President Kennedy 's Impact On Poverty

When the Depression began, there was no federal relief for the unemployed or assistance for families facing starvation. Some states operated relief programs but curtailed them due to declining tax revenues. Religious and charitable organizations provided relief in many urban areas; however, in many of these organizations operating in the North as well as the South, there was a lot of discrimination and racism, which excluded African Americans from their "soup kitchens." In communities where relief work was offered through state agencies, African Americans were given less in monthly aid than white applicants. The reason I am referring to African Americans is because I have recently read a book that dealt mostly with the great depression and welfare programs. This book is called "There are no children here" and it is written by Alex Kotlowitz. This is not about a fictional story of hardships and struggles but rather it is a harsh reality that exists in this country, one to which we turn our backs and close our eyes to daily. This book is touching only if you understand and acknowledge the facts that perpetuate poverty and welfare dependency in the United States. Although I learned a lot from this book I

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

One of his major accomplishments he during this time was a War on Poverty. Johnson believed that the cure to poverty was education and therefore passed numerous acts providing federal aid for education. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was the first general federal-aid-to-education law in American history and gave over $1 billion to public and parochial schools for books, library supplies, and special-education courses. The Higher Education Act gave $650 million for scholarships and low-interest loans to poor college students and for funds for college libraries and research facilities. Also, through the Economic Opportunity Act Johnson started antipoverty programs such as the Job Corps, VISTA, Project Head Start, and the Community Action Program. However, these programs were designed by Johnson to be a ?hand up, not a hand out.?

John F. Kennedy promised “…‘to get America moving again,’ primarily by stimulating economic growth” (“Domestic Policy” 1). These statements reveal that the economic suffering endured before these programs were enacted is a definite origin of said programs.

In 1963, with the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson ascended to the presidency. Johnson, a democrat, had enormous ambitions to expand the role of the federal government in American’s lives like FDR had done. The nation was in shock and Johnson rode the wave to have the martyred president’s “New Frontier” agenda passed into law. As a former majority leader in the Senate, he used his know-how to continue to churn bills one after another through Congress. Most notable among them was the Civil Rights Act of 1964: a landmark in the fight for equality. Johnson’s other bills were part of a declared war against poverty, and these would come to be called a part of his “Great Society” harkening back to FDR’s “New Deal” in both

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 purpose of Medicare was to provide federal aid to the elderly for medical expenses regardless if they were on welfare or not. Medicaid was created to give medical assistance to welfare recipients and other poverty-stricken people. Another thing that the Johnson administration did in attempt to conquer poverty was the Economic Opportunity act of 1964. The purpose of this act was not only to expand old programs, but to introduce new ones that will help. In an address to congress in 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson affirms that this act would benefit underprivileged Americans continue their education and develop skills that will help them find good jobs and eventually escape from poverty (Doc B). President Johnson was dedicated to abolishing segregation within schools, the workplace and in public. The United States still had a lot to do to deal with racial and gender inequality issues. As Stokely Carmichael said in “What We Want” on September 22nd 1966, African-American families were enduring issues such as unemployment, starvation and murder. However, despite these hardships,

For most of the ‘60s, America had liberal Democratic administrations. In 1961, Democrat John F. Kennedy became president. As part of his election campaign, Kennedy announced his New Frontier domestic program. During his presidency, he was not able to implement his promises successfully. “Without a clear Democratic majority in Congress he was unable to increase federal aid to education, provide health insurance for the aged, create a cabinet-level department of urban affairs, or expand civil rights” (Tindall and Shi 1050). His successor Johnson, committed to New Deal Democratic Liberalism, launched a War on Poverty and the so-called Great Society, a large array of social reform programs. However, since the US expanded its involvement in the Vietnam War, federal funds that were initially planned to be used for the War on Poverty, were instead used to cover the high war expenses (Tindall and Shi 1045). Many Americans lost their confidence in the liberal Democratic government and highly criticized the policies of the Kennedy and Johnson. Even though several legislative accomplishments can be ascribed to these two presidents, the criticism usually outweighed.

John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917, the second of nine children. He was a US statesman and our 35th president. He came from a family with a history of good politics. As an infant he lived in a comfortable but modest frame house in that suburb of Boston. As the family got larger and the father's income and fortune increased, the Kennedys moved to larger, more impressive homes. Their first home was in Brookline, followed by the suburbs of New York City. John F. Kennedy had a happy childhood that was full of family games and sports. He attended many different private elementary schools, which were all non parochial. He later spent a year at Canterbury School in New Milford,

Many reforms in the UnitedStates have been passed to help fight against the “War on Poverty”; but it has not been effective in eradicating poverty in the U.S. There are about 46 million people who are living in impoverished conditions and poverty continues to be a social issue in this country (Heritage Foundation, 2011) In the beginning, our country was formed under the belief that “this land is the land of opportunity and if we worked hard enough the American Dream can be gained” (Schwarz, 1997). People immigrate to this country today in hopes of becoming rich so they could gain a better life. In spite of coming to this country for a better life, many are faced with the lack of skills and money to succeed. In the end, most will end

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

Martin Luther King Jr. sought to improve the jobs and living conditions of the poor (Bausum, 42). King saw the “Poor Peoples Campaign” as a fight for human rights (Bausum, 42). King launched the “Poor People’s Campaign” for economic equality on December 4, 1967 (Lakeside). This program was an effort to gather as many black and white poor people in Washington in demand of a response from America. King had very little support from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference staff to aid the “Poor People’s Campaign”(Bausum, 42). The campaign was difficult, considering the government’s frail participation to help end poverty. King realized the diverse population would cause another problem to continue the “Poor Peoples Campaign”. Martin Luther King Jr. felt the United States was responsible for the poor because of the decision to start the Vietnam War (Bausum, 45). King’s view on the Vietnam War clashed disagreements with government officials. The FBI and Herbert Hoover overstepped the bounds of law and launched POCAM in attempt to abolish

Ronald Reagan once said, “We fought a war on poverty, and poverty won.” I read the book, Dancing in the dark by Morris Dickstein. This book was about the great depression, and the impacts it had on American life. The traditional thought of poverty, people dying of hunger and people lying in the roads, has been erased. America has abolished poverty by the traditional standards but the thought of poverty and what it is has changed. In America we consider poverty to be spending all your money on bills, so you have no money left for food to feed your family. We consider poverty to be just being poor. One-Third of our population makes less than $38,000. This is not enough to be able to be above the poverty line. Anything below this