History+of+Poverty

Poverty is a phenomenon which the world has been facing since the beginning of time. It is a condition which has been felt by some class, race, religious group, or group of people regardless of what time or era. The most notable occurrence of sever poverty occurred after the conclusion of World War I and World War II. The poverty was combated by the presidents Kennedy and later Johnson through the many federal aid packages and acts which were passed to help reduce poverty in the United States. President Kennedy began his fight against poverty in the very last few years of his life and after his death the job fell to President Johnson who would replace Kennedy. Their combined efforts passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 which extended aid to both private and parochial schools and based the aid on the economic conditions of the students and their families and not on the needs of the schools themselves. Together Kennedy and Johnson were also able to pass the creation of Medicare and Medicaid through Congress which drastically improved the health conditions of the people in the United States at the time because these programs made doctors and medical treatment more readily affordable, especially for the middle and lower classes. Plans were also carried out to clean up rural poverty and ghettoes to improve the lives of the people who lived in such places. There was also specific attention and resources turned towards drastically decreasing child poverty throughout the years, especially in large cities where there were large and growing numbers of poverty stricken children living without adult supervision and care. Acts, bills and legislation which have been passed by presidents such a Kennedy and Johnson continue to help reduce poverty in America, however the struggle continues and will continue until a more permanent and sustainable means of eradicating poverty is found and set into action. Until then we can only wait and attempt to help those in poverty in the United States and all around the world as best we can. Source: Brinkley, Alan. "The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People". Sixth Edition. (2010): 744-763. McGraw-Hill.