Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
Pub. L.88–452 | |
Statutes at Large | 78 Stat. 508 |
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Legislative history | |
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The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (
Purpose
- Eliminate poverty
- Expand educational opportunities
- Increase the net gain for the poor and unemployed
- Tend to health and financial needs of the elderly[3]
War on Poverty
The War on Poverty was declared by President
This administration today here and now declares unconditional war on poverty in America. I urge this Congress and all Americans to join me in that effort [...] Poverty is a national problem, requiring improved national organization and support. But this attack, to be effective, must also be organized at the State and local level. For the war against poverty will not be won here in Washington. It must be won in the field, in every private home, in every public office, from the courthouse to the White House. Very often, a lack of jobs and money is not the cause of poverty, but the symptom. Our aim is not only to relieve the symptoms of poverty but to cure it–and above all, to prevent it. No single piece of legislation, however, is going to suffice.[4]
First, to provide jobs and training, especially for those young people now growing up in poverty, and increasingly condemned by lack of economic opportunity to repeat the cycle over again. Second, to begin the process of planning and organizing that will bring the entire resources of a community to bear on the specific problem of breaking up the cycle of poverty in that community.[6]
The War on Poverty attacked the roots and consequences of poverty by creating job opportunities, increasing productivity, and enhancing the quality of life. The aim was not to end poverty but to eradicate the principal causes of it.[7]
History
On March 16, 1964, President Johnson called for the act in his Special Message to Congress that presented his proposal for a nationwide war on the sources of poverty. The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was passed as a part of LBJ's
In his 1964 Special Message to Congress, President Johnson declared "The Act does not merely expand on old programs or improve what was already being done. It charts a new course. It strikes at the causes of poverty…Not just the consequences of poverty. It can be a milestone in our 180-year search for a better life for your people."[9]
Legislation
In January 1964, President Johnson gave
Vote totals
Party | For | Against |
---|---|---|
Republicans | 10 | 22 |
Northern Democrats | 40 | 01 |
Southern Democrats | 11 | 11 |
Total | 61 | 34 |
Party | For | Against |
---|---|---|
Republicans | 22 | 145 |
Northern Democrats | 144 | 0 |
Southern Democrats | 60 | 40 |
Total | 226 | 185 |
Major features
The act included eleven major programs:
- The Job Corps provides work, basic education, and training in separate residential centers for young men and young women, from ages sixteen to twenty-one.
- Neighborhood Youth Corps provides work and training for young men and women, ages sixteen to twenty-one, from impoverished families and neighborhoods.
- Work Study provides grants to colleges and universities for part-time employment of students from low-income families who need to earn money to pursue their education.
- Urban and Rural Community Action provides financial and technical assistance to public and private nonprofit agencies for community action programs developed with "maximum feasible participation" of the poor and giving "promise of progress toward elimination of poverty."
- Adult Basic Education provides grants to state educational agencies for programs of instruction for persons eighteen years and older whose inability to read and write English is an impediment to employment.
- Voluntary Assistance for Needy Children establishes an information and coordination center to encourage voluntary assistance for deserving and needy children.
- Loans to Rural Families provides loans not exceeding $2,500 that assist low income rural families in permanently increasing their income.
- Assistance for Migrant Agricultural Employees provides assistance to state and local governments, public and private nonprofit agencies or individuals in operating programs to assist migratory workers and their families with basic needs.
- Employment and Investment Incentives provides loans and guarantees, not in excess of $25,000 to a single borrower, for the benefit of very small businesses.
- Work Experience provides payments for experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects to expand opportunities for work experience and needed training of persons who are unable to support or care for themselves or their families, including persons receiving public assistance.
- Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) recruits, selects, trains, and refers volunteers to state or local agencies or private nonprofit organizations to perform duties to combat poverty.[13]
The legislation also authorized the Economic Opportunity Council, which led to the launch of smaller independent groups that worked with communities to establish better economic climates.[14][15] Government took charge for providing a means to provide basic literacy to adults.[16] The idea was not wealth distribution, but to provide poor families with a means to provide for their family to a decent standard of living.[17]
One of the main provisions of the act was the federal government's authority to bypass states in sending funds directly to local governments. This was one of the ways the federal government was able to bypass the southern states that did not cooperate with federal law.[18][19][20]
Evaluation
The act was part of President
References
- ^ "The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". US Government. Archived from the original on February 14, 2005. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ "The Economic Opportunity Act". Retrieved March 29, 2011.
- ^ "The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". US Government. Archived from the original on February 14, 2005. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ "State of the Union Address". Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union January 8, 1964. Archived from the original on March 25, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- ^ Capp, Glenn R. (1967). The Great Society A Sourcebook of Speeches. Belmont, CA: Dickenson Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 164–174.
- ^ Capp, Glenn R. (1967). The Great Society A Sourcebook of Speeches. Belmont, CA: Dickenson Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 164–174.
- ^ Ellis, Jeanine (October 24, 1984). A History and Analysis of the Adult Education Act, 1964-1984. ERIC.
- ^ Pollak, Stephen J. "Major Acts of Congress | Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. eNotes. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- ^ Halsall, Paul. "Modern History Sourcebook:President Lyndon B. Johnson: The War on Poverty, March 1964". Proposal for A Nationwide War On The Sources of Poverty'. Internet Modern History Sourcebook. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- ^ Landberg, Brian K. "Major Acts of Congress". The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. McMillan-Thomas Gale. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- ^ "Senate Vote #452". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ "House Vote #201". Civic Impulse, LLC. August 8, 1964. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- ^ Pollak, Stephen J. "Major Acts of Congress: The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. eNotes. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ Kurian, George T. (1998). A Historical Guide to the U.S. Government. New York: Oxford. p. 367.
- ^ "History". Department of Community Service and Development. State of California. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ Ellis, Jeanine (October 24, 1984). A History and Analysis of the Adult Education Act, 1964-1984. ERIC.
- ^ Pollak, Stephen J. "Major Acts of Congress | Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. eNotes. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- ^ Ginsberg, Benjamin (2007). We the People. New York: Norton. p. 92.
- ^ Spitzer, Robert (2002). Essentials of American Politics. New York: Norton. pp. 68–69.
- ^ Ellis, Jeanine (October 24, 1984). A History and Analysis of the Adult Education Act, 1964-1984. ERIC.
- ^ Sarfe, William (2008). Sarfe's Political Dictionary. New York: Oxford.
- ^ Pollak, Stephen J. "Major Acts of Congress | Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. eNotes. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- ^ Kurian, George T. (1998). A Historical Guide to the U.S. Government. New York: Oxford. p. 367.