The Equal Opportunity State

America is a country where, a person can work their way out of poverty. There are equal opportunities for those who are wealthy, as well as those who are poor in America. If someone is living in poverty there are different assistance programs to help that person survive and get out of poverty. These assistance are labeled as government assistance. Some government assistance are, welfare, unemployment and financial aid. The government ties to set people up for success if they are willing to work for it. America was founded on creating a land where people can migrate, and create a successful living for themselves. Throughout America there has been people born into poor families who have worked their way out of poverty. Those who take advantage of the opportunities are the ones that succeed.

In present America, the US government makes it mandatory for children between the ages of 6 and 16 to attend school. Before this mandate children were put to work in factories. Education is a vital key to success. The US government realized this when there was an abundance of children were working and not attending school in the 19th and 20th centuries. According to the article Child Labor in U.S. History, children were preferred workers because employers saw them as more manageable, cheaper, and less likely to strike (Child Labor Public Education Project). Children were more likely to work in these factories their whole life because of the lack of education. With the help of child labor laws, the school mandate enabled children to get educated and end the child labor practices in the 19th and 20th centuries. Unions helped these harsh child labor practices come to an end. These employers paid very little and it was unlikely for the children to get out of poverty. Children were rescued by the Child Labor Committee when they fought for children to be provided with free, compulsory education. The Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 set federal standards for child labor. America fixed its mistake and gave those children a chance to experience life after poverty.

For those children who would later want to achieve high education but didn’t have the financial resources, the government provides financial aid. Financial aid has been available since the 1600’s. In present day, there is a financial aid application called FASFA that is filled out to determine the amount of government funds a student can receive. Outside governmental assistance scholarships are given by private company to increase funds needed to attend school. In 1643, the first scholarship was established by Lady Anne Radcliffe Mowlson at Harvard University (Fin Aid). This scholarship was worth 1000 pounds (Harvard University). This helped someone attend school, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend without it. Harvard then awarded their first student loan in 1840. After the creation of the US Department of Education in 1867, student aid programs started to thrive. Many different student aids were created to help certain groups of people. In today’s world you can receive a scholarship of just about anything. There is a list of 100 unique scholarships on YesCollege.com and one of them is the Jif most creative sandwich contest. This scholarship is worth $25,000 and it comes with a Jif Peanut Butter Basket. Qualifications to receiving scholarships have evolved from simple education based qualifiers to fun and creative qualifiers.

Beyond educational help, the government has created ways to assist those who are living in poverty. The government created federally funded assistance programs in the 1930’s during the Great Depression (Welfare info). The Great Depression affected families financially in great numbers. Families with little to no income were the main beneficiaries of these welfare programs. The welfare system stayed in the governments hand for the next sixty years (welfare Info). States were granted the ability to control their welfare programs individually. States were given a grant called TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), which is the base of welfare. Families are given money and food stamps to take care of their families. Food stamps are food vultures for families to get food. If a family has a low income limit these food stamps helps families save their money for other needed resources. These are all attempts to help struggling Americans.

Every American has the right to be free and chase the American dream. This dream is to take advantage of the freedom and work hard to achieve financial stability. It is illegal to discriminate against someone based on race, gender and sexuality, therefore no one is denied the opportunity of financial stability. American is the land of opportunity it’s up to the citizens to choose their future and go get it. Many people try to migrate to America for its opportunities every day. America is thought to be the greatest country in the world.

 

Works Cited

“Radcliffe College Library Collection Relating to Ann Radcliffe, 1894-1977: A Finding Aid.” Radcliffe College Library. Harvard Library, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Hawksworth, Scott . “100 Unique and Weird Scholarships.” YesCollege. Yes College, 14 Nov. 2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

“History of Student Financial Aid.” FinAid | FinAid for Educators and FAAs | History of Student Financial Aid. Fin Aid, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016

 Michael Herring. “Child Labor in U.S. History.” Child Labor in U.S. History. Child Labor Public Education Project, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

“Welfare Reform – Social Welfare Change.” Welfare System Reform. Welfare Info, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

“US Welfare System – Help for US Citizens.” US Welfare System Help for US Citizens. Walfare System, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.