President Franklin D. Roosevelt created Social Security in the United States, which started upon the signing the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935. The legislation is considered to be one of the most significant in the history of the United States. The Social Security Act was signed into law during the time of the Great Depression, and it provided much-needed financial aid to Americans.

Laws created for the benefit of the financial relief of citizens actually originated from England, where they have laws that support the poor through the use of taxation, where locals are subject to mandatory contribution.

The present Social Security system can trace its roots back to a specific program created for a part of the American population. After the Civil War, there are lots of veterans, widows and orphans who needed financial relief, and a pension plan was created for them as a result to this need.

The process of the present Social Security Act can be attributed to the social changes that happened during the 19th century. It was during this time that the Industrial Revolution has developed, and a large chunk of the population from the countryside was going to the cities. Also, there was longer life expectancy, and the practice of developing extended families was fading. This made changes to the way Social Security is being governed today.

The establishment of the Social Security Act is a contrast to the ways of the Americans in the early 1900s. Before 1929, the U.S. maintained an attitude that people should be able to take care of themselves and provide for their own needs. Those times, pensions for the elders, compensation for the unemployed and health insurance was unheard of and the only ones who were able to get financial assistance were the war veterans.

It was the Depression that gave way to the creation of the Social Security Act for Americans. The clamor to have pensions for the old was led by Francis Townsend, a retired California doctor. The Social Security Act of 1935 was signed into law in response to this plea from the people.

The act has been amended over the years in order to accommodate the inclusion of spouses and dependent children on the benefits. In order to make this possible, payroll taxes were increased.

This increase went on to include more people on the benefit brackets. Cost of living allowance was included during the 1940s, and disability insurance was allocated for in 1956.

Over the years, more and more programs are created for the Social Security Act and provisions were modified in order to serve Americans better.

Concerns have been raised regarding the financial condition of the Social Security program. Because of this, President Ronald Reagan approved the taxation of Social Security benefits in 1983. Federal employees were included in the coverage, and the retirement age was raised

The U.S. government, from administration to administration, has made several changes to the Social Security Act due to rising concerns on skyrocketing taxes. Latest issues, such as the impending retirement of the "Baby Boom" Generation, has led to deeper concerns regarding the readiness of the country to deal with the sure deluge of medical and retirement benefits that will be given to them.