This Vol chronicles the history of public housing in the US since the 17th century as part of the larger social quandary of how to deal with the nation's poor, & offers the case of Boston, MA, & its Housing Authority as an illustrative case study. Early policies & practices that attempted to classify & locate the underprivileged & unwanted are described, identifying shifts in attitudes toward the poor & various reform efforts. The creation of ideologically based means of rewarding lower-class workers who achieved upward mobility is documented, tracing the promotion of the ideal of single-family home ownership as part & parcel of the American Dream. The concomitant characterization of the poor as lacking morality or other requirements (the right color of skin) needed to achieve this goal is also examined. The development of new types of communities is discussed, & conflicts surrounding the location of public collective housing in proximity to private residences are described. The troubled history of the Boston Housing Authority serves as a microcosm for the mixed motives, ideological struggles, & ambivalence that continue to characterize the nation's public housing movement. Following an Introduction, the book offers 5 Chpts organized in II PARTS. 3 Tables, 69 Figures. K. Hyatt Stewart