Lyndon B. Johnson’s GREAT SOCIETY  Powerpoint by: Chelsea Delcourt and Max Marschhausen

LBJ  In 1937, LBJ used a New Deal Platform (also the basis of the “Great Society) on his campaign for the House of Representatives. (Biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, 1)  “In 1947, Johnson voted for the Taft-Hartley Act, which banned closed shops, allowed employers to sue unions for broken contracts or damages inflicted during strikes, and authorized a government-imposed cooling off period of 80 days for strikes that might endanger the national welfare. (Morrow, pg. 44)”  In 1957 he helped to pass the 1957 Civil Rights Acts.  Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson took office after President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, (Biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, 1)

LBJ cont.  Based off of FDR’s New Deal, Johnson wanted “to build a great society, a place where the meaning of man's life matches the marvels of man's labor."  Kennedy failed to provide aid for elementary and secondary schooling, whereas Johnson succeeded.  “The measure that was enacted gave money to the states based on the number of their children from low-income families. Funds could be used to assist public- and private- school children alike.”

Great Society  "This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America," quote by Johnson. ("United States History - Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society.", 1)  Basis for the “Great Society”: “Aid to education, attack on disease, Medicare, urban renewal, beautification, conservation, development of depressed regions, a wide-scale fight against poverty, control and prevention of crime and delinquency, and removal of obstacles to the right to vote. (Biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, 1)”  “The Great Society reached even further. A new housing act provided rent supplements for the poor and established a Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Reductions in poverty- between 1965 and 1968, black-family income rose from 54 percent to 60 percent of white-family income.

Great Society cont.  In 1964 Johnson succeeded in gaining passage of the Civil Rights Bill.  “…it was the most far-reaching piece of civil rights legislation enacted since Reconstruction. Soon Johnson addressed other issues as well. By the spring of 1964, he had begun to use the name "Great Society" to describe his reform program, and that term received even more play after his landslide victory over conservative Republican Barry Goldwater in the presidential election of that year.”  “The Office of Economic Opportunity provided training for the poor and established various community-action programs to give the poor themselves a voice in housing, health and education programs.”  “In September 1966, Johnson signed into law two transportation bills. The first provided funds to state and local governments for developing safety programs, while the other set up federal safety standards for cars and tires.”  During his presidency, Johnson began to realize that it was becoming impossible to build and maintain his Great Society because attention is focused on the Vietnam War.

Great Society Successes  Rate of poverty decreased  Economic Opportunity Act- aid to help the poor.  Medicare- federally funded healthcare for the elderly.  Voting Rights Act of 1965-provided federal supervision of voter registration.  Medicaid- companion program of Medicare. It was for people who were too young to qualify for Medicare.  These two programs were the first to make healthcare accessible/available to those who couldn’t afford it.  VISTA- Volunteers in Service to America  Was a domestic peace corps of citizens working in poor neighborhoods.  Also funded Project Head Start- preschoolers from disadvantaged families get a leg up on elementary education.  College Work Study and Higher Education Act- provided loans for students and employment.  In all, the Great Society was the greatest burst of legislative activity since the New Deal.

Great Society Failures  Insufficient funding due to Vietnam War cost.  $140 billion in total  Critics could point to problems unresolved by the programs.  All in all, the Great Society couldn’t live up to its high-set standards due to its lack of funding.

Bibliography  "Biography of Lyndon B. Johnson." Welcome to the White House. 29 Apr  Kotz, Nick. Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Laws That Changed America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,  Morrow, Lance. The Best Year of Their Lives: Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon in 1948: Learning the Secrets of Power. New York: Basic Books,  Nash, Gary. American Odyssey. Columbus, OH: Glencoe/Mcgraw-Hill,  "President Lyndon Johnson." American History and World History From Historycenetral.com- History's Home on the Web. 3 May  "United States History - Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society." Country Studies. 29 Apr. 2009