In 1964, many people in the United States were considered to be living in poverty. Times were tough for many American citizens due to the lack of food, employment, and education, as well as the racial inequalities that existed during this period. Lyndon B. Johnson, who was president at the time, said the government needed to take a stand. Johnson thought seriously about what he could do, as president, to solve this problem. He and his team of leaders knew the struggles citizens had faced in previous years, so the Johnson Organization offered a speech to help educate the American people about the struggles they may have been unaware of. 'existence. This speech led the US Congress to pass the Economic Opportunity Act, which marked the start of the War on Poverty. However, the war on poverty has never been a physical war. It was simply 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 how little support he received from the nation's disfavored party. One of the main reasons for poverty and socioeconomic inequality came from the racial issues of that era, although Johnson noticed this and linked civil rights to his War on Poverty legislation. Although many people still live in poverty, Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty impacted health care, education, and the economy. The War on Poverty has had a huge and lasting effect on the healthcare sector in the United States. Peter Edelman stated in his article: “The War on Poverty was of course not a single program but a wide range of initiatives, each of which required major efforts to make operational” (9). Many of these initiatives have...... middle of paper ......my 43.1 (2011): 199-223. Elite Source Company. Internet. March 6, 2014. Foundation, Russell Sage. “The Effects of the War on Poverty on Elderly Health Care Use.” Np, September 2013. Web. March 6, 2014. .Humphrey, Hubert H. War on Poverty. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, 1964. Print. Kenny, Charles. “50 years after the War on Poverty, the poor are not in a better situation. » Businessweek.com (2014): 5. Business Source Elite. Internet. February 27, 2014. “Lyndon B. Johnson and the War on Poverty: An Introduction to Digital Publishing.” » Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Recordings Digital Edition. Np, and 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. Elite Source Company. Internet. March 6. 2014.