AGENDA FOR TODAY

1. Poverty Activity and Reflection2. Poverty and LBJ3. “Great Society” Activity

LBJ and the War on Poverty

Background on Johnson

Elected as Vice President under Kennedy in 1960.

Kennedy assassinated on November 22nd 1963, Johnson sworn in as President of the United States.

Background on Johnson

Johnson’s presidential style was dramatically different than Kennedy’s.

Johnson Treatment Known to intimidate, flatter or threaten

fellow politicians to get what he wanted done.

Election of 1964

Lyndon Johnson (D) v. Barry Goldwater (R) Goldwater was an outspoken

conservative.▪ Seen to Americans as an aggressive stance

for during the Cold War. Johnson won in a landslide; winning all

but 5 southern states. Electoral vote: 486 to 52. Political ad used by Johnson

Election of 1964

War on Poverty

Johnson grew up on a small, rural Texas farm. Before politics, was a teacher in a poverty

stricken high school. Both of these traits gave him a “soft spot” for

poverty. LBJ: Before the War on Poverty

War on Poverty

Johnson made it a mission to take a stance on the on-going problem of poverty.

State of the Union address

Poverty in the 1960’s

1959: 22.1% of all Americans lived below the poverty line. (38 million people)

People came from all walks of life; not just minorities. Farmers, African Americans, Elderly,

children, Hispanics, Native Americans were major groups affected.

Economic reasons behind poverty

World War II and Korean War More than half of Americans lacked a

High School diploma, only low- wage jobs were available for them.

White Flight: Moving to Suburbs, left lower class in urban cities.

“The Other America”

Book written by Michael Harrington to address the poverty problem across America. Discusses issues such as a lack of

affordable health care, programs to help disadvantaged Americans, disappearing of family farms and lack of programs for elderly retirement.

Brought attention to President Johnson and other lawmakers.

Poverty on Farms….

Small rural farms took a hit Part of lower class, most young men

were enlisted to the military or take jobs in urban cities to help families.

Over the 1960’s, close to 900,000 farms disappeared largely due to consolidation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVOeBrbDllw Poverty in the 1960s documentary

Statistics on Number of FarmsYear Number of Farms Farm Population Percent of

Total Population1950 5,648 23,048 15.21955 4,514 18,712 11.11960 3,963 15,635 8.71965 3,356 12,363 6.4

What do these numbers tell us?

Head Start, Medicare, Medicaid, and the creation of the department of Housing and Urban Development in order to make housing more affordable for all Americans.Head Start, Medicare, Medicaid, and the creation of the department of Housing and Urban Development in order to make housing more affordable for all Americans.Head Start, Medicare, Medicaid, and the creation of the department of Housing and Urban Development in order to make housing more affordable for all Americans.

1960’s Poverty: African Americans

Racial segregation Were discriminated against more than

any other minority group, hard to find jobs.

Concentrated in low-paying jobs and inner cities.

African Americans

25 % of African American houses were headed by single moms.

Proportion of African American youth to White youth (aged 14 to 24): 78% v. 23%. Contributes to rise in crime, out-of-

wedlock birth and unemployment.

Poverty in the inner cities

Spatial mismatch People moving to suburbs made those

“left behind” disconnected at a disadvantage of those opportunities.

Racial Poverty

What does this graph tells us?

Solutions?

Great Society Program Set up multiple programs, passed acts all

to help fix the poverty problem in America. Economic Opportunity Act, Office of

Economic Opportunity, Neighborhood Youth Corps, VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America)

Also set up Head Start, Medicare, Medicaid, and the creation of the department of Housing and Urban Development.

Relevance to Today….

First time since the 1960’s, our poverty rate is the closest it has been since the Great Society program was established. More children are in poverty than

seniors. More households are headed by single

women, more immigrants have arrived in the U.S. with little education.