1. American History Chapter 17 Section 3 LBJ & The Great Society

2. Johnson Becomes President Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president hours after Kennedy’s death on November 22, 1963.

3. Johnson’s Background Johnson had served in Congress for 26 years as United States Representative from 1937–1949 and as a Senator from 1949–1961 LBJ had a reputation as someone who got things done. Johnson always tried to build consensus, or general agreement. Unlike Kennedy, Johnson was not an elegant society man. His image was that of a plainspoken Texan.

4. The Other America In 1962, Michael Harrington wrote about the nation’s impoverished areas including the city slums, Appalachia, the deep south, and on Native American reservations.

5. Pushing for Kennedy’s Programs Johnson wanted to push Kennedy’s antipoverty and civil rights programs through Congress. Johnson had seen poverty as a teacher in a low-income area and he believed that governments should improve their citizens’ lives.

6. War on Poverty Johnson knew that any program linked to the late JFK would be popular. In his State of the Union address in 1964, Johnson declared a “War on Poverty in America.” By the summer of 1964, he persuaded Congress to pass the Economic Opportunity Act. –The act created new jobs. –It established the Office of Economic Opportunity to coordinate new programs.

7. Inner City Youth –Many of the programs under the Economic Opportunity Act were aimed at inner city youth. The Neighborhood Youth Corps provided a work study program. The Job Corps helped unemployed young people learn job skills. The Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program operated like a domestic Peace Corps for poor neighborhoods and rural areas.

8. Election of 1964 The 1964 election pitted Johnson versus Barry Goldwater from Arizona. People overwhelming supported Johnson, winning in a landslide.

9. The Great Society President Johnson began his domestic programs soon after the election. He called them the “Great Society.” Among the goals of the Great Society were: Civil Right, this movement brought many of the problems of African Americans to light. Reducing poverty, the economy was strong, so Americans thought that poverty could be reduced. More than 60 of Johnson’s programs were initiated between 1965 and 1968.

10. Civil Rights The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed during his administration, barring discrimination of many kinds. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 also ensured that African Americans had the right to vote.

11. Medicare & Medicaid Among the Great Society programs were Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is a health insurance program for the elderly. Medicaid provides health care for people living below the poverty line.

12. Educational Reform Other Great Society programs supported education. –Johnson was a strong supporter of education, he was a former teacher. Johnson was able to convince Congress to pass the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

13. Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 Gave millions of dollars to public and private schools. The money paid for books, library materials and special education programs. Other programs under the ESEA included: –Project Head Start is an education program for poor preschool children. –College preparation for low-income teenagers was offered through the Upward Bound program.

14. Inner Cities Johnson also urged Congress to pass laws that would help inner-city neighborhoods. One law created a new cabinet agency called the Department of Housing and Urban Development. –It was led by Robert Weaver, the first African American to serve in a president’s cabinet.

15. More help to the Inner Cities Government subsides, money given out by the government, funded programs that spent billions of dollars on transportation, healthcare, and housing.

16. Immigration Act of 1965 One law changed the makeup of the American population. The Immigration Act of 1965 opened wider the door for more immigrants from, especially people from eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa.

17. Legacy of the Great Society The Great Society programs improved the lives of many Americans. However, people debated the programs’ success. Many of these programs had been created quickly and did not work well. Some people believed that the federal government had become too involved in people’s lives. –The programs were also expensive.

18. Legacy of the Great Society When money was needed for the war in Vietnam, the programs lost funding. However, some programs and agencies still exist today including Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start. The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation are two agencies that also exist today.