Lyndon B. Johnson …and The Great Society

The Election of 1960 Massachusetts Democrat John F. Kennedy (a Catholic) against California Republican Richard Nixon. Kennedy won the first ever televised debate (although radio listeners said that Nixon won)… Kennedy campaigned as an economic conservative (tax cuts)… And as a supporter of the civil rights movement (which caused great anger among southern Democrats). He beat Richard Nixon in the closest election (until the 2000 election) in history.

The New Frontier— Kennedy’s Plan The Economy—a $13.5 billion tax cut to jump start consumer spending… The minimum wage was raised… The 24th Amendment—outlawing the poll tax—was ratified… The Peace Corps was established in 1961—Sends American volunteers around the world to help poor nations provide education, technical and health services. And Kennedy called for the US to put a man on the moon by “the end of the decade” (1970).

Involvement in Vietnam By 1961, Communist guerillas in South Vietnam had launched a full scale civil war against the US-backed government… In response, Kennedy began sending hundreds of special forces (the Green Berets) to support the government. By 1963, Kennedy had sent 16,000 combat troops to South Vietnam… South Vietnamese President Diem proved to be too corrupt and weak to contain the civil war… And in 1963, with CIA approval, he was assassinated. Three weeks later, so was Kennedy.

Tragedy in Dallas In November of 1963, Kennedy traveled to Dallas, Texas… To bring together the conservative (pro-segregation)… And liberal (pro-civil rights) wings of the Democratic Party. On November 22, he was shot in the head and neck by a sniper… And died shortly afterward. Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as President hours later… Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the assassination… And was himself assassinated by Jack Ruby two days later.

Lyndon Johnson Was sworn in as president in November, 1963… He had been a senator from Texas… And had worked to obstruct the passage of civil rights laws… And the enforcement of existing laws. However, upon being sworn in, he said: “The ideas and the ideals which Kennedy nobly represented must and will be translated into effective action”. Most civil rights leaders were very suspicious of his intentions.

Lyndon Johnson and Civil Rights Civil Rights Act of 1964 (outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, etc)… Was the most important civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. He also authorized the full desegregation of public schools… Also passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (guaranteed voting rights to poor and minority voters)… Black registration went from 7 to 59 percent in Mississippi… And, finally, he nominated Thurgood Marshall to Supreme Court.

The Great Society Johnson’s plan—to increase public education funds, provide medical care for the elderly…To eliminate poverty and discrimination…Was called “The Great Society”. Medicare—Provides hospital and low-cost health insurance for Americans older than 65… Medicaid—Provides low-cost health insurance for any American who cannot afford private health insurance.

The Earl Warren Court The US Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Warren, issued several decisions during and after Johnson’s presidency… That have had an enormous impact on Americans’ lives. The most famous decision was Brown v. Board of Education… However, there were several more decisions during this era that were of monumental importance. Many conservatives believe that the Warren Court’s decisions went “too far” And many of these decisions remain tremendously controversial.

The Effects of the Great Society Opinion polls taken in 1964 showed that Johnson was more popular than Kennedy had been… And although the size of the federal government expanded dramatically in size under Johnson… But many American began complaining that too many of their tax dollars were being spent on poor people… And that too much power had been placed in the hands of the federal government. The number of people living in poverty in the US dropped by 50% between 1965 and 1975. But Johnson’s social accomplishments have been completely overshadowed by his involvement in the Vietnam War.

The My Lai Massacre

The Credibility Gap From 1965 onward, according to the military, we were “winning the war”… And the military continually told the American public that “victory is right around the corner”. By 1968, most Americans suspected that they were being lied to. And enormous anti-war protests began to take place all over the United States.

NAPALM

The End of Lyndon Johnson Casualties continued to mount in Vietnam… And Johnson, refusing to be the first president to “lose” a war, refused to consider withdrawal. Hatred of the Johnson administration became so intense that he was unable to leave the White House… And, after almost losing the New Hampshire primary to anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy… And he announced that he would not run for president in 1968.

Senator Robert F. Kennedy With the resignation of Johnson, RFK declared his candidacy for the presidency… He was deeply devoted to the civil rights movement… Completely opposed to the Vietnam War… He was the most popular politician in the country…. And it was clear to EVERYBODY that he would be the next President of the United states. On June 5, 1968, at a victory celebration, he was shot in the back of the head… And died a few hours later.

Martin Luther King & Vietnam King depended on Democrats’ support for the Civil Rights Movement… And because the Vietnam War was being led by a Democratic President, he declined to speak out against it. After the resignation of Johnson, however, he broke his silence… And started giving anti-war speeches around the county. The FBI responded by tapping his phones and sending him threatening letters… And in the summer of 1968, he traveled to Memphis to give a speech in support of striking sanitation workers… Where he was shot and killed by an unseen assassin who was later identified as a white supremacist named James Earl Ray.

Reaction to King’s Assassination Following King’s assassination, riots broke out in 120 major cities… Dozens of people were killed... Hundred were injured and millions of dollars of property was destroyed. The only major city that remained calm was Indianapolis… Where Robert F. Kennedy gave a speech that pleaded for calm and forgiveness.