DeepSummary
The episode begins by recounting a rumor that circulated in Newburgh, NY in the 1950s about welfare recipients moving to the city from the South to take advantage of generous welfare benefits. This rumor was used by city officials to justify harsh crackdowns on welfare recipients, despite a lack of evidence for the rumor's validity.
The episode then provides historical context on the evolution of welfare policies in the US, highlighting how increasing access to welfare for Black Americans in the mid-20th century fueled suspicions and accusations of laziness and welfare dependency. This included proposals for racially discriminatory work requirements targeting Black women receiving government aid.
The episode returns to Newburgh, detailing how the new city manager, Joseph Mitchell, led a campaign to strip welfare recipients of their benefits and essentially run them out of town. This became known as the "Battle of Newburgh" and had a significant impact on shaping welfare policies and work requirements across the country.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- A rumor about welfare recipients moving to Newburgh, NY from the South to take advantage of benefits was used by city officials to justify harsh crackdowns on welfare, despite a lack of evidence for the rumor's validity.
- Increasing access to welfare benefits for Black Americans in the mid-20th century fueled suspicions and accusations of laziness and welfare dependency, leading to proposals for racially discriminatory work requirements.
- The "Battle of Newburgh" in the 1950s, led by city manager Joseph Mitchell, aimed to strip welfare recipients of their benefits and effectively run them out of town, reflecting broader biases and assumptions about welfare dependency.
- The evolution of welfare policies and work requirements in the US was often shaped by racial biases and suspicions about welfare dependency, particularly as more Black Americans gained access to welfare benefits.
- The legacy of slavery and racial oppression contributed to the perception that work requirements were necessary to prevent Black Americans from taking advantage of welfare benefits and avoiding work.
- Economic factors like recessions and job loss were often ignored or downplayed by officials who attributed unemployment and welfare reliance solely to personal laziness or a unwillingness to work.
- The harsh rhetoric and policies implemented in Newburgh had a significant impact on shaping welfare policies and work requirements across the country.
- The episode highlights the importance of understanding the historical context and biases that have influenced the development of welfare policies and work requirements in the US.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “We challenge the right of freeloaders to make more on relief than when working. We challenge the right of those on the relief to loaf by state and federal edict and would challenge the right of people to quit jobs at will and go on relief like spoiled children.“ by Joseph McDowell Mitchell
- “They claimed that in the south they had posters that told people to move to Newburgh for the welfare.“ by Eleanor McKay
- “Enslavement established this inherent expectation that black people could not have their own freedom. They had to work for the economic gain of a white master.“ by Ife Finch Floyd
- “People are not unemployed because of the recession or they're not unemployed because, you know, because there are no jobs available, they're unemployed because they don't want to work.“ by Tamara Boussac
- “And if they want to get some sort of assistance from the government, then there's no reason why you should be allowed to get welfare without working.“ by Tamara Boussac
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Episode Information
The Uncertain Hour
Marketplace
4/5/23
In the 1950s, a rumor that people were moving to Newburgh, NY to live off welfare riled up the city. When city leaders essentially declare war on welfare — and the people who get it — things tumble out of control.
Plus, how national suspicions grew about people getting welfare right as more black people started gaining more access to welfare benefits.
Host Krissy Clark and producer Peter Balonon-Rosen go back in history to tell a surprising origin story of part of our welfare system — and take a magnifying glass to how our country determines who deserves help and who doesn’t.
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