<P> Second, to begin the process of planning and organizing that will bring the entire resources of a community to bear on the specific problem of breaking up the cycle of poverty in that community . </P> <P> The War on Poverty attacked the roots and consequences of poverty by creating job opportunities, increasing productivity, and enhancing the quality of life . The aim was not to end poverty but to eradicate the principal causes of it . </P> <P> 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 . The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was passed as a part of LBJ's War on Poverty . Encompassing John F. Kennedy's purpose of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was created "to eliminate the paradox of poverty on the midst of plenty in this nation by opening.... To everyone...the opportunity for education and training, the opportunity to work, and the opportunity to live in decency and dignity ." </P> <P> 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 . It charts a new course . It strikes at the causes of poverty...Not just the consequences of poverty . It can be a milestone in our 180 - year search for a better life for your people ." </P>

He economic opportunity act of 1964 included programs that focused on job training education and