The Social Security Program
  Fasttrack to America's Past
Return to
Originating Page





The Social Security
System
   The Social Security system was created by Franklin Roosevelt and Congress in 1935.  It was designed to make sure that workers would have money to live on when they reached old age and retired.

   Social Security is basically a government-run insurance program.  Workers and businesses all pay taxes into the system each year.  If a worker reaches retirement age, he or she collects a monthly check from the Social Security system for as long as he or she is alive.

   The system also gives a monthly check to the surviving spouse and children if a worker dies or becomes disabled.







The Social Security card shown below was issued to William Mason,
who lived in Philadelphia.  He supported his wife and their six children as a
master brick and stone mason.  During the Great Depression, however, jobs
became harder to find, and before long he could not find work at all.










The rest of the story
   In 1937 William Mason moved his family to Alexandria, Virginia, and found work.  When he died in 1949, his Social Security account paid out monthly checks that supported his wife and a child who was still at home.
 
   In 1973 one of William Mason's granddaughters, named Jeanne, was going to school at Mary Washington College.  On Valentine's Day that year she met a student from a nearby college named David Burns.

   The photo is from their wedding in 1974.  Mr. Burns later became a teacher and created this web site.  And yes, they both have Social Security cards!





Now, back to the 1930s . . .

The photo below shows a Social Security office in Baltimore in 1937.  Millions of
working Americans had to be registered, assigned a number, and sent their card.
It was all done on paper and cards - there were no computers at that time.











The Social Security system
is still important!
   The Social Security program still exists in the U.S. today.  For most Americans, the money it provides is an important part of their total retirement income. 

   Social Security also still provides income for spouses and children when a worker becomes disabled or dies.


   The Social Security poster on the right features a popular actor from an old TV series, Star Trek.  It makes the point that it is very easy to sign up for the program.  Most children are now registered at birth.

  












Social Security card photo by David Burns.  Some numbers on the card have
been changed.  Social Security office photos are from the Library of Congress. 
The black and white poster image is from the National Archives
and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.  The color poster image
is from Wikipedia and the Social Security Administration.
Some images have been resized or edited for this page.





Copyright Notice

   Copyright 2009, 2020 by David Burns.  All rights reserved.