Promoting the Poor: Catholic Leaders and the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964

When Lyndon Johnson declared a “War on Poverty” in 1964, the Protestant president enlisted many leading American Catholics, whose church had long committed itself to assisting the disadvantaged. Yet Johnson’s outreach was rife with risk in a nation which, while still mourning the loss of its first Catholic president, in many ways continued to embrace secularism in its politics, society, and culture. This study explores the cooperation between the Johnson administration and Catholic leaders in the passage and implementation of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, the primary weapon in Johnson’s war. It concludes that although Johnson and his successors ultimately failed in their battles to eliminate poverty in the United States, American Catholics largely succeeded in securing a place for their church on the front lines.