The Great Society Chapter 28 Section 3

Johnson Takes the Reins Lyndon B. Johnson b/c president after Kennedy’s assassination Hard for him to gain public acceptance after JFK’s death More rough around the edges than JFK Remained dedicated to continuing w/ plan He had a reputation for getting things done

The Great Society 1964 – Johnson elected for his own presidential term B/g to create the “Great Society” he had promised during his campaign Civil Rights Act of 1964 Barred discrimination of many kinds Voting Rights Act of 1965 Ensured African Americans’ right to vote

War on Poverty Johnson’s administration declared an “unconditional war on poverty in America.” 1964 – Economic Opportunity Act Goal –create jobs and fight poverty Created a new govt. agency  the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) To coordinate new programs Mostly focused on young Americans living in the inner city

Great Society Goals Civil rights and equality for all Healthcare Medicare – health care for the elderly population Medicaid – health care for welfare recipients (for those who live b/l the poverty line)

Goals (2) Education Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 Granted millions of dollars to public and private schools (textbooks, library materials and special education programs) Head Start For preschoolers Directed at disadvantaged children who had never been exposed to books, crayons, etc.

Goals (3) Department of Housing and Urban Development 1965 Robert Weaver – secretary of the dept. 1st African American to serve in a cabinet position To improve the conditions of inner cities Transportation Housing

Legacy of the Great Society Many debate over whether or not the “Great Society” was a success In his rush to get as much done as possible Johnson did not calculate exactly how his programs might work Some of them did not work as well as he had hoped Some programs grew so quickly they were unmanageable Lack of funds hurt the effectiveness of the programs