Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty The early 1960s were a time of hope. The United States wasn’t involved any major conflicts, public morale was generally high, and the country had freshly ushered in a new president, John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was the perfect face for Americans to turn to. He was handsome, enthusiastic, and articulate. Kennedy ran on a platform called the “New Frontier”; which would take aim at improving the life of Americans by targeting the sectors of housing, education, civil rights, unemployment, the economy, and many other facets of American life that could be reinforced. When Kennedy was assassinated, the entire country was in shock, as perhaps the most unanimously adored president could no longer share his contagious enthusiasm and vigor with the citizens of…show more content… The war on carried on after Johnson’s presidency. Initiatives such as welfare, Medicare, Medicaid, and several others continue today. There are however, mixed results, and many varying opinions on whether the war on poverty was a success. For example, in the early ‘60s, about 1/3 of those eligible for welfare signed up, and by the beginning of the 1970’s, over 90% had signed up. Now, many see this as successful due to the fact that it effectively helps so many people, but people also see this as a failure in Shriver’s attempts to leave the poor feeling able and empowered, only to end up relying on government handouts. There was also a prevalence of poor urban African Americans that felt as though Johnson’s war on poverty ignored them and their needs. The war on poverty is often considered today to be a failed endeavor because the number of Americans living under the poverty line hasn’t drastically changed. This, however, does not take into account quality of life and a shift in the standard of living since those times. (Samuelson, Robert J.,