President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Social
Security Act on August 14, 1935.
Press photographers snapped pictures as FDR, flanked by
ranking members of Congress, signed the historic act,
which guaranteed an income for the unemployed and
retirees.
FDR commended Congress for what he considered to be
a “patriotic” act.
Roosevelt had taken the helm of the country in 1932 in the
midst of the Great Depression, the nation’s worst economic
crisis.
The Social Security Act (SSA) was in keeping with his other
“New Deal” programs, including the establishment of the
Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation
Corps, which attempted to hoist America out of the Great
Depression by putting Americans back to work.
Although it was initially created to combat unemployment,
Social Security now functions primarily as a powerful safety
net for retirees and the disabled, and provides death benefits
to taxpayer dependents.
The Social Security system has remained popular and relatively unchanged since 1935.
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