On August 20, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) into law as part of his War on Poverty initiative. This landmark legislation aimed to combat poverty by providing funding for job training, adult education, and small business loans. It led to the creation of several important programs, including:

• Job Corps (to provide vocational training for young people)
• Head Start (early childhood education for low-income families)
• VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) (a domestic version of the Peace Corps)
• Community Action Programs (to empower local communities to fight poverty)
• Work-Study Program (to help low-income college students)

This act was a key part of Johnson’s Great Society programs and laid the foundation for many federal anti-poverty efforts still in place today.