Analysis of The War on Poverty

Before a Joint Session of Congress, a new President Lyndon Johnson gave speech to Americans. “ All I have I would have given gladly not to be standing here today,” he said.In 1963, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy gave shock to the United States and the world. In November 22, 1963, Johnson was sworn in as President on the Air Force One. To succeed the legacy of Kennedy, Johnson practiced his new program, the Great Society, in 1964-65, in order to reduce poverty, and to provide safety and to promote a better quality of life in the U.S. However, while he was practicing many programs during the Great Society, many people thought the government was caring people too much, therefore it created “welfare state.” Because the government

During Johnson’s presidency, the federal government significantly extended its domestic responsibilities in attempt to transform the nation to what Johnson called the “Great Society,” in which poverty and racial intolerance ceased to exist. A previously unsurpassed amount of legislation was passed during this time; numerous laws were passed to protect the environment, keep consumers safe, reduce unfairness in education, improve housing in urban areas, provide more assistance to the elderly with health care, and other policies to improve welfare. Johnson called for a “War on Poverty,” and directed more funds to help the poor; government spending towards the poor

A sociological imagination is the idea of how a personal experience can affect society as a whole. At some point a personal issue becomes a public issue. Conflict theory is the idea of competition over limited resources such as money. The theory is about domination and power rather than peace and cooperation. Those with power and wealth try to maintain that position by suppressing those without. The United States poverty is most easily explained by the conflict theory because in the US, the wealthy stay wealthy and the poor stay poor due to suppression.

The economy was in trouble because the United States had poured in some 168 billion into the war. During 1962- 1965 there was low inflation, almost full employment, and a favorable balance of trade. President Johnson declared a “War on Poverty” through his “Great Society” programs while escalating the war in Vietnam at the same time. However, his decision to finance both “guns and butter” – a major war and the Great Society simultaneously, without a significant increase in taxes unleashed an acceleration of inflation, when Nixon came into office. Although the real reason for inflation was the high military spending for the Vietnam war, the stall of economic growth had produced a more important matter, economic recession, and high unemployment. Though he did act upon them, his policy

Lyndon Baines Johnson introduced the Great Society, a strategic plan of action to propose environmental cleanup, decreasing poverty, and helping to further fund education during his state of the union address in 1965 in a poetic manner. He spoke of it as a destination that the American people would work toward. Johnson’s address gave many Americans hope and faith in a better world after feeling so much pain following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Americans were anxious to move forward as a nation in support of the changed Johnson proposed.

In 1964 President Kennedy started the process of making a substantial effort to eradicate poverty when he received a memo showing that the number of families that were poor at that time (which was below the $3000 threshold) would remain poor even with full-time work if changes were not made (Haveman, R ( 1 ), Blank, R ( 2 ), Moffitt, R ( 3 ), Smeeding, T ( 4 ), & Wallace, G ( 5 ), 2015). He also directed that antipoverty measures be included in the 1964 legislation when awareness of the plight of more than 40% of blacks living in poverty was made (Haveman, R ( 1 ) et al., 2015). After his untimely assassination President Johnson moved the plan forward signing the Economic Opportunity Bill into law in 1964 (Haveman, R ( 1 ) et al., 2015). A total of $800 million (equivalent to $6 billion in today’s dollars) was appropriated to the Executive agency Johnson created to address and oversee the programs that were to be used to combat poverty (Haveman, R ( 1 ) et al., 2015). Many of the programs had existed prior to 1964 but these efforts were targeted to “provide direct services to the poor, promote the development of human capital and stimulate social and community change.” (Haveman, R ( 1 ) et al., 2015) Medicaid was also created to provide for the poor and the farm community helped to expand the Food Stamp program (which also helped address concerns about food surplus), and Housing subsidy was expanded as well and most, if not all, of these programs continue in some form

The second chapter entails Johnson’s efforts to attack poverty. This issue and civil rights Johnson felt went hand in hand, due to many African Americans being poverty stricken. He implemented the Economic Opportunity act in 1964 in order to provide jobs and other services to the poor. He set out to instill education, health care, and an overall better well being for the less fortunate. He also implemented the Community Action Program, which was set up at the local level through federal funding to combat poverty in many stricken areas.

Lyndon Johnson was convinced that liberal nationalism and the power of the federal government could transform society. His faith grew out of his youthful experiences with poverty in Texas, his political apprenticeship during the New Deal, and his desire to surpass Roosevelt 's legacy. When he took office in November 1963, after John F. Kennedy 's death, Johnson inherited the early initiatives to address poverty that the Kennedy administration had under consideration. With characteristic enthusiasm and expansiveness, Johnson declared a war on poverty in 1964 and pushed legislation through Congress to establish the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO).In this speech, the purpose Lyndon B. Johnson outlines his vision and goals for "The Great

A national poll indicated that at least 60% of Americans approved his presidential stature. However, Kennedy was soon going to learn that all of his good will and future plans would be evaporated. On November 22, 1963 John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. Millions of Americans watched his own death as he greeted the crowd strolling down a street in Dallas, Texas. The New Frontier was over. After Kennedy’s assassination vice president Lyndon B. Johnson took over Presidency. LBJ was the complete opposite of Kennedy. He lacked the charisma that Kennedy used to win his audiences. LBJ immediately assured the world that America was going to make it through this awkward time in history. LBJ understood that America needed a plan like the New Frontier for support. He created the “Great Society”. The Great Society was a program that used America’s prosperity as a means to improve the economy and help people live a prosperous lifestyle. It was based on the New Frontier. Like the New Frontier it had both accomplishments and failures. The Great Society’s main reforms were in medical care for the elderly, aids to education, and plans to diminish poverty. At the time many families lived a life of poverty and/or were barely getting by. Thus the “unconditional war on poverty” was put into effect. Federal programs to help the poor were created. These programs included loans to those in need, low-income housing, and job training. To some the effort was a success and nearly 10 million

. The poverty still till this day has not really changed for the better. Some people are still in poverty today. It was established to help the poor Americans. War on Poverty bought many African Americans The aid that they needed the most.. He saw if the government had money that they government should lend some money out too those who need help in their households At the end of it all War on poverty was a great choice for American. It helped an enormous amount Americans

The Great Society was not a misguided and ill conceived but rather an attempt to help the economic situation of the time. There were struggle for black equality, housing discrimination, job discrimination, poverty and President Lyndon B. Johnson had to look at how to help improve American lives and the economy. The Great Society programs were launched in the 1964-65 to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. As a result, the number of Americans living below the poverty line dropped from 22.2% to 12.6% between 1963-1970 (source). This dramatic reduction in poverty was the combination of the different acts passed by the Congress to change the role of the federal government to benefit the lives of millions of Americans. The two major acts passed

During President Johnson's term in office from 1964 to 1968, Johnson had declared a war on poverty. This is made evident when Johnson attempts to attack poverty at its roots. He states,

Lyndon Johnson was convinced that liberal nationalism and the power of the federal government could transform society. His faith grew out of his youthful experiences with poverty in Texas, his political apprenticeship during the New Deal, and his desire to surpass Roosevelt's legacy. When he took office in November 1963, after John F. Kennedy's death, Johnson inherited the early initiatives to address poverty that the Kennedy administration had under consideration. With characteristic enthusiasm and expansiveness, Johnson declared a war on poverty in 1964 and pushed legislation through Congress to establish the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO).In this speech, the purpose Lyndon B. Johnson outlines his vision and goals for "The Great

As Johnson campaigned in 1964 he challenged Americans to build a "Great Society". The main goal of the "Great Society" is to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. Some of the programs from the Great Society that are still around to this day our Medicare, Head Start, and Urban Renewal. The programs were designed to address education reform, racial discrimination, and health care for seniors

Poverty is not easily defined, because it plays out in many different ways. To be in poverty, one is generally making at most three times the amount of money they would need to sustain themselves and their family members living a minimalist lifestyle. These families tend to eat cheaper food, use public transport, have less access to good educational institutions, are exposed to harmful environments, and have less access to healthcare, among many other things. Through the lenses of conflict theory and functionalism, one can begin to understand why poverty so affects many aspects many people’s lives in ways that carry them through adulthood, and sometimes pervades later generations of their families.