President Lyndon B. Johnson Declares a "War on Poverty" (1964)

During his first State of the Union address, President Johnson outlined a vast program of economic and social welfare legislation designed to create what he termed the “Great Society.” As part of this platform, Johnson called for a nationwide “War on Poverty” in response to a high national poverty rate. Johnson’s call led Congress to pass the Economic Opportunity Act, legislation that established an agency to administer federal funds targeted against poverty. Did it work? Discuss

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