A Shortage in Opportunity Leaves a Deficit Generationally
In January 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an “unconditional war on poverty in America” during his first State of the Union address. Johnson called for an all-out war against poverty and unemployment in the United States.” This involved a series of social programs enacted in 1964-1965 that were considered the most ambitious domestic policy initiatives since the Great Depression. For decades, political leaders and social scientists have debated whether Johnson’s antipoverty programs lifted people out of poverty or trapped them in chains of dependency. As an example, compared to 1964,...