Aid to Families with Dependent Children was created as part of which act?

• A. The Social Security Act of 1935
• B. The New Deal Banking Reform Act
• C. The Civil Rights Act
• D. The Housing Act

Answer: (A)

AFDC was created under the Social Security Act of 1935, a cornerstone of the New Deal aimed at easing the hardships of the Great Depression. The act established a federal framework that provided grants to states to assist families with dependent children, originally through Aid to Dependent Children and later renamed to Aid to Families with Dependent Children. This set the precedent for federal involvement in welfare and later evolved into programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families in 1996. The other options don’t correspond to the origin of this program—banking reform legislation focuses on financial regulation, the Civil Rights Act targets civil rights, and housing acts address housing policy rather than direct welfare for families.