Excerpt from Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty Speech, 1964
The young man or woman who grows up without a decent education, in a broken home, in a hostile and squalid environment, in ill health or in the face of racial injustice—that young man or woman is often trapped in a life of poverty.
He does not have the skills demanded by a complex society. He does not know how to acquire those skills. He faces a mounting sense of despair which drains initiative and ambition and energy. . . .
The war on poverty is not a struggle simply to support people, to make them dependent on the generosity of others.
It is a struggle to give people a chance.
It is an effort to allow them to develop and use their capacities, as we have been allowed to develop and use ours, so that they can share, as others share, in the promise of this nation.
We do this, first of all, because it is right that we should.
For the establishment of public education and land grant colleges through agricultural extension and encouragement to industry, we have pursued the goal of a nation with full and increasing opportunities for all its citizens.
The war on poverty is a further step in that pursuit. . . .
Use the excerpt from Lyndon Johnson's “war on poverty” speech to answer the question.
Which of the following characteristics of modern American liberalism does this excerpt from Johnson BEST reflect?
A.
support for civil rights
B.
support for Affirmative Action
C.
support for women’s rights
D.
support for government programs
4 answers
In an effort to rally the nation in the midst of war, and attract popular support for itself, Congress addressed the inhabitants of the United States, reminding them of the cruelties they had suffered at the hands of the British, and warning them that more such treatment would result from a reunion with Britain. Because people regularly gathered at places of worship, Congress distributed the address to "churches and chapels and other places of religious worship" with the request that ministers read it aloud to their congregation immediately after divine service. Written by Congressman Gouverneur Morris, the address was sent throughout the states, and 50 copies were given to General Washington, to disperse throughout the army. —Library of Congress, American Memory Collection
Why did Congress feel the need to boost American morale by releasing this address in early 1778?
1 answer