Poverty: Yesterday and Today

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. And, if it weren't for social security, another 14 million elderly would join the poverty numbers (Stanglin, 2011). The loss of employment has been one of the greatest factors for poverty. Timothy Smeeding, director of the Institute for the Research of Poverty at the University of Wisconsin says, "It's all about joblessness. Young guys don't have work, and poverty would be even higher if so many 25- to 34-year-olds weren't living at home with their parents" (Cauchon, 2011). Since 2007, the US has seen nearly 8 million home foreclosures and this number is projected to double before the economic crisis is over (Loha, 2011). As we look at poverty in other places around the world, Australia has not struggled as much as other regions but still deals with poverty in greater percentages than what needs to be. The rising costs of housing and food have worsened poverty in Australia. One in ten households and an estimated 2.2 millions Australians live in poverty (APP, 2011; Dunkerly, 2011). East Africa is in an entirely different realm of poverty. Ethiopia has a population of 90,873,739 with 31.2 percent living on just one dollar a day. These poverty-stricken people are not only concerned with jobs, food, and shelter but also with access to good drinking water, fatal diseases, and ethnic conflicts. The majority of the financial aid going to African countries is emergency food aid. Much of the long-term aid has been "misappropriated for personal wealth by corrupt officials or for military spending" ("Poverty in Africa, famine and disease," 2011). On the brighter side, the African governments may see improvement in governing through the Africa Peer Review Mechanism. This is a voluntary self-monitoring program "for states to conform to agreed political, economic and corporate governance values" ("Poverty in Africa, famine and disease," 2011). Progress is being made in terms of water supply as well. Various organizations have worked to help engineer water supply systems and teach agriculture. Organizations in Australia have committed to a movement called "Make Poverty History." This is a coalition designed to promote change in government policies and financial aide dispersion ("Every Minute Counts, Make Poverty History," n.d.). In the United States, our government is working to establish more jobs and continue to fund programs to help the poor, but we can't rely on government alone. Organizations like the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity provides food, clothing, and shelter for those in need, but rely on volunteers and funds to do so. There are many ways to help those who are impoverished. One unique way is an online microcredit program, Kiva, that enables "individuals to make personal loans to micro-enterprises in developing countries." For as little as $25, lenders have not only helped poor entrepreneurs in their business but have enjoyed a personal connection to those they've invested in (Thoeng, n.d.). The people of America need to be educated to understand the injustice, oppression, and prevalence of poverty, and with that knowledge, take action to help their fellow citizens. I think Nelson Mandela said it best, "Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity, it is an act of justice" ("Poverty in Africa, famine and disease," 2011).