Final answer:
The Social Security Act of 1935 was designed to provide assistance to those who had earned it, but also provided direct assistance based on need. It established programs to help the elderly, unemployed workers, those with disabilities, and impoverished children.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Social Security Act of 1935, part of President Roosevelt's New Deal, was primarily designed to provide assistance to those who had earned it, but it also provided considerable direct assistance based on need.
The Act established programs to help the elderly, unemployed workers, those with disabilities, and impoverished children. It included a pension fund for retired people over the age of sixty-five, funded through a payroll tax on both employee and employer.
However, the Act initially excluded domestic and agricultural workers, leaving many women and minority families without protection.