What were the core objectives of the Social Security Act of 1935, and which programs did it establish?

What were the core objectives of the Social Security Act of 1935, and which programs did it establish?

• A. Created universal health care for all citizens.
• B. Guaranteed pensions for all workers immediately.
• C. Provided financial security for the elderly, unemployed, and disabled; established Social Security and unemployment insurance.
• D. Eliminated unemployment benefits in favor of private charity.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that the Social Security Act of 1935 created a federal social insurance system to provide financial support during hard times, especially for people who were elderly or unemployed. It established two major programs: Social Security (the retirement benefit funded by payroll taxes shared by workers and employers, with benefits administered at the national level) and unemployment insurance (a joint federal-state program that provides temporary benefits to workers who lose their jobs). The act aimed to reduce poverty and insecurity by building a safety net you could contribute to over your working life. It didn’t establish universal health care or guarantee pensions for every worker right away, and it did not eliminate unemployment benefits in favor of private charity. Disability coverage would come in later amendments, but the core results were the steady retirement and unemployment programs that defined the act.

The main idea here is that the Social Security Act of 1935 created a federal social insurance system to provide financial support during hard times, especially for people who were elderly or unemployed. It established two major programs: Social Security (the retirement benefit funded by payroll taxes shared by workers and employers, with benefits administered at the national level) and unemployment insurance (a joint federal-state program that provides temporary benefits to workers who lose their jobs). The act aimed to reduce poverty and insecurity by building a safety net you could contribute to over your working life.

It didn’t establish universal health care or guarantee pensions for every worker right away, and it did not eliminate unemployment benefits in favor of private charity. Disability coverage would come in later amendments, but the core results were the steady retirement and unemployment programs that defined the act.