[1] "It is the purpose of The Economic Opportunity Act to strengthen, supplement, and coordinate efforts in furtherance of that policy".

Willard Wirtz, Secretary of Labor during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, was a major proponent of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.

[7] On March 16, 1964, President Johnson called for the act in his Special Message to Congress that presented his proposal for a nationwide war on the sources of poverty.

"[8] In his 1964 Special Message to Congress, President Johnson declared "The Act does not merely expand on old programs or improve what was already being done.

"[9] In January 1964, President Johnson gave Sargent Shriver the task of developing a bill to wage the war against poverty in the United States.

The debate and voting in both the House and Senate was highly partisan with Republicans questioning states' rights and southern Democrats the racial integration provisions (see Tables below).

The Economic Opportunity Act was announced by the president in his first State of the Union Address as the keystone of the war on poverty.

[18][19][20] The act was part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, which sought to eliminate poverty which President Johnson saw as: "... it's wastage of resources and human lives...." The aim was to bring Americans closer, away from "the outskirts of hope."

"[21] LBJ was proud of the progress he had made with the passage of his bill, including 9.1 million acres of forestry that was set for harvest, the creation of Medicare, and funding injected into state schools.

The conclusion was that programs such as Head Start were effective in providing for children, but the primary objective of parent participation was insufficient.

[23] While there is debate about the impact of the act, the fact is that poverty rate fell dramatically within 10 years of its passage.