Johnson becomes President SWBAT: UNDERSTAND THE CIRCUMSTANCES LYNDON JOHNSON BECOMES PRESIDENT. HOMEWORK: VOCAB DUE MONDAY. DO NOW: WHAT IS ONE EVENT IN YOUR LIFE YOU WILL NEVER FORGET? WHAT MADE IT UNFORGETTABLE?

The Assassination  On November 22, 1963 President Kennedy and his wife sat in the back of an open air limo with Texas governor John Connally and his wife in the front.  As the limo approached a state building known as the Texas School Book Depository, 3 rifle shots rang through the air.  A bullet hit President Kennedy in the head and injured the Texas governor.  The car raced to the nearest hospital, but it was too late.  At 12:30 pm, the president was dead.

The Perpetrator  Lee Harvey Oswald, a 24 year old ex- marine, was found in a Dallas movie theatre and arrested.  Allegedly, his palm print matched the print on the rifle used to assassinate the president.  On November 24, millions watched as Oswald himself was assassinated while being transferred between jails by nightclub owner Jack Ruby,

The Funeral  The next day, the world watched the televised funeral of John F. Kennedy.  Upon Kennedy’s death, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36 th president of the United States.

The Warren Commission  The bizarre chain of events following the assassination made some wonder whether it was part of a conspiracy.  In 1963 the Warren Commission investigated and claimed that Oswald acted alone, he shot from the Book Depository, and proposed the single bullet theory.  The bullet passed through President Kennedy’s neck and Governor Connally’s chest and wrist and embedded itself in the Governor’s thigh.  The problem?  Many witnesses said shots rang out from the grassy area ahead of the car.  if the SB theory is right, it traversed 15 layers of clothing, 7 layers of skin, and approximately 15 inches of tissue, struck a necktie knot, removed 4 inches of rib, and shattered a radius bone.

Kennedy’s Legacy  In addition to Kennedy’s involvement with the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy also made positive changes both in the US and abroad.  In the US, he helped stimulate the economy out of a recession and helped finance the space program.  Abroad he established the Alliance for Progress and the Peace Corps, which became a huge success.

Lyndon Johnson’s Agenda  Johnson’s main goal was to tackle the war on poverty.  In August, 1964 Congress enacted the Economic Opportunity Act which did the following:  Created the Job Corps  Created project Head Start, an education program for underprivileged preschoolers.  Provided small business loans  Also called for the creation of the Great Society.

The Great Society  Johnson envisioned a society with a higher standard of living, equal opportunity, and a richer quality of life for all.  Education:  Passed funding for new textbooks and library materials.  Healthcare:  Created Medicare (for people 65+) and Medicaid (need-based aid for welfare recipients).  Housing:  Appropriated money for low-cost living options for urban familes

The Great Society Cont.  Immigration:  Immigration Act of 1960: ended immigration quotas which opened up immigration for non-Europeans.  Environment:  Forced states to clean up their local rivers and water supplies.  Consumer Protection:  Set up safety standards for automobiles and tires.  Further controlled the food industry to ensure high quality food items.

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