Causes and Effects of Slavery in the U.S. Essay Sample

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is the foundation of the United States of America, written in the declaration of independence, and protected by the Constitution. Yet 13.4% of Americans are struggling to survive.  For years now our country has been fighting against poverty, but the protests and programs don’t seem to be enough. To increase the impact we have on reducing poverty rates there are three things all poverty civil rights activists should focus on; awareness, availability, and accommodation.

 Awareness is the key aspect of any civil rights movement, and how you obtain it will determine the success of the movement. As of now awareness on poverty is being spread through media, fundraisers and protests. These are great methods that unfortunately have not been as successful as we need them to be. A recent article states that the tactics used to cover poverty in the media have become more unappealing to the audience resulting in a decrease of interest and donations. If  90% of the US population are internet users and 270.1 million are active on social media we can not afford to lose this powerful tool to spread awareness on poverty.  Though it may not always be popular persistence leads to prevalence in the media which is our goal. Another way to spead awareness is through documenteries. Doecumenrteries provide a more intimate perspect into the lives of those living in poverty creating empathy which leads to action.

Now we shift our focus to implimenting availability and accommodation to provide for those living in poverty.  The government has programs installed specifically to help those living in poverty, such as forms of tax relief, medical, food stamps, subsidized living etc. Though these sorts of accommodations are available they are not always easily accessible nor are they always accepted. There is a stigma surrounding these programs and the people who use them. According to research the poor often “feel degraded, and resent the public view that they are lazy or avoid work,... But many poor people distrust the government policies and programs that were ostensibly designed to help them” which is also another reason to spread awareness to not only open the minds of those who are not experiencing poverty, but also open the minds of those living in poverty and make them feel safe to accept help. A woman who lived solely off government assistance because she was out of a job due to her disability and covid,“What I get is $485 per month,…and I get approximately $400 in food stamp assistance.…So I take $885 times 12 equals…$10,620, for three… My mom stretches the money that she gets, like, to last out the whole month”

Some people may argue that our efforts are sufficient enough and the rest is on the poor. In fact, a poll taken by NPR/Kaiser/Kennedy School “showed that 52 percent of the American public believed that lack of motivation was a major cause of poverty; another 35 percent believed it was a minor cause of poverty”. Not only is this perspective false, it is unfair. By saying that it is the person's fault only sets us behind and proves that we still have a long way to go to resolve this issue. There is also more to poverty than moral value. Life comes with challenging conditions and situations, some are given challenges that make it near impossible to survive.It could be mental illness, disabilities, or luck of the draw that could result in poverty. But the main issue is the system we run by does not account for situations like these. Living in poverty is difficult and blaming the victim does not help in any way.

Those of us who are lucky enough to live the American dream need to be considerate of those who are struggling to live at all. Poverty is a worldwide issue that has been going on for centuries. It is time we stop ignoring the problem and start helping. We can start here in our country, if we come together to spread awareness, create availability, and accommodate for what the poverty stricken lack. Using social media, fundraisers, protests, and programs to put people on their feet, we can decrease poverty rates! Doing so will not only create a better quality of life for those being helped, but also create a better society for all.