Public opinion reflects new stance
In the 1600s, some poor people in England sold themselves to unpaid labor in exchange for a ticket to the “New World.” They would work an average of four-to-seven years as servants.
With thousands unemployed and homeless, shanty towns started to pop up around many American cities during the Great Depression. These makeshift houses had really poor conditions and became known as Hoovervilles (named after the president at the time, Herbert Hoover).
These poor neighborhoods were created by the government after the Federal Housing Administration came up with a policy refusing to insure mortgages for African Americans in the 1930s. Essentially, black people could not buy houses in white neighborhoods, leading to racial segregation.
Sources: (History Collection) (New York Post) (The Guardian) (NPR)
See also: Poor vs. rich? The differences between expats and immigrants
Between 1890 and 1910, 18% of American children aged 10 to 15 worked. But not all did so outside their homes. Instead of going to school, some were forced by their parents to work at “home workshops,” assembling goods at home.
Poor people lived in dreadful conditions in 1800s Britain. Slums in London would have no sanitation, drains, and some homes did not even have windows. These places were a cesspool of disease.
Life wasn’t easy in the US as the country recovered following the end of World War II. For instance, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Chalifoux of Chicago lost their jobs and were evicted. This famous photo from 1948 shows the desperate couple putting their children up for sale. The children were sold for US$2 each.
Corporal punishment was part of the deal for children in poorhouses. The Poor Law Commission did try to regulate this, but kids were still subject to abuse under certain circumstances, such as—ironically—complaining of being unjustly beaten.
Tramp houses started to pop up in the US in the late 1800s and throughout the early 1900s. Travelers, aka vagabonds or “tramps,” would be allowed to spend the night in these one-room shacks.
There was no distinction between adults and children in workhouses. The only difference was that the children would work with other children in their own sections. Children under seven would be allowed to stay with their mothers, but once they were old enough they would join the children’s units.
Events such as the 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak, which killed 616 people, illustrate how bad things were for poor Londoners back then.
Writer and explorer Henry Morton Stanley grew up in a workhouse. He went on to describe in his writings how his friend Willie Roberts was beaten to death by the workhouse schoolmaster.
A poor farm was the rural equivalent of a city poorhouse. Though these were a bit more sustainable, as people would farm the land and were allowed to grow their own food. Living conditions in general were slightly better, too.
Travelers who would come looking for a job and couldn’t find one could be subject to a “warning out.” A board of selectmen would decide if the person stayed or had to leave town, and they could issue a warning saying the person was not eligible for poor relief (basically coercing them to leave).
Workhouses (or poorhouses) were supposed to provide support to the homeless and unemployed. Introduced in England in the 17th century, these were supposedly safe havens where poor people could eat and sleep. Except they were not.
It is estimated that King Henry VIII ordered the execution of 72,000 people for being unemployed.
The Tudor Poor Laws were reinforced during the reign of Queen Mary I. Legitimate beggars (usually poor people with disabilities) had to wear a badge identifying them as an “impotent, aged, or needy” person. Unlike the “sturdy beggars,” these people were allowed to beg. Still, the badge only added to the humiliation of being poor and unfit to work.
An oath “swearing to their lack of worldly goods and to their need for assistance” was required to enter a poorhouse. In order to “deserve” entrance, these individuals gave full control to the workhouse as to the food they ate, the clothes they wore, and the work they did.
In the late 1700s, there was a system in place in Massachusetts towns called “vendue.” This system allowed for poor people to be auctioned off. Winning bidders would receive a payment from the town to provide housing and caring for the poor person. Families would be separated and children would often end up sold out to apprenticeships.
Monks from Mendicant orders (who would travel around from town to town preaching) embraced a life of poverty by choice and pretty much lived off other people’s charity by begging. This was, of course, unfair competition for the poor people begging in those towns.
In 16th-century England, able-bodied people who would beg because they were unemployed were called “sturdy beggars” or “sturdy vagabonds.” And then the 1536 Act for Punishment of Sturdy Vagabonds and Beggars changed everything for these individuals.
It is estimated that at one point there were over 100,000 eunuchs during the Ming dynasty. Of course, not every man got the job, and many ended up begging on the streets.
Forced labor and precarious, unsanitary conditions made poorhouses truly awful places. The twisted thing is that this was done on purpose, to motivate poor people to find a job and get out of there.
How bad must one’s life have been for slavery to be a better option, right? In ancient Egypt, some people felt exactly this. It was also believed that enslaved people who worked for the pharaoh were guaranteed access to the afterlife.
In 1360, Edward III of England decreed that employers were allowed to capture any man that quit his job and brand him with the letter F (for “falsity”) on his forehead.
Only castrated men would be accepted as royal servants. This was to guarantee there was no threat to royal women’s chastity. Castration, in this case, would involve a complete removal of organs.
After the Civil War, poor people (many of them former slaves) were forced into sharecropping. This means that the farmers had to give part of their crops to the landowners as payment.
Being a servant of the royal palace was a sought-after position, so sometimes poor parents would castrate their children when they were still babies, in hopes they would land the job and have a better life.
The Black Death killed so many people that there was actually a labor shortage, so workers had a bit of leverage when negotiating wages. Being unemployed, though, was frowned upon, and there was even a law in England forbidding any assistance to “idle beggars,” who, unlike disabled ones, were simply considered lazy.
Under the new law, those caught begging would get the letter V (for "vagabond") branded on their body, and be sentenced to two years in prison. If they were caught in the act again, they would be sentenced to death.
Some people are born into poverty, while others are dealt a bad hand in life and things just go downhill from there. Whichever the case, since the dawn of civilization, the poor have always had the short end of the stick in all aspects of life. Many had to beg, others were forced into labor, some were persecuted, and many others had to endure perpetual sacrifices just to be able to survive. Indeed, being poor has never been easy.
From castration to segregation, in this gallery we recall the shocking lives of the poor throughout history. Click on to find out all about it.
A glimpse into the struggles of the poor throughout history
Poverty has consistently been a significant issue for mankind
LIFESTYLE Poverty
Some people are born into poverty, while others are dealt a bad hand in life and things just go downhill from there. Whichever the case, since the dawn of civilization, the poor have always had the short end of the stick in all aspects of life. Many had to beg, others were forced into labor, some were persecuted, and many others had to endure perpetual sacrifices just to be able to survive. Indeed, being poor has never been easy.
From castration to segregation, in this gallery we recall the shocking lives of the poor throughout history. Click on to find out all about it.