Analysis of The War on Poverty

780 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: War on poverty apush

The “War on Poverty”, introduced by former US President, Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address, was the unofficial name for legislation. President Johnson delivered his "War on Poverty" speech at a time of recovery in which the poverty level had fallen from 22.4% in 1959 to 19% in 1964. Critics saw it as an effort to get the United States Congress to authorize social welfare programs. [1] During Johnson’s 1964 Presidential campaign, he often spoke about his vision for America.
He envisioned an America "where no child will go unfed and no youngster will go unschooled; where every child has a good teacher and every teacher has good pay, and both have good classrooms; where every human being has dignity and every worker has a job...."[2] Johnson referred to his vision as the Great Society. He made a commitment to administer a wage on the "war on poverty."
President Johnson introduced a poverty bill, also known as the Economic Opportunity Act, in March 1964. The EOA passed the senate July 23, 1964. It passed the house with amendment then the senate agreed to the house amendment on August 8, 1964. Finally it was signed into law by President Johnson August 20, 1964. The purpose of this bill was to increase a safety net for the poor and unemployed, expand educational opportunities, to tend to the health and financial needs of the elderly, and eliminate poverty.
Critics claimed that "in the war on poverty, poverty won." Political conservatives argued that health programs, child care programs, public assistance, and food subsidies made the poor families weaker.
“Poverty is a national problem, requiring improved national organization and support. But this attack, to be effective, must also be organized at the state and t...

... middle of paper ...

...it doesn’t have. This country also continues to borrow money we don’t have to pay back in the first place. What this country needs is a really great financial advisor. Instead of constantly spending money on unnecessary things, this country needs to pay all of its bills. The government needs to look at this debt as a loan, which is technically why we’re in this mess in the first place, we’ve been loaned so much money. The problem though is that we haven’t been paying anything back. If you were going to take out a loan from the bank to buy a car, would you just refuse to pay back what you borrowed? Probably not, so what this country needs to do is start paying back anything they’ve borrowed. I don’t believe we will get out of this debt anytime soon but we’ve got to start somewhere. Unless someone actually cares enough, nothing is going to get better in this country.

Show More
Related

  • LBJ's Great Society

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded the presidency after John F. Kennedy's assassination he spoke of his vision of a Great Society in America. This Great Society included "an end to poverty and racial injustice," and also was intended to turn America into a place where kids can enhance their mind, broaden their talents, and people could restore their connection with the environment. In order to reach his goal, LBJ enacted numerous proposals involving taxes, civil rights, poverty, and much more. For the most part Johnson did an excellent job on delivering his promises, but international affairs threatened the Great Society and although LBJ won the presidency in a landslide victory in 1964, by 1966 he and the Supreme Court began to face serious criticism.

    Read More

  • The War on Poverty: The Start of the Head Start Program

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    In January of 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson declared “war on poverty” in a state of the union speech. His dream for a better America came with the greatest prosperity of the post war years. The nations GNP was up, unemployment was down and disposable personal income was at an all-time high. As the baby boom generation aged more American’s than ever would enter the work force and it was imperative that the county develop some a plan for its growing nation. As part of Johnsons war on poverty he create the idea of a “great society” in which ground rules where laid out for programs that the president was sure would help the nation. Johnsons first ever reference to the great society came in a speech directed toward students at the Ohio University in Athens where he proudly boasted “and with your courage and with your compassion and your desire, we will build the great society where no child will go unfed, and no youngster will go unschooled”. Johnson was dedicated to this ideal of a new society, together with Sargent Shriver, he worked on developing a committee of civil rights activist. He also arraigned a team of sociologist, psychologist and pediatricians including pediatrician Dr. Robert Cooke of John Hopkins University. Johnson and his crew worked rigorously to develop a program to help America’s children overcome the obstacle of poverty. The name head start was chosen as a representation of the gap that is ever present between middle class and lower class children academically and the ideal that this program would give underprivileged children a much needed head start on education and over all wellbeing.

    Read More

  • Lyndon Johnson's Administration

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the LBJ administration, Johnson was focused on ending the War on Poverty, the centerpiece of his presidency, and bringing justice to his fellow men and women. However, his pressing desire was to give the “Great Society a chance to grow and prosper! Johnson inherited the presidential seat after the death of John F. Kennedy. Immediately, Johnson was concentrated on establishing himself in the office of the Presidency, and to continue the legacy of JFK. Johnson quickly administered a group of domestic programs which he called the “Great Society”. Johnson’s vision for the Great Society drew on both his own primary identification with the New Deal (which he supported heavily) and his commitment to go beyond the achievement of FDR to create an America worthy of leadership in the twenty-first century. For America, this was the perfect time to build a Great Society. LBJ was confident that this was a time to prove that our material progress is only the foundation on which we will build a richer life in mind and spirit. He believed that the Great Society rested on an abu...

    Read More

  • Lyndon B Johnson Essay

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    Johnson wanted to continue with Kennedy’s unfinished work of the “New Frontier” after Kennedy’s term. The “Great Society” a term that Johnson coined, was one of the greatest reform agendas since Roosevelt’s “New Deal”. (US History, 2014) The great society included ideas to help put an end to poverty and of racial injustice, as well as major spen...

    Read More

  • Evicted By Matthew Desmond Analysis

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poverty is not just an issue reserved for third world countries. Instead, poverty is a multifaceted issue that even the most developed nations must battle

    Read More

  • The Legacy Of Lyndon Johnson

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Johnson was very dedicated to build the Great Society for all Americans. He swept social programs in various aspects: education, medical care, civil rights, minority, public television, and food stamps. Johnson’s administration led a strong economic growth. In general, his wide-reaching domestic achievements improved millions of Americans’ lives. Johnson’s has fought hard toward his ambition and domestic advance. Johnson has lifted numbers of Americans out poverty, ensured them fundamental citizen rights, and provided basic health care. His vision in constructing the Great Society and ending poverty should go down in history as an honor along with his legacy.

    Read More

  • Politics and Poverty

    1251 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are three areas, which have broad and differing views on how to combat poverty. Those three being, Welfare, Social Security, and Taxes. The following arguments present how those different perspectives affect the poverty issue in America today.

    Read More

  • The Civil Rights Movement

    2045 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...in government his most powerful position was that of the president of the United States, and his most powerful act, the Civil Rights Act. Johnson confirmed the progress of the country in his address at Howard University when he said, “Thus we have seen the high court of the country declare that discrimination based on race was repugnant to the Constitution, and therefore void. We have seen in 1957, and 1960, and again in 1964, the first civil rights legislation in this Nation in almost an entire century”. From the very beginning Johnson was determined to become an influential individual and make a difference in the world. He said, “No act of my entire administration will give me greater satisfaction than the day when my signature makes this bill, too, the law of this land” and he meant it. Through the Civil Rights Act Johnson was able to do just that.

    Read More

  • Is the System Awash?

    1598 Words  | 4 Pages

    Most Americans are unaware of the problems of the poor, it is hard to imagine the challenges of poverty, the daily fears of victimization or the frustration of not being able to provide for a child. These central ideas along with many others have plagued the United States’ economy for most of its history. What do we do with the poor? Who are they and what can we do to help them? Well the answer is a mix between individuality with a strong relativity to the central government. It is here that we find our argument and it is here that we find ourselves at bay with many sensitive subjects. I believe that it is the government’s responsibility to provide for the nation, but it is up to the individual whom is given to, to make a difference with what is given to them. With such problems as minimum wage, unemployment and little to no affordable housing it is hard for the poverty stricken individual to gain some if any ground at all in their quest to rise up out of the bonds of destitution. There needs to be a “battle plan” if you will to attack this issue of poverty head on. It is here that my plan comes into effect. Many propose simply giving them some sort of aid in food or money and being done with it, what I propose is that you give a little and they take it much further than what was originally thought possible. It is not simply the act of supporting them for the rest of their lives, it is the act of providing a strong foundation for which they can build upon. An outstanding quote from a man by the name of William McDonough states (chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York), “Issues of equity and social cohesion are issues that affect the very temperament of the country. We are forced to face the question of whether we will be able to go forward together as a unified society with a confident outlook or as a society of diverse economic groups suspicious of both the future and each other.”(Collins, Leondar and Sklar 280)

    Read More

  • Poverty Essay

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    What does it mean for someone to be on the lines of poverty or living in poverty? What is this word that is falsely used and missed analyzed? Poverty is the state of being extremely poor or being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount. In 2010, 16.4 million children, or 22.0 percent, were poor in the United States alone. (Tanner, 2014) The poverty rate for children also varies substantially by race and origin. If the rate of poverty continues to rise, will there be any hope left in humanity? The real question is not what is poverty but why is there so many people living in it. The ideal job of the government (federal and state) is to create a better/safer environment for the people. The model the “government” campaign is that everything they do is for the “benefit” of the people. When does the word “benefit” come into play when twenty-two percent of the population cannot supply a place for their children to sleep, put food on the table, and get a job that pays well enough to support their family. Are there any real benefits knowing families living in poverty have only one percent of a chance of getting out? Who is to blame? Where and how did this problem all start? What is this so called “government” doing to help stop the increasing rate of poverty? As you read this essay, it will explain what it means to be truly poor and why the government does so little to help. Include real stories from people living in poverty, what the government is doing to help (and if it’s enough), and is the problem of poverty becoming worst or slowly rising to become better.

    Read More

  • Differences Between Civil Rights In The 1950's And 1960s

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    (4) The Civil Rights Act: In 1964 congress passed a Civil Rights Act prohibiting racial discrimination in restaurants, theaters, hotels, hospitals, and public facilities of all sorts. This civil rights act also made it easier and safer for Southern Blacks to register and vote. Laws were passed to help poor people improve their ability to earn money, a program to give extra help to children at risk even before they were old enough to go to school, and a program to train school dropouts.

    Read More

  • Economic Injustice

    1784 Words  | 4 Pages

    No one denies that poverty is a problem in the United States, and even more so globally. Lack of sufficent food, decent education, proper housing, and sufficent medical coverage are all very apparent. The constitution guarantees life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, while these basic necessities of life are being denied to millions of families in the United States.

    Read More

  • The Uses Of Poverty: The Poor Pay All Analysis

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    Next, Herbert J. Gans’ essay, “The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All”, is extremely important in the analysis of the frontline documentary. Gans has a bit of a different approach on poverty and the poor. For example, he says, “Today, poverty is more maligned than the political machine ever was; yet it, too, is a persistent social phenomenon.” Basically, he argues that the poor are a very important part in society. He goes on to explain different functions of poverty. First, he states that the existence of poverty ensures that society’s dirty work will be done. Society in some ways forces the poor to do these jobs because they almost always don’t have the choice, and they make them do these at low wages. This was one of the hard things

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects Of Poverty

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poverty is an undeniable problem in America. In 2014, 14.8 percent of the United States was in poverty (“Hunger and Poverty Fact Sheet”). There are more people in the United States than it seems that do not have their basic necessities. In an

    Read More

  • The Causes and Effects of Poverty

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    Due to poverty, it can effect so many people around you. Children whose parents suffer from poverty go through more severe illnesses than those who are raised under better living condi...

    Read More

More about Analysis of The War on Poverty

Open Document