The influences of the Protestant ethic and Social Darwinism are unmistakable in the history of the U.S. social welfare policy, I
n what ways are the concepts of work and morality, survival of the fittest, and the "worthy" and unworthy- poor reflected in current policies and in the attitudes of the U.S. public today?
The concepts of work and morality are reflected in a prosperity, whose base is the submission of developing countries and a moral decay where individualism has deteriorated the endearing values of the American people that originated the American Revolution.
Darwinism has influenced in a partial, not total and somewhat negative, due to the high rate of Americans who express their faith in Protestantism and Catholicism and whose behavior, they ratify. Clear example of this, are the Media, schools and more than forty states that have a stance against Darwinism.
These concepts have all been extremely influential in the development of social welfare policy in the United States. Public policy nowadays is designed to help the less fortunate groups in society. However, it is not always clear who these people are.
Sometimes, people who are poor or unemployed are blamed for this situation due to the ideas of Social Darwinism and the Protestant ethic. Protestants considered work to be morally important, which meant that unemployed people were morally-lacking and were failing to fulfill their duties as citizens. These people were considered "unworthy" of help or sympathy. Moreover, Social Darwinism saw inequality as a natural environment which leads to the "survival of the fittest." All of these factors have made welfare difficult to access for some groups of people.
