1950's Lifestyles and Social Trends | The Other America

Nonfiction work

By: Michael Harrington

Date: 1962

Source: Harrington, Michael. The Other America: Poverty in the United States. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1962, 1-4, xii.

About the Author: Michael Harrington (1928–1989) received a bachelor's degree from Holy Cross (1947) and a master of arts degree from the University of Chicago (1949). As a social worker, he encountered the severe poverty of his clients. He moved to New York City, where he wrote several articles for various publications. In 1962, Harrington published The Other America. This book helped to spark President Johnson's War on Poverty. He served as a professor at Queens College from 1972 to 1989.

Introduction

In the nineteenth century, Americans worked long hours, and most Americans were in the working class. People worked six days a week, ten hours a day in many industries....