On the Price of Corn and Management of the Poor
Benjamin Franklin
1766
Warning against overly generous welfare policies.
Draft of a Bill for Support of the Poor
Thomas Jefferson
1779
The Founders’ approach to welfare: group homes with work requirements for the able-bodied.
Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 14
Thomas Jefferson
1787
American welfare policy in the founding era.
Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Milligan
April 6, 1816
Jefferson affirms that the main purpose of society is to enable human beings to keep the fruits of their labor.