Johnson’s Great Society 19.3

Johnson’s Rise to Leadership Grew up in Texas Southwest Texas State College Then taught in Cotulla, TX where he saw first- hand the challenges of poor minorities

A Determined Texan Congressional Staffer Member of the House of Representatives – Age of 28 – Served 11 years U.S. Senator – Majority Leader And after 1 year… Vice-President for President Kennedy – Added to balance JFK’s ticket b/c LBJ is a Protestant from the South as opposed to Catholic from North

The Kennedy Legacy Keeps Kennedy’s cabinet members + advisers Speaks to Congress asking to them to pass Kennedy’s bills that had been blocked for so long. – Specifically the CRA ’64 Outlawed discrimination in voting, education + public accommodations Created EEOC Title VII: Prohibited the discrimination on the basis of sex

“The Johnson Treatment” Reputation of being “overpowering and intimidating” Invaded personal space: nose to nose “persuasive and personable rather than elegant and charming” Glencoe American History text p.855

War on Poverty “There are tens of millions of Americans who are beyond the welfare state. Taken as a whole there is a culture of poverty…bad health, poor housing, low levels of aspiration, and high levels of mental distress. Twenty percent of a nation, some 32,000,000.” Michael Harrington, author of the Culture of Poverty 1962 – Kennedy wanted to go above and beyond 1964 State of the Union Speech  Johnson declares a “War on Poverty”

Johnson Declares a War on Poverty LBJ’s first State of the Union: – Time to “declare an unconditional war on poverty!” – LBJ able to maneuver Kennedy’s middle class tax cut bill through Congress Tax Reduction Act – Added a billion $ War on Poverty to the bill as well Train the jobless Educate the uneducated Provide healthcare for those in need

Johnson Declares a War on Poverty 1964 Economic Opportunity Act: – Job Corps: Train men + women (16-21 yrs old) the skills they needed to get a better job + move out of poverty – VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) American volunteers to poverty-stricken American communities (help w/ schools, healthcare, etc) – Head Start Funds for play groups, day care, + activities designed to help underprivileged children prepare for elementary school

The Election of 1964 President Johnson needed to defeat Republican candidate Barry Goldwater Johnson: – Believed the fed gov’t could best regulate the economy + promote social justice Goldwater: – Fed gov’t was the problem, not the solution  racism + poverty should not be addressed by the federal gov’t

Barry Goldwater R-AZ If elected in 1964: – Reduce the size of gov’t by restricting its activities – Significant tax cuts – Right-to-work laws that prohibit unions – Opposed social welfare legislation + gov’t spending on education, housing & urban renewal – Pursue aggressive military action in the Cold War Suggested use of nukes ∴ …

“The Daisy Ad”

Johnson Defeats Goldwater Johnson plays up Goldwater’s “extremism” on civil rights + foreign policy Johnson also had economic prosperity on his side November 1964: – LANDSLIDE election, Johnson wins in the biggest margin in American history More than 60% of popular vote, 44 states in total Democratic party no longer the “solid South”

The Great Society “The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice.” LBJ – 1964 The Great Society: – Name of LBJ’s vision for America

Healthcare Insurance Amended Social Security by adding Medicare + Medicaid. Medicare – – Basic hospital insurance + medical care for people over 65 Medicaid – – Provided basic medical services to the poor + disabled Americans not covered under Social Security already

Education 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act – Aid to schools in poorer communities – Federal funds to improve school libraries, learning centers, labs, etc. – Especially helped schools Indian, inner city, + Mexican-American areas Higher Education Act – Scholarships to college students Head Start – preschool for poor children

Protecting the Environment and the Consumer Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring in 1962 – Described impact of pesticides on plants, animals + people – Claimed people were impacting the environment Public Shocked!!! Ralph Nader’s Unsafe at any Speed – Criticized the auto industry’s lack of concern for passenger safety ∴ 

Protecting the Environment and the Consumer Water Quality Act – 1965 Clean Water Restoration Act – 1966 – Both sought to improve water quality National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act  standards for cars

New Immigration Policies Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 – America’s quotas for immigration greatly increased for first time since WWI Nation Origins Acts – Huge increase in immigration from Central America + Asia

The Legacy Though not as far reaching as LBJ wanted… The Great Society did in fact decrease poverty and improve living standards across the country!

Decline of Great Society Johnson making too many changes too fast - Congress passed 181 of 200 major bills Republicans gained 47 seats in House and 3 seats in Senate. – 1966 midterm election

Johnson’s Foreign Policy Increasing involvement in Vietnam Johnson Doctrine – The U.S. would never again permit the establishment of a Communist regime in the Western Hemisphere – Military intervention in Latin America if threatened by Communism Soviet-US Relations – Ban of weapons in outer space Pueblo Incident – North Korea

The Destruction of LBJ’s Presidency

The Supreme Court and Reform The Warren Court – Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Earl Warren – Often referred to as the most liberal court in American history

Congressional Districts and Voters’ Rights Baker v. Carr (1962) – “One man one vote” – Electoral districts had to reflect the number of ppl in those districts Reynolds v. Sims (1964) – Reaffirmed Baker v. Carr – Anything but “one man one vote” is in direct violation of the equal protection clause of the 14 th Amendment

Rights of the Accused Mapp v. Ohio (1961)  6-3 – Evidence obtained in violation of Fourth Amendment provisions is not admissible in court Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)  9-0 – All accused criminals have the right to a lawyer whether they could afford one or not Escobedo v. Illinois (1964)  5-4 – Every accused lawbreaker had to be offered access to a lawyer before questioning – If not, any evidence obtained before offered access to a lawyer could not be used in court Miranda v. Arizona (1966) – An accused criminal must be informed of his/her 5 th + 6 th amendment rights before being questioned –

Education Engel v. Vitale (1962)  6-1 – School prayer is a violation of the 1 ST Amendment Tinker v. Des Moines (1965)  7-2 – Student speech and expression can only be censored if it interferes with the operation and educational mission of the school district.