LBJ & THE GREAT SOCIETY

Biographical Video Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEvEuRmImXc

Lyndon Johnson assumed the presidency upon JFK’s death, and vowed to continue what Kennedy had begun. But Johnson had some pretty big plans of his own. LBJ was a hard-working Texan who had served as Senate majority leader. He was a wheeler-dealer who was good at getting groups to compromise and pushing his programs through Congress. Johnson was very persuasive and very driven. Naming his package of legislation The Great Society, Johnson would oversee one of the most ambitious government programs ever

Election of 1964 Johnson was elected to a term of his own in a landslide against hard-core conservative Barry Goldwater Democrats also won majorities in both houses of Congress At the top of LBJ’s agenda was The War on Poverty. He himself had experienced poverty at times in his childhood, and was very sympathetic to the plight of the poor. Other Great Society programs included healthcare reform and civil rights legislation.

War on Poverty Programs Job Corps- Work training program for young people age 16-21 Head Start- Pre-school for underprivileged families Food Stamps- Helps the needy in purchasing food for their families Elementary & Secondary Education Act- Provided $1.3 billion to schools in poor areas Omnibus Housing Act- promoted urban renewal (rebuilding urban areas that have declined over the years) and govt. subsidized housing

Healthcare programs Medicare- Govt. health insurance for seniors (65 & older) Medicaid- Free govt. healthcare to the needy

Review Questions How did LBJ become president? What name did LBJ give to his programs? What was LBJ’s #1 priority for his administration? Which program helps underprivileged preschool kids? Which program was created to assist the hungry? What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

Other Great Society programs NEA- National Endowment for the Arts- Govt. grants available for artists NEH- National Endowment for the Humanities- Govt. grants for writers and scholars PBS- Corporation for Public Broadcasting- Nonprofit org. that provides educational programs (like Sesame Street) Environmental laws- Water Quality Act (1965), Air Quality Act (1967), Water Pollution Act (1968) Rachel Carson’s famous book Silent Spring (1962) played a big role in the regulation of pesticides (especially DDT)

Johnson and Civil Rights LBJ was able to use his skill at negotiation as well as the martyrdom of Kennedy to make serious gains for minorities He was motivated by memories of his own poverty ridden childhood and also his strong belief that helping minorities would be of spiritual and economic benefit to all Americans (especially his beloved South)

Two landmark pieces of legislation were passed during the Johnson Administration Civil Rights Act of 1964 Prohibited segregation in public places Reinforced school desegregation Banned job discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, or national origin. Voting Rights Act of 1965 Gave the federal government authority over voter registration (so state governments couldn’t keep blacks from voting)

Johnson and Civil Rights Johnson also appointed the first black Supreme Court justice (Thurgood Marshall) Johnson’s education programs helped many minority children have greater opportunities. Black college attendance rates quadrupled in the 60’s. Johnson’s health programs helped cut black infant mortality rates in half Black unemployment rates decreased 34% during LBJ’s time in office

Opposition Johnson’s critics said that there was not enough money available to fund all his domestic programs while also fighting the war in Vietnam “We can not have guns and butter” remarked Rep. Frank Bow (R- Ohio) Others thought local & state agencies should control how the federal $ was spent (not all programs deserved the funding) Modern critics have stated that the economic improvements of minorities were tied more to a growing economy than to his specific programs

Johnson and Vietnam LBJ increased the number of US troops fighting against communism in Vietnam to 500,000. He tried to disguise the amount of money we were spending over there because he didn’t want to detract from his expensive domestic programs He upset many Americans by lying about our successes and being evasive about what we were doing over there. Many believed he had also lied about events that had caused us to increase our troop levels.

His frustrations with the war, as well as health concerns and other reasons, caused him to not run for reelection in 1968.