Section 3 Pages

Section 3 Objectives 1. Explain how President Johnson’s War on Poverty affected American communities. 2. Identify the problems that the Great Society programs addressed. 3. detail how the Warren court expanded individual liberties. 4. describe why support for the Great Society programs declined during the late 1960s.

Johnson Takes Over President Johnson came from a poverty background and rose to prosperity. Johnson was hardworking and was able to rise in the Democratic party. One of his greatest attributes, he was a master of compromise. Establishing continuity: Johnson was able to make the transition to the presidency with ease due to his years of experience. He was quoted: “ I felt from the first day in office that I had to carry on for President Kennedy. I considered myself the caretaker of both his people and his policies.”

Johnson operated on very little sleep and focused on the passage of Kennedy’s tax cut bill and civil rights legislation which had been stalled in Congress. Johnson with the help of his aides designed the federal budget to incorporate a spending cap at $100 billion dollars. In his cabinet meeting he announced that this was an end of an era of top positions only being reserved for men.

The War on Poverty Office of Economic Opportunity: sent bill to Congress on the creation of the office. This office would coordinate new antipoverty programs. Job Corps, work training for young people between the ages of 16-21, Head Start, preschool educational program for low income families, and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), domestic version of the Peace Corps. Congress passed the legislation in August, 1964.

Johnson’s vision for America Domestic program called the Great Society Presidential Election: Johnson chose Hubert Humphrey –Senator from Minnesota. Republicans: Senator Barry Goldwater from Arizona, running mate was from New York William Miller.

Johnson and Congress The programs: 1965 Medicare: national health insurance program for people over age 65. Medicaid: government program that provided health care for those in need. Independence, Missouri: signed the bill in front of the former president Harry Truman who was 81 and first had proposed the idea under the Fair Deal. Elementary and Secondary Education Act: provided 1.3 billion to public schools in low income areas.

Johnson and Congress Continued Omnibus Housing Act: billions would be spent on urban renewal and housing assistance for low income families. Robert C. Weaver: first African American to the presidential cabinet. The new department, Housing and Urban Development to oversee federal housing programs.

Quality of Life Nation Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities: offered grants and fellowships to artists, writers, and scholars. Corporation for Public Broadcasting: nonprofit group that was committed to educational television programming. Rachel Carson: marine biologist who wrote the book Silent Spring. Water Quality Act of 1965, Air Quality Act of 1967, Water Pollution Act of Johnson was responsible for creating new national parks and wilderness areas.

Multimedia Presentation on The Great Society Organized into five different groups. Each group will be assigned one of the following topics related to Johnson’s Great Society: health care, education, housing, culture, or environment. Each group will develop and create a multimedia presentation on the assigned topic. The presentation should include, general summary, possible images, analysis of the Johnson’s programs in the assigned area, and the program’s short and long term effectiveness.

The Warren Court Decisions Case: Baker v. Carr– 1962: led to ruling that electoral districts had to have the same number of voters. Case: Gideon v. Wainwright-1963: declared that states had to provide lawyers for the impoverished defendants charged with serious crimes. Case: Escobedo v. Illinois-1964: declared that the accused had the right to have a lawyer present during police investigations. Case: Miranda v. Arizona-1966: declared that accused person had to be informed of their rights at the time of arrest.

The Warren Court Decisions The Supreme Court of the 1960s was about social activism. Chief Justice Earl Warren defined and expanded individual rights. Reynolds v. Sims-1964 and Wesberry v. Sanders- 1964: Court extended equality in the voting booth by affirming the “one person, one vote” idea. The court went on to state electoral districts must contain approximately the same number of voters to ensure fair representation for all Americans. Within two years almost all states had redrawn their legislative districts.

The Decline of the Great Society Foreign Policy: President Johnson was committed to his domestic agenda, but international issues demanded his focus. April, 1965: Dominican Republic was being threatened by rebels with Communist influence. The Johnson administration intervened. By 1966 the marines had withdrawn from the Dominican Republic. Spring, 1965: Johnson had become involved in Vietnam and away from the Great Society. By 1966 the government had spent 18 times more on the Vietnam War.

Domestic Opposition Congress had passed 181 of 200 major bills that the president requested in Some members of Congress had spoken with the president to slow down. 1966: Midterm elections were a definite signal to the president that the Republicans were gaining in the Congress. Problems with the Great Society programs were starting to arise such as politicians disliking the War on Poverty due to the fact they had no control over the selection and funding of community projects. Johnson’s influence on our lives has endured long after the end of his presidency. Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, and other Great Society programs.