Which statement best describes how welfare and aid to the poor were handled by the government prior to the Great Depression?

A. There was no government assistance at all for the poor.
B. The federal government took responsibility for assisting the poor, usually by channeling aid through private charities.
C. State and local governments took responsibility for assisting the poor, usually by channeling aid through private charities.
D. All levels of government—local, state, and federal—cooperated in their efforts to assist the poor with a robust public safety net.

Prior to the Great Depression, state and local governments primarily used private charities to assist the poor, while federal government involvement was limited. The Great Depression prompted a shift towards federal government taking a more active role in social welfare programs.

Explanation:

Prior to the Great Depression, the responsibility for assisting the poor was primarily handled by state and local governments, usually channeled through private charities. There was no significant federal government assistance for the poor at that time. However, the Great Depression led to a transformative shift in social welfare policies, with the federal government taking a more active role in providing aid to the impoverished through programs like the New Deal.

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