Now in its Sixth edition, Social Welfare: An American Response to Need continues to examine a history of events and ideas that have shaped American social welfare policy. This book is especially unique because it presents original documents from each respective period, from Colonialism through the current Bush Administration. Topics include economic developments, the impact of voluntarism, and the impact of privatization to help readers understand the context of social welfare movements and policies. Material on the trends in the justice system includes the immigration debate and a Supreme Court case dealing with homosexuality.