| Organization name | Society for the Prevention of Pauperism |
| Date founded | 1817 |
| Org type | review |
| Bio notes | In response to the side effects of early 19th century urbanization and immigration, Thomas Eddy, John Pintard, and John Griscom organized this New York society in 1817 to combat poverty. The next year, it selected officers and ratified a constitution. The first step taken was a report on the causes of pauperism – in fact, the society viewed themselves more as preventative investigators than as a relief agency. When the report claimed most indigence was the result of moral failure, the society sent ward visitors to instruct the poor about industrious habits and recorded further data. Intemperance, education, workhouses. Discounted charity for the “artificially” poor, and eventually recommended gutting aid to the able-bodied. Help the poor help themselves through short-lived initiatives like the savings bank (1819) and fuel fund (1821). Another Society, based on the New York model, opened in Baltimore 1820. They worked closely with municipal government. Disbanded in 1823, after which most of its leaders moved on to work on educational and youth projects. |
| Citations | Mohl, Raymond A. "Humanitarianism in the Preindustrial City: The New York Society for the Prevention of Pauperism, 1817-1823." The Journal of American History 57.3 (1970): 576-99. Web. |
Life of Thomas Eddy