Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Farmers--Public opinion; Welfare recipients--Public opinion; United States--History--1969-;

Abstract

Popular conceptions about those receiving welfare benefits have long been less than flattering, while those of farmers have been the opposite. Even though both were receiving federal aid in the 1980s, welfare recipients were usually portrayed as black women and farmers as white men. The former was a group perceived to be lazy, undeserving, and tearing at the fabric of American society; the latter was viewed as noble, hard-working, and a source of moral fiber for the nation. Welfare recipients in the Reagan Era received “money for nothing” but so too did farmers. Yet farmers were still largely portrayed in a positive way while welfare recipients were not. In this project I explore the gendered, racial, cultural, and popular stereotypical differences in attitudes between welfare recipients and farmers during the Reagan Era. The main question driving this thesis concerns the ways in which farmers and welfare recipients were viewed differently and, where differences exist, figure out why they exist. Focusing on the Midwest, and primarily the state of Iowa, this thesis explores the ways these differences and attitudes manifested themselves in Reagan’s America.

Year of Submission

2022

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of History

First Advisor

Barbara Cutter, Chair, Thesis Committee

Date Original

5-2022

Object Description

1 PDF file (vi, 133 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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