America Before The Entitlement State
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...In the 19th century, even though capitalism had only existed for a short time, and had just started putting a dent in pre-capitalism's legacy of poverty, the vast, vast majority of Americans were already able to support their own lives through their own productive work. Only a tiny fraction of a sliver of a minority depended on assistance and aid–and there was no shortage of aid available to help that minority. ... "Those in need," historian Walter Trattner writes, ". . . looked first to family, kin, and neighbors for aid, including the landlord, who sometimes deferred the rent; the...
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