"The steady expansion of welfare programs can be taken as a measure of the steady disintegration of the Negro family structure over the past generation in the United States"

This quote by Daniel Patrick Moynihan suggests that the growth of well-being programs in the United States is a direct outcome of the decline of the African American household structure over the previous generation. This implies that the African American household structure has actually been damaged due to numerous elements, such as poverty, lack of education, and discrimination. The increasing dependence on well-being programs suggests this disintegration, as increasingly more African American households are unable to provide for themselves and must rely on federal government assistance. This quote highlights the need for more efficient policies to deal with the underlying concerns that are triggering the decrease of the African American family structure, such as hardship, illiteracy, and discrimination. It also acts as a suggestion of the significance of strong household structures in offering stability and security for African American communities.