as it has lifted 5
million Americans above the poverty line, and how it has particularly
helped unmarried working mothers who often have minimum-wage jobs
in the service industry.
Topic: The Expansion of Social Policy in the Twentieth Century
Learning Objective: LO 17.2: Outline the evolution of social policy throughout
the twentieth century.
Page Reference: 513
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
105. Why are playgrounds important in communities? What areas can benefit from
playgrounds?
1. Discuss how obesity is a major health problem in the United States.
Playgrounds offer the opportunity for children to get exercise, which can
reduce health care costs significantly.
2. Indicate that good exercise habits learned on playgrounds can continue
later in life, which again can reduce health care costs.
3. Note that playgrounds can benefit all areas, but can be particularly
important in urban areas where there may not be room for children to
play, and low-income areas where residents cannot afford exercise
programs such as those offered with gym memberships.
Topic: Social Policy Challenges for the Future: Health, Education, and Crime
Learning Objective: LO 17.3: Evaluate the current status of and challenges for
federal government policy in the areas of health care, education, and crime.
Page Reference: 521
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Essay Questions
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106. When did the federal government first become involved in education, and when
did it expand its involvement? Provide examples. Why did the government
expand its involvement in education?
1. Discuss how the federal government has been involved in education at
least since the Northwest Ordinance of 1785, which set aside land for
public schools; after the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act, which
provided grants of land for universities, was established in 1862, the
Office of Education was created in 1867 to oversee education programs.
2. Describe how education came to be seen as a national security issue
during the Cold War; when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, Congress
passed the National Defense Education Act to upgrade science and math
education in the United States.
3. Identify the 1960s as another period of expansion, with recognition of
the wide variation in quality of neighborhood schools and the creation of
programs like Head Start to help low-income students.
4. Note that the 1990s brought further federal involvement in education in
an attempt to apply more stringent standards and monitor school
performance, first with the government setting national goals for student
achievement, and then with the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act
in 2002.
Topic: Social Policy Challenges for the Future: Health, Education, and Crime
Learning Objective: LO 17.3: Evaluate the current status of and challenges for
federal government policy in the areas of health care, education, and crime.
Page Reference: 521 – 523
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
107. Identify the changes made in social policy during the New Deal and the Great
Society. In what ways do the programs enacted during those periods meet the
goals of social policy? Why are these programs often controversial?
1. Describe changes during the New Deal: establishment of the Federal
Emergency Relief Administration and the first 100 days; creation of jobs
through the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation
Corps; adoption of Social Security, disability insurance, and
unemployment insurance; and the Children’s Bureau, Aid to Families
with Dependent Children, and the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation’s
school lunch programs.
2. Describe changes during the Great Society: expansion of food stamp
program; creation of Head Start and of Medicare and Medicaid;
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implementation of SSI; and creation of the Department of Housing and
Urban Development.
3. Identify the goals of social policy as creating a social safety net and
raising the quality of life for all citizens, and discuss how the New Deal
and Great Society programs meet these goals.
4. Note that social policy programs are often political battlegrounds
between the parties and between contending interest groups; the question
is not whether a safety net should be provided, but rather how strong the
net should be and whether it should be provided by the states or by the
federal government.
Topic: The Role of the Federal Government in Social Policy; The Expansion of
Social Policy in the Twentieth Century; Social Policy Challenges for the Future:
Health, Education, and Crime
Learning Objective: LO 17.1: Outline the goals of the federal government’s
social policy and the forms of protection it provides; LO 17.2: Outline the
evolution of social policy throughout the twentieth century; LO 17.3: Evaluate the
current status of and challenges for federal government policy in the areas of
health care, education, and crime.
Page Reference: 508, 511 – 513, 514 – 515, 525
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
108. What kinds of health care has the government facilitated in the past? What
changes led to the adoption of the Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as
Obamacare? Why has the United States been slow to adopt universal health
coverage?
1. Note past government involvement in health care: Medicare, the
development of the National Institutes of Health, the Public Health
Service and the surgeon general, the Food and Drug Administration, and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
2. Identify rising health care costs as one of the major reasons Americans
are finding it more difficult to obtain health care, noting also that
employers have increased the share of insurance employees must pay;
taxes spent take dollars away from other programs; and reasons for rising
costs, such as people living longer and expense of new technology.
3. Discuss the effect of the American value of rugged individualism,
which implies that those who do not succeed are not working hard
enough, and how it supports a limited role for government.
Topic: Social Policy Challenges for the Future: Health, Education, and Crime
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Learning Objective: LO 17.3: Evaluate the current status of and challenges for
federal government policy in the areas of health care, education, and crime.
Page Reference: 517 – 519
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
109. What future challenges does the United States face in providing for its citizens’
health, education, and welfare? How can citizens influence social policy to help to
meet these challenges?
1. Identify that there are huge costs involved in social policy programs,
that spending for human resource programs has doubled since 1950, and
that the interest on the national debt is rapidly increasing, which leaves
less money for these programs.
2. Discuss the major health care challenges: containing costs in the face
of rising health care costs and expanding coverage as the Affordable Care
Act is implemented.
3. Describe challenges in education, including reevaluating programs
with difficulties such as Head Start and No Child Left Behind; meeting
the expectation that schools will not just educate but will also provide
basic nutrition, medical and psychological assistance, and socialization;
and improving access to higher education.
4. Detail challenges in the area of crime control, such as dealing with
terrorism and increasing violence in neighborhoods.
5. Note ways that citizens can become involved in meeting social policy
challenges: joining interest groups that represent low-income Americans;
writing letters to members of Congress regarding significant legislation;
and volunteering for programs designed to help the needy.
Topic: Social Policy Challenges for the Future: Health, Education, and Crime
Learning Objective: LO 17.3: Evaluate the current status of and challenges for
federal government policy in the areas of health care, education, and crime.
Page Reference: 517 – 525
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
110. What events in the twentieth century led to the expansion of social policy? What
were the major policy initiatives, and what problems were they designed to
address?
1. Discuss the stock market crash and the Great Depression. This led to a
number of major programs as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New
Deal. The New Deal included legislation to provide benefits to the poor,
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to put people to work, and to create infrastructure. Many of these
programs were designed to stimulate the economy.
2. Indicate specific programs that were part of the New Deal. For
example, Social Security was designed to provide a minimum income for
poor beneficiaries and ensure that benefits were related to the amount
paid in by contributors. Programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent
Children were implemented to provide assistance to the poor. Other
programs were designed to help the disabled and the unemployed.
3. Explain that President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs were
designed to solve problems in health care, education, and welfare.
4. Indicate specific programs that were part of the Great Society. These
include programs such as food stamps, Head Start, Medicare, Medicaid,
Supplemental Security Income, and housing assistance.
5. Discuss reforming welfare by converting Aid to Families with
Dependent Children to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. This
included limitations on receiving welfare.
Topic: The Expansion of Social Policy in the Twentieth Century
Learning Objective: LO 17.2: Outline the evolution of social policy throughout
the twentieth century.
Page Reference: 510 – 515
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
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