16.3 The Other Side of American Life

1. 16.3 The Other Side of American Life

2. I. Poverty Amidst Prosperity • Not all Americans were part of the affluent society 1. At least 1 in 5 Americans lived below the poverty line 2. Included kids, the elderly, single moms, & minorities In 2011, 46.2 million Americans were living below the official poverty line, which for a family of four, was $22,314. The is the highest reported number in the 52 years the Census Bureau has been publishing figures on it.

3. I. Poverty Amidst Prosperity… B. Michael Harrington wrote a book, The Other America, which revealed the extent of poverty in the U.S. • The “invisible” poor • The poor have no effective political voice “The poor live in a culture of poverty… (and) for reasons beyond their control, cannot help themselves…. The poor get sick more than anyone else in the society…. When they become sick, they are sick longer than any other group in the society. Because they are sick more often and longer than anyone else, they lose wages and work, and find it difficult to hold a steady job. And because of this, they cannot pay for good housing, for a nutritious diet, for doctors… (and) their prospect is to move to an even lower level… toward even more suffering.”-Michael Harrington, The Other America

4. I. Poverty Amidst Prosperity… C. There were no massive social welfare programs to help people escape poverty • City centers deteriorated when middle class families took their tax dollars to the suburbs

5. I. Poverty Amidst Prosperity… F. Govt. tried to help inner-city residents by creating urban renewal programs, but usually made it worse 1. New housing “projects” created an atmosphere of violence 2. Encouraged residents of public housing to remain poor by evicting them when they earned a higher income One of the most visible signs of urban renewal resulted in the construction of public housing, where rent is heavily subsidized by the government.

6. I. Poverty Amidst Prosperity… • Many left in the inner-cities were African Americans 1. Racial discrimination kept them poor 2. Last hired & first fired 3. Salaries were only 51% of what whites earned

7. I. Poverty Amidst Prosperity… • Hispanics struggled in poverty • Mexican farm laborers came to the U.S. as part of the BraceroProgram • Worked long hours for little pay on large farms • Lived in small shacks with little access to food The government-sponsored Bracero Program was the temporary importation of workers from Mexico to aid the American agricultural economy during WWII.

8. I. Poverty Amidst Prosperity… • Residents of rural Appalachia remained in poverty • Mechanization of the coal mines led to high unemployment • High rates of nutritional deficiency & infant mortality • Poor schooling The red boxes indicate the counties in Appalachia where most people lived in poverty. Appalachia crosses into 13 states.

9. I. Poverty Amidst Prosperity… • Native Americans were forced into poverty • Poorest in the nation • Forced to assimilate into society through the termination policy • Termination policy made life miserable for them, as many struggled to assimilate Congress officially adopted a policy known as "termination," by which it aspired "to make the Indians...subject to the same laws and entitled to the same privileges and responsibilities as are applicable to other citizens..., to end their status as wards of the United States and to grant them all of the rights and prerogatives pertaining to American citizenship."