In 1964, many people in the United States were considered poor. Times were tough for many American citizens due to the lack of food, jobs, and education, along with the racial inequality that occurred during this time period. Lyndon B. Johnson, who was president at the time, declared that the government had to take a stand. Johnson has thought carefully about what he, as president, could do to fix this problem. He and his leadership team knew of the struggles citizens had faced in previous years, so the Johnson Organization proposed a speech to help educate the people of the United States about struggles they may not have been aware of. This speech led the United States Congress to pass the Economic Opportunity Act, which marked the beginning of the War on Poverty. The war on poverty, however, has never been a physical war fought. This was just an effort by the government to get involved in the health, education and economic sectors. Lyndon Johnson pushed for the War on Poverty because he noticed the little support he was receiving from the country's underclass party. A major reason for poverty and socioeconomic inequalities came from racial issues during this period, although Johnson recognized this and tied civil rights to his War on Poverty legislation. Although many people still live in poverty, Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty has impacted healthcare, education, and the economy. The War on Poverty has had a huge and lasting effect on the healthcare industry in the United States. Peter Edelman stated in his article: “The War on Poverty was obviously not a single program but a wide range of initiatives, each requiring a major effort to operationalize” (9). Many of these initiatives have...... middle of paper... my 43.1 (2011): 199-223. Corporate source elite. Network. March 6, 2014.Foundation, Russel Sage. “The Effects of the War on Poverty on Health Care Use by Older Adults.” Np, September 2013. Web. March 6, 2014. .Humphrey, Hubert H. War on Poverty. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, 1964. Print.Kenny, Charles. “Fifty years after the war on poverty, the poor are no better off.” Businessweek.com (2014): 5. Business Source Elite. Network. February 27, 2014. "Lyndon B. Johnson and the War on Poverty: Introduction to the Digital Edition." Presidential Recordings of Lyndon B. Johnson Digital Edition. Np, nd Web. March 6, 2014.Schwartz, Joel. “From the War on Poverty to Welfare Reform: How America's Understanding of the Causes of Poverty Has Changed.” Economic Affairs 27.3 (2007): 24-31. Corporate source elite. Network. March 6. 2014.