1960’s Essay by Hailey Kotz

The Nineteen Sixties was a decade that changed America forever. The topics that arose during the sixties were not small. When they were accomplished or challenged, the outcome changed American society forever. Most legislative bills passed in the sixties still remain today.
The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) was created in August of 1964 by the Economic Opportunity Act. The OEO was a part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s social and economic plans known as the “Great Society” and the “War on Poverty”. When it was created, the OEO coordinated the Job Corps, Neighborhood Youth Corps, work training and study programs, community action agencies including Head Start, adult education, loans for the rural poor and small businesses, work experience programs and Volunteers in Service to America. In the 1960 presidential election campaign John F. Kennedy argued for a new Civil Rights Act. The Civil Rights bill was brought before Congress in 1963 and in a speech on television on 11th June, Kennedy pointed out that: "The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the nation in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing high school as a white baby born in the same place on the same day; one third as much chance of completing college; one third as much chance of becoming a professional man; twice as much chance of becoming unemployed; about one-seventh as much chance of earning $10,000 a year; a life expectancy which is seven years shorter; and the prospects of earning only half as much." The 1964 Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination in public places, such as theaters, restaurants and hotels, illegal. It also required employers to provide equal employment opportunities. Projects involving federal funds could now be cut off if there was evidence of discriminated based on color, race or national