As jobs in mining and manufacturing disappeared, many areas of West Virginia that relied on those industries fell into poverty. During the 1960 presidential primary, John F. Kennedy campaigned across the state, bringing national attention to the struggles of West Virginians. A 1960 Saturday Evening Post article about the state upset many by showing photos of extreme poverty next to great wealth.

During Kennedy’s presidency and later with Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty and Great Society, the federal government sent money to West Virginia for education, job training, roads, and family support. Some of these programs still help people today, more than 60 years later.