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1932 › Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) › Old-age pensions and social insurance

Old-age insurance under state laws

pledge_forwarddirectional_stancecandidate_directevidence A Relief, Welfare & Social Insurance similar solutions · similar reasoning

Solution

Old-age insurance enacted by the states rather than a federal system.

Rationale

Not argued in the platform; see the companion unemployment-insurance plank.

Statements (4)

1932-06-27 · Democratic National Convention, Chicago (platform) · conventionparty_platform ✓ verified

We advocate unemployment and old-age insurance under state laws.

Source: 1932 Democratic Party Platform (1932-06-27)

1932-07-02 · Acceptance address, Democratic National Convention, Chicago · conventioncandidate_direct ✓ verified

That admirable document, the platform which you have adopted, is clear. I accept it 100 percent.

Blanket endorsement of every plank.

Source: Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago (1932-07-02)

1932-10-02 · Campaign address, Detroit, Michigan · generalcandidate_direct ✓ verified

That sold me on the idea of trying to keep homes intact for old people.

Follows the Hyde Park neighbors' poorhouse story: 'I shall tell you what sold me on old age insurance old age pensions.'

Source: Campaign Address at Detroit, Michigan (1932-10-02)

1932-10-06 · Radio address to the Business and Professional Men's League · generalcandidate_direct ✓ verified

Old-age, sickness and unemployment insurance are minimum requirements in these days. But they are not enough.

Source: Radio Address to the Business and Professional Men's League Throughout the Nation (1932-10-06)

Follow-through

kept

Old-age insurance was enacted in 1935 as a wholly federal contributory system (Title II) plus federal-state old-age assistance (Title I) — exceeding the 'under state laws' plank in federal scope. Coverage excluded farm and domestic workers.

Mechanisms

Date	Type	Name	Effect	Consistent?	Source
1935-01-17	message	Message to Congress on social security charted on: Unemployment rate (BLS, 1948–) · Unemployment rate (NBER series, 1929–1942)		yes	Message to Congress on Social Security.
1935-08-14	statute	Social Security Act, Titles I and II charted on: Unemployment rate (BLS, 1948–) · Unemployment rate (NBER series, 1929–1942)	Federal old-age insurance; federal grants for state old-age assistance.	partly	Statement on Signing the Social Security Act.

Assessments

kept William E. Leuchtenburg — Franklin D. Roosevelt: Domestic Affairs | Miller Center

Old-age insurance became federal law in 1935.

Taken together, these programs represented a significant commitment to developing a welfare state in the United States.

Other positions on this issue

Old-age pensions for men and women sixty and over — Norman Thomas, 1932 specific_pledge
Build on the Social Security Act toward economic security for all — Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936 directional_stance
The Townsend $200-a-month pension as a plank of the Union coalition — William Lemke, 1936 vague_gesture

1932-fdr-old-age-insurance-state-laws · created by claude-fable-5-1 · review: unreviewed