Ugly law facts for kids

Between 1867 and 1974, some cities in the United States had laws called unsightly beggar ordinances. People later called them ugly laws. These laws were unfair to poor people and disabled people. For example, in San Francisco, a law from 1867 made it illegal for such people to expose himself or herself to public view. This meant they couldn't be seen in public.

These laws were created because some people believed that helping those in need by giving them money was wrong. They thought it was better to investigate and advise people instead. Some even said that giving money to beggars without knowing how it would be used was like "firing a gun into a crowd." The term "ugly laws" was first used in the mid-1970s by Marcia Pearce Burgdorf and Robert Burgdorf, Jr., who were against these laws.

What Were Ugly Laws?

In the late 1800s, many people moved to cities in the United States. This led to more people living close together, and sometimes, more people who were poor. Because of these changes, leaders in cities across the country started creating "ugly laws." These laws aimed to hide people who looked disabled or sick from public view. This included things like limping or any movement that showed a disability.

History of Ugly Laws

The first American law like this was passed in 1867 in San Francisco, California. It was part of a bigger effort to control begging. Many people had traveled to California hoping to find gold during the California Gold Rush. When they didn't get rich, some stayed and became poor. People at the time noted many "insane" people on the streets.

Other cities soon followed. New Orleans, Louisiana had a similar strict law in 1883. Portland, Oregon, passed an ugly law in 1881. If someone broke these laws, they could be fined up to $50 or even put in jail.

In May 1881, Chicago, Illinois, also passed an unsightly beggar ordinance. A city leader named James Peevey helped create it. He said its goal was to "abolish all street obstructions." This meant removing people who were seen as disturbing public life, especially those who were poor or begging.

Laws like Chicago's appeared in Denver, Colorado, and Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1889. Omaha, Nebraska, also passed one between 1881 and 1890. More laws were created after a financial crisis in 1893. These included laws in Columbus, Ohio, in 1894, and for the entire state of Pennsylvania in 1891. Pennsylvania's law was different because it also included people with mental disabilities, not just physical ones. An attempt to pass a similar law in New York failed in 1895. Reno, Nevada, had an ordinance before 1905, and Los Angeles, California, tried to pass one in 1913.

In 1902, a similar "ugly law" was passed in the City of Manila in the Philippines. At that time, Manila was under American control. This law was written in English and included the phrase "no person who is diseased."

The last ugly laws were finally removed in 1974. Omaha, Nebraska, removed its law in 1967, but someone was still arrested under it in 1974. Columbus, Ohio, removed its law in 1972. Chicago was the very last city to remove its ugly law in 1974.

How Were Ugly Laws Enforced?

People who broke the ugly laws were usually fined or sent to a poor house or work farm. The San Francisco law said violators would be sent to an almshouse. This was similar to old laws about poverty from the Victorian era.

A historian named Brad Byrom noted that police often ignored these laws. The first recorded arrest under an ugly law was Martin Oates in San Francisco, California, in July 1867. Oates was a former soldier from the American Civil War.

These laws did not stop people with disabilities from performing for entertainment or to shock people. Instead, they stopped them from mixing with the general public. Even after the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was signed, ugly laws were still used to control public spaces.

Racism also played a part. In the 1860s in San Francisco, Chinese immigrants were sometimes unfairly quarantined to prevent the spread of disease.

The last known arrest related to an ugly law happened in 1974 in Omaha, Nebraska. A homeless man was arrested because he had visible scars. The judge and prosecutor said there was no clear legal definition of "ugly." So, the city prosecutor decided not to file charges. He said that even though the law was still active, this person didn't fit the definition.

Why Were Ugly Laws Criticized?

Ugly laws stopped some people with physical disabilities from going out in public at all. Many people felt these laws were unfair.

British scholar Stuart Murray said that these "ugly laws" were especially American. He believed that disability made people uncomfortable, and this was felt strongly in the U.S.

Jacobus tenBroek, a scholar, argued in 1966 that the limits placed on people with disabilities had little to do with their actual abilities. Instead, it was about "society's imagined thoughts of disability difficulties and risks."

In 1975, Marcia Pearce Burgdorf and Robert Burgdorf, Jr., wrote an article about these laws. They were inspired by the Omaha arrest in 1974. They used the term "ugly laws" in their article. This was an act of advocacy, meaning they were trying to speak up for people with disabilities.

The play The Body of Bourne by John Belluso shows a scene where a character named Randolph Bourne is confronted in Chicago because of an ugly law. Even though this is fiction, it shows how much these laws affected people with disabilities.

In 1980, a performer named Victoria Ann Lewis spoke about how hard it was for people with disabilities to find work. She felt that society expected people with disabilities to hide or only be in circuses. Lewis believed she was denied entry to a theater school because of her limp. She felt this was due to the ugly laws, which meant she might not be able to perform in some cities.

Impact on Later Laws

Ugly laws were connected to other social ideas like segregation (keeping groups separate) and institutionalization (sending people to special facilities).

These laws also changed how society thought about rehabilitation. People with disabilities were not allowed to beg for food or money in public. But it was okay for them to display themselves commercially if they were seeking a cure or help for their disability.

The end of the ugly laws happened soon after the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was passed. This act helped protect the rights of people with disabilities. Then, in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed. This law made it impossible for ugly laws to ever be created again.

Fredman (2011) said that people with disabilities are a group that has faced many limits and unfair treatment. This is based on ideas that are not true about their ability to be part of and help society.