1. Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society 28.3

2. Clean out the Cobwebs The Cold War is still cold
JFK was assassinated.. His VP (LBJ) is sworn as president in 1963
Khrushchev is leading the USSR
Major Events:
Bay of Pigs/Cuban Missile Crisis ( )
Berlin Wall (1961)
Space Race
Limited Test Ban Treaty = sign of some relief

3. Part 1: LBJ’s “Great Society”
Objectives:
Determine how the country transitioned from JFK to LBJ
Identify the main goals of the “Great Society”, and if these goals helped to achieve a “greater society”
Assess LBJ’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement

4. LBJ’s Background Graduated Teachers College (1930)
Taught in a Mexican- American school
Entered House of Reps in 1937 as “New Dealer”- idolized and imitated FDR
Was director of National Youth Admin at 26
Based on his history, what issues do you think LBJ would push for as president?

5. LBJ’s Early Achievements ‘63-’64
Tax Reduction of over $10 billion dollars
It ended up reducing nation’s debt- HOW?
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and sex
Federal government can enforce
Economic Opportunity Act (1964)
Job training
“Project Head Start”- Education program for underprivileged preschoolers (sound familiar?)
Small business loans

6. What does this mean for the passage of laws?
Election of 1964
LBJ wins by a landslide
Goldwater (R. opponent) believed:
Gov’t should stay out of reform
Social Security should be voluntary
Atomic weapons should be used in Vietnam and Cuba
Democrats also won majority in Congress
What does this mean for the passage of laws?

7. Vision for America: End poverty and racial injustice
The Great Society
Vision for America: End poverty and racial injustice
By the end of his term, Congress passed 206 of LBJ’s measures to change America
“The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents. It is a place where leisure is a welcome chance to build and reflect, not a feared cause of boredom and restlessness. It is a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community. It is a place where man can renew contact with nature. It is a place which honors creation for its own sake and for what it adds to the understanding of the race.”- “The Great Society”, May 22, 1964

8. Elements of the Great Society
Education
Federal $$ for schools = more supplies
Healthcare
Medicare (hospital insurance/medical insurance for 65 and older) and Medicaid (welfare recipients)
Housing
Department of Housing and Urban Dev’t
Low-rent public housing with gov’t $$

9. Elements of the Great Society
Immigration
Immigration Act of ended quotas based on nationality
Environment
Updated regulations on chemical pollutants
Consumer Protection
Wholesome Meat Act of 1967; Standards for automobiles; labeling consumer goods

10. Reforms of the Warren Court
What major case did Chief Justice Warren preside over? 
Illegal evidence cannot be used in court
Free legal counsel to those who cannot afford it
Lawyer can be present during police interrogation
Miranda rights
Other reforms include:
Removal of prayer in schools; Arm-bands to support anti-war sentiment = free speech, etc.

11. Assessment of the Great Society
Poor population sunk from 21% (1962) to 11% (1973)
Tax cut spurred economy
Criticism: What does it take to support these programs???
The issues in Vietnam would soon shift LBJ’s focus abroad.
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