What was the war on poverty inspired by?

What was the war on poverty inspired by?

The war on poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent.

What inspired the War on Poverty quizlet?

What inspired President Johnson’s war on poverty? Johnson liked to exaggerate the poor conditions of his childhood for dramatic effect, but he had in fact known hard times. He had also seen extreme poverty firsthand in a brief career as a teacher in a low-income area.

Why was Johnson so concerned about poverty?

Johnson was concerned about poverty because he had witnessed extreme poverty firsthand when he was a teacher in a low-income area and also believed that the wealthy and powerful US government should help improve the lives of citizens. He also wanted to be known a great president in history.

What caused poverty in the 1960s?

The major explanation for the persistence of poverty in the face of the Great Society, however, was the effect of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Military spending diverted funds that might have been used to mount a powerful assault against poverty.

When did poverty become an issue in the US?

The poverty thresholds were originally developed in 1963-1964 by Mollie Orshansky of the Social Security Administration.

During what decade did the war on poverty begin quizlet?

The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent.

What was Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society?

The main goal was the total elimination of poverty and racial injustice. New major spending programs that addressed education, medical care, urban problems, rural poverty, and transportation were launched during this period.

Did the great society reduce poverty?

Califano, Jr., has countered that “from 1963 when Lyndon Johnson took office until 1970 as the impact of his Great Society programs were felt, the portion of Americans living below the poverty line dropped from 22.2 percent to 12.6 percent, the most dramatic decline over such a brief period in this century.”

When did poverty start in the US?

The poverty thresholds were originally developed in 1963-1964 by Mollie Orshansky of the Social Security Administration. She published an analysis of the poverty population using these thresholds in a January 1965 Social Security Bulletin article.

How has poverty changed since 1960?

Since the 1960s the share of Americans lifted out of poverty by government programs has increased tenfold. The safety net cut the poverty rate nearly in half in 2012, from 28.7 percent to 16.0 percent. Nearly 40 million people, including more than 8 million children, were lifted out of poverty in 2012 (Figure 1).

Who created poverty?

Mollie Orshansky
The current official poverty measure was developed in the mid 1960s by Mollie Orshansky, a staff economist at the Social Security Administration. Poverty thresholds were derived from the cost of a minimum food diet multiplied by three to account for other family expenses.

Who invented the poverty line?

Booth’s invention. Simey and Simey, Booth’s biographers, claimed that ‘Booth invented the concept of the poverty line, perhaps his most striking single contribution to the social sciences’.

What was the purpose of Johnson’s war on poverty?

President Johnson’s War on Poverty speech was delivered at a time of recovery (the poverty level had fallen from 22.4% in 1959 to 19% in 1964 when the War on Poverty was announced) and it was viewed by critics as an effort to get the United States Congress to authorize social welfare programs.

What was the impact of the war on Poverty speech?

Reception and critique. President Johnson’s “War on Poverty” speech was delivered at a time of recovery (the poverty level had fallen from 22.4% in 1959 to 19% in 1964 when the War on Poverty was announced) and it was viewed by critics as an effort to get the United States Congress to authorize social welfare programs.

Who started the war on poverty in 1964?

In a late afternoon phone call on 29 July 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson implored a fellow Texan, House Appropriations Committee chair George H. Mahon [D-Texas], to help pass the economic opportunity bill that would launch Johnson’s War on Poverty: “You help me, because this is one I just can’t lose.

What was the resistance to the war on poverty?

From the outset, Johnson encountered resistance to the War on Poverty from almost all quarters: from the South on issues of race, from conservatives who thought that federal money should not be used to help the poor, and from liberals who thought that the reforms did not go far enough.