Illustrations - -- Preface - -- Introduction - -- The early American roots of welfare - -- Controlling the poor in nineteenth century America - -- From mothers' pensions to a troubled aid to dependent children program - -- The rise and fall of the war on poverty - -- Backlash and an emerging neoconservative consensus - -- The end of welfare entitlement - -- A new world of welfare - -- Conclusions - -- Appendix 1: Timeline of significant developments in American social welfare provision - -- Appendix 2: Annotated list of further readings - -- Bibliography -- Index.