Perspectivas Públicas: The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
In 1964 the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) was passed by Congress. Enacted under the Johnson Administration, EOA was seen as one of the most controversial pieces of legislation of its time.
It created the “War on Poverty” and instituted self-sufficiency creating approaches to overcoming the problems of the nation’s poor. While the mechanism remains far from perfect, it has provided a model for the continued involvement of poor people in shaping the policies which governed their destiny.
This paper provides an overview of the history of the Community Services Administration and the Economic Opportunity Act, and analyses the future of these programs under the enacted block grant on the year it was published.