"An Act to provide for the general welfare by establishing a system of Federal old-age benefits, and by enabling the several States to make more adequate provision for aged persons, blind persons, dependent and crippled children, maternal and child welfare, public health, and the administration of their unemployment compensation laws; to establish a Social Security Board; to raise revenue; and for other purposes." — Social Security Act (1935), Preamble
Critics on the left, like Huey Long, attacked the Act because it
- A
was too generous to industrial workers
- Bcheck_circle
did not redistribute wealth or cover farm and domestic workers
- C
taxed corporations excessively
- D
violated the gold-standard clause
Explanation
Long's "Share Our Wealth" demanded sweeping redistribution; the original Act notably excluded agricultural and domestic workers, disproportionately Black and Hispanic.