
Poverty in the United States in the late 1700s was almost nonexistent. Property and goods were distributed nearly evenly (Landes, 1999, p. 296). As the US began to industrialize and manufacture mass amounts of goods, the economy grew. In 1929, the United States lost about 30 million dollars when the stock market crashed. Unemployment rates were at an all time high of 25 percent. President Roosevelt aided in the recovery by implementing programs to help provide jobs, food, and shelter. The depression lasted until WWII ("The Great Depression Facts," 2012). After World War II, employment rates increased, the economy was booming, and America was prospering, yet poverty persisted (Blohm, 2004, p. 10). JFK spoke of plans to aid those in poverty but his life and presidency were cut short. His successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, put those plans and others into action. Soon, the "War on Poverty" began with The Economic Opportunity Act, which called for the development of antipoverty programs. These programs included Job Corps, the Community Action Program, Head Start, Neighborhood Health Centers, and the Legal Services Program. Johnson also made amendments to the Social Security Act by adding Medicare and Medicaid (Blohm, 2004). In early 1968, a march called the Poor People's Campaign took place in Washington, DC, to illuminate the struggles of the poor from all races (Blohm, 2004, p. 72). Today as the US economy struggles, the poverty levels have risen to 15.1%, the highest since 1983 <b>...</b>
Sociology