America’s
War on Poverty
Brian McDonald
Center on Poverty, Work, & Opportunity
UNC School of Law
Before 1960
• The Great Depression and its
aftermath continued the ongoing
economic differences for people
in this country
• Before the “War on Poverty,” the
national poverty rate was
approximately 19%
Inspiration?
• In 1962, author
Michael Harrington
published The Other
America: Poverty in the
United States.
• Comprehensive
study on economic
inequality
• Many believe this to be the
inspiration behind LBJ’s “War on
Poverty”
Inspiration?
With the encouragement of Governor Terry
Sanford and the leadership of George Esser, the
North Carolina Fund focused on improving
economic inequality and poverty in North
Carolina. Experimental programs focused on
housing, education, and employment for five years,
from 1963 to 1968.
War on Poverty
• Lyndon Johnson – President of
the United States from 1963-1968
• Great Society – Name given to
the official domestic programs
under President Johnson
• War on Poverty – Johnson’s
unofficial programs to combat
economic inequality
State of the Union Address
“Unfortunately, many Americans live on the
outskirts of hope--some because of their poverty,
and some because of their color, and all too many
because of both. Our task is to help replace their
despair with opportunity. This administration
today, here and now, declares unconditional war
on poverty in America. I urge this Congress and all
Americans to join with me in that effort…Let me
make one principle of this administration
abundantly clear: All of these increased
opportunities--in employment, in education, in
housing, and in every field--must be open to
Americans of every color.”
Lyndon Johnson, 1964
Congressional Consequences
• The United States Congress passed the
Economic Opportunity Act which
created the Office of Economic
Opportunity to carry out the funding of
the “war on poverty”
• Additional programs to support the
“war” were added including VISTA, Job
Corp, and educational opportunities
Strategies/Programs
• Education
– Project Head Start
– Upward Bound
– Adult Basic Education
• Income Maintenance
– Social Security Amendments
– Food Stamp Program
– Minimum Wage Bill
• Job Creation
– Job Corp
– College Work Study Program
Important People
President Lyndon
Johnson, 1963-1968
Sargent Shriver, the
architect of the “War on
Poverty” under Johnson
Legacies
• Economic inequality gained media
attention and presidential response
• Programs assisted those living in
poverty; some had longer impact
than others
• Motivated others (RFK, MLK) to
focus on economic inequality
Questions
• To what degree was the “war on
poverty” both a success and a
failure?
• What was the most influential
program from the “War on
Poverty”?
• How were different groups
affected by the war on poverty?