During this time period, the federal government was relatively weak. Moreover, the Gilded Age was a period in which social assistance was not common, and it did not have the support it had in later years.
Most social assistance was provided by religious institutions due to a change in ideology called the "Third Great Awakening," in which religious attitudes became more progressive. This allowed institutions such as the YMCA, the Salvation Army and Hull House to be established. The federal government implemented programs such as emergency relief programs, work relief programs, and agricultural programs.
These programs were moderately successful. However, their main contribution was influencing politics, which led to the Populist Party and eventually the Progressive movement.
