Social Security Celebrates 75 Years of Public Service

our history page

development of Social Security

milestones

For 75 years, Social Security has touched the lives of Americans across the country. From its very inception, Social Security was intended to confront change, both predictable and unforeseen.

When Roosevelt signed Social Security into law on August 14, 1935, he said, “The civilization of the past hundred years, with its startling industrial changes, has tended more and more to make life insecure. Young people have come to wonder what would be their lot when they came to old age. The man with a job has wondered how long the job would last. This law, too, represents a cornerstone in a structure which is being built but is by no means complete. It is, in short, a law that will take care of human needs and at the same time provide the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness.”

Change and economic uncertainty was a regular part of everyday life in those days, just as it is today. Social Security helped add some stability to American citizens who otherwise may not have had an income at all — just as it does today.

Please enjoy a brief journey through our 75-year history, in the photo gallery below.

A contact sheet of this photo gallery can be found here.