Poor Law Amendment Act 1834: Was the Harshness Real Or Exaggerated? 
Do you agree with the view that the harshness associated with the new poor law was greatly exaggerated?
The New Poor Law Amendment was an act which was intended to reform the country’s poverty relief system, keep people out of the workhouses and reduce outdoor relief. The sources suggest different insights on the view that the harshness associated with the new poor law was greatly exaggerated. Whilst source 18 relays some ideas of uncertainty on the view, source 16 and 17 show an extreme level of dissimilarity (Source 16 suggest agree with the view while source 17 suggests that the new poor law was absolutely horrendous.)
Source 16, clearly in support of the view, states some of the privileges, though few, that the inmates have such as the provision of a teacher and health professionals; children sent to workhouse schools. “Their flexible application of the workhouse test” is evident in the fact that they allow overnight inmates and those inmates have their clothes cleaned and disinfected. In contrast, source 17 points out, quite clearly, the absolute horrendousness of the workhouses. Also in contrast to the positive argument of children getting education in the workhouse, they were also often sent away, sometimes without the knowledge or permission of their parents apprenticed (often to the cotton mills) where they would have to do work too vigorous for a child.
However, the reliability of source 16 is questionable as it was written over a hundred years after the law was passed and implemented. The idea that the law “showed kindly concern for the welfare of the pauper in respect to “medical care, diets…” is also highly questionable as the idea of the law itself suggests that in order to keep people out of the workhouse, it had to be so bad; worse than conditions outside the workhouse.
Though quite uncertain, source 18 appears to have a very similar idea to source 17 which is that a large aspect of the law was very harsh. Source 17 calls the work houses
The New Poor Law Amendment was an act which was intended to reform the country’s poverty relief system, keep people out of the workhouses and reduce outdoor relief. The sources suggest different insights on the view that the harshness associated with the new poor law was greatly exaggerated. Whilst source 18 relays some ideas of uncertainty on the view, source 16 and 17 show an extreme level of dissimilarity (Source 16 suggest agree with the view while source 17 suggests that the new poor law was absolutely horrendous.)
Source 16, clearly in support of the view, states some of the privileges, though few, that the inmates have such as the provision of a teacher and health professionals; children sent to workhouse schools. “Their flexible application of the workhouse test” is evident in the fact that they allow overnight inmates and those inmates have their clothes cleaned and disinfected. In contrast, source 17 points out, quite clearly, the absolute horrendousness of the workhouses. Also in contrast to the positive argument of children getting education in the workhouse, they were also often sent away, sometimes without the knowledge or permission of their parents apprenticed (often to the cotton mills) where they would have to do work too vigorous for a child.
However, the reliability of source 16 is questionable as it was written over a hundred years after the law was passed and implemented. The idea that the law “showed kindly concern for the welfare of the pauper in respect to “medical care, diets…” is also highly questionable as the idea of the law itself suggests that in order to keep people out of the workhouse, it had to be so bad; worse than conditions outside the workhouse.
Though quite uncertain, source 18 appears to have a very similar idea to source 17 which is that a large aspect of the law was very harsh. Source 17 calls the work houses