”Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society.”
“The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning”(Johnson 1) said Lyndon B. Johnson, known by the initials LBJ, in his speech on May 22, 1964 at the University of Michigan. Lyndon B. Johnson and the United States Congress wrote more than 200 laws to give a probability of hope for America.
Lyndon B. Johnson was born of the marriage of Sam Ealy Johnson, Jr., and Rebekah Baines Johnson on August 27, 1908 at the town of Stonewall, Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson had three sisters and a brother: Rebekah, Josefa, Lucia and Sam Houston. His family was unassuming. His father was a rancher
…show more content…
and he had politics as a hobby. Lyndon B. Johnson’s mother was the daughter of a Spanish immigrant. She was one of the few college-educated women in the area. Education was her passion. Although Lyndon B. Johnson had many problems in the school, he was a graduated from Johnson City High School in 1924. Coursed studies in the Southwest Texas State Teachers College, where he graduated in 1930.
He took a job teaching public speaking at Sam Houston High School for a year in Houston, Texas and then traveled to the city of Washington as an assistant in Congress. In 1934, on a trip home to Texas, Lyndon B. Johnson met Claudia Alta Taylor, known to her friends as "Lady Bird". “Lady Bird” soon became Johnson's top aide. On November 17, 1934, they were married in San Antonio. They honeymooned in Mexico. She used a modest inherence to bankroll his 1937 run for Congress, and ran his office for several years. She later bought a radio station and then a television station, which made the Johnsons wealthy. They had two daughters, Lynda (1944-) and Luci (1947-). In 1935, he returned to Texas, where he was Director of the National Youth Administration (NYA). In 1937, he was a member of the House of Representatives for the Democratic Party, protected from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in 1942 appointed him chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee. In 1948, he was a senator for the state of Texas. Johnson led the Senate Democrats during the entire eight years of Eisenhower Republican Administration, as minority
leader in the first two years and as majority leader of the last six. He suffered a heart attack on July 1955 and won approval (1957) of the first national civil rights legislation since the American Civil War (1861-1865). He was defeated by Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts at the Democratic convention to choose a presidential candidate. Kennedy realized that he could not be elected without the support of traditional Southern Democrats, most of whom had backed Johnson. Kennedy offered Johnson the vice presidency and Johnson accepted. As vice president with force support the space program. Accompanying him to John F. Kennedy when he was assassinated in Dallas (Texas) on November 22, 1963, and after his oath of office became the 36th president of the United States. Lyndon B. Johnson was elected to a new term on November 3, 1964 by a landslide. Johnson won the election with 61.1% of the popular vote against only 38.5% obtained Republican Barry Goldwater. Lyndon B. Johnson died in Johnson City on January 22, 1973 of his third heart attack. His health had been affected by excess consumption of alcohol and smoking joint the stress. Lyndon B. Johnson had a large political life (1931-1969) during which he had successes and failures. Among its successes, many programs entered under its "Grand Society" presidential program, and failures as scandals and controversies. One of his most notorious scandal was the “Johnson’s private jet leased by America’s largest cooperative of milk producer as at a plush price, which Johnson wanted to continue once he was out of office” (Frum 2). Other scandal was to continue with the wiretapping of Martin Luther King, Jr. about his personal life, it had been authorized by the Kennedy administration. Because of this recording,” Johnson said King was a hypocritical preacher” (Sidey 3). Also, was controversial the supported given to overthrow of the left-wing, democratically elected president of the Dominican Republic, Juan Bosch and Joao Goulart of Brazil. Johnson is recognized for having appointed the first African-American to the Supreme Court of the United States: Thurgood Marshall in 1967. President Lyndon B. Johnson launched a set of domestic programs in the United States between 1963-68 which is known as “The Great Society”. Two main goals of “The Great Society” social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice. The economic and social framework that was in the time of the Great Society was that in the 60s, the economy did not grow the unemployment rate was high. On the other hand, the country was in a serious social crisis. To alleviate the economic crisis, Johnson followed by the parameter dictated by Kennedy, who was cut income taxes by 20% , as a result of this measure, the Gross National Product grew at 10% the first year. With the help of the majority in the Senate (68-32) and the House of Representative (295-140), Johnson could spend the majority of the proposed legislation. The major legislation signed were: President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, on July 2,1964. Based on his belief, Johnson said “We believe that all men are created equal” , and he reaffirmed “Yet many are denied equal treatment”. No one can be discriminated based on race, color, national origin, religion or sex. Litigation against schools practicing segregation and rejected job discrimination through the creation of the “Equal Employment Opportunity Commission”. Johnson signed The “Voting Rights Act” of 1965, parts of which were void by the Supreme Court in 2013, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which proposed to eliminate discrimination in housing. “Some critics say they are no longer needed some aspects of the Civil Rights Act”. (Fahrenthold 7). In my point of view, the “Civil Right Act” was an anti poverty measure because blacks had relatively low average income. Johnson signed on August 20, 1964 the “Economic Opportunity Act”, the endowment of the War on Poverty. This law directed and coordinated educational, employment and training programs. Added tax credits and benefits such as food stamp, also. For this purpose to fight against poverty was created The “Office of Economic Opportunity”. This office was closed in 1981. “Poverty researcher Michael D. Tanner recently remarked, apropos of the War on Poverty and its programmatic legacies”: “Throwing money at the problem has neither reduced poverty nor made the poor self- sufficient. Instead, government programs have torn at the social fabric of the country and been a significant factor in increasing out-of-wedlock births with all of their attendant problems. They have weakened the work ethic and contributed to rising crime rates. Most tragically of all, the pathologies they engender have been passed on from parent to child, from generation to generation”.(Higgs 8). At Junction School in Johnson City, Tex., which Johnson attended, on April 11, 1965, he signed the “ Elementary and Secondary Education Act”. This Act ordered to federal government to support to school district whose students come from poor families . “Head Start” was a program designed to give needy children a “head start” before starting first grade, simultaneously, through “Higher Education Act”, Johnson launched the program for who wanted to attend to colleges and universities, offering them scholarships and low-income loans . In addition, it recognized a national teacher corps. About the health, Johnson signed an amendment to the “Social Security Act”, creating Medicaid and Medicare, health insurance programs for the elderly and low-income individuals and families on July 30, 1965. This program has been the most success to this date because having all the cover such as the private insurances. On Nov. 7, 1967, Johnson signed the “Public Broadcasting Act” providing economic support for non-commercial television and radio diffusion, including PBS and NPR. That helped develop the field of art and media Regarding the environment, on Nov. 21, 1967, Johnson signed the “Air Quality Act”, which granted the government increased authority to control air pollution .Also, the “Water Quality Act”, which required states to establish and enforce water quality standards for interstate waterways, and the “Endangered Species Act”, which provided threatened animals with limited protection. Also, he signed the “Wilderness Act” which preserved 9.2 million acres as federal wilderness areas; the “Wild and Scenic Rivers Act”, which established a national system to protect and preserve rivers; and the “National Trails System Act”, which created a nationwide system of scenic and recreational trails. Housing and Urban Development, Johnson signed on Aug. 10, 1965, the “Omnibus Housing Bill” of 1965. The statement provided huge rent subsidies for poor people who stimulated into new housing projects, created grants to assist low-income homeowners restore their properties, aided small businesses displaced by inner-city restoration and grants to rehabilitate damaged urban property, moreover signed the “Housing and Urban Development Act” in 1965, which created the “U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development”. The “Civil Right Act” of 1968 is known as the “Fair Housing Act”, which legalize not discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin and gender. These laws have not been met because always the minorities have suffered discrimination on obtaining loans for housing by private banks. Two years ago, the Bank of America was fined because the government found evidence that had discriminated against minorities in loans. The Great Society produced a number of laws to protect consumers. For example: “Caution: Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health”, write in cigarettes’ packages. The Immigration Act on Oct. 3, 1965 was the that did Johnson about immigration. In the resume was no more preference to some Europeans countries and limited the number of immigrants allowed. In conclusion, all these anti-poverty measures had a small effect on the national poverty rate because poverty fell from 19.5% in 1963 to 12.8% in 1968. In spite of this small margin, almost all of the anti-poverty programs were unsuccessful. My argument is that government spending lots of money from the taxpayers without giving a satisfactory solution to poverty problems, but the former United States ex-Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, Joseph Anthony Califano, Jr. contradicts my opinion when wrote : “if the Great Society had not achieved that the dramatic reduction in poverty, and the nation had not maintained it, 24 million more Americans would today be living below the poverty level.”Great Society” was about one thing: making as many Americans dependent as possible on government. The exception is Medicare, which has worked well beyond our dreams. Furthermore, today the federal and local authorities continue to commit cruelty against minorities, in other words, civil rights are being trampled.
Lyndon B. Johnson and Ronald Reagan had diverse understandings of the part of the government, especially when it came to local arrangement. Lyndon Johnson reported his organization "Great Society." These projects would go past consummation racial bad
When Johnson took over the Presidency following the assassination of Kennedy, he was determined to push through the Great Society agenda. President Johnson used the recent death as a reason to quickly enact laws for social reform in memory of Kennedy. Despite Republican opposition, Johnson was able to get the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 passed through congress,
"I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people.” I, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, created many government programs in an attempt to end the Great Depression. I was born January 30th, 1882 in Hyde Park, NY. In my childhood I grew up on a farm near the Hudson River. My fifth cousin was Teddy Roosevelt. My journey to politics began when I became the New York state senator in 1911. I also became the governor of New York in 1929 before running for president. That same year the stock market would crash and the Great Depression would begin.
During Johnson’s presidency, the federal government significantly extended its domestic responsibilities in attempt to transform the nation to what Johnson called the “Great Society,” in which poverty and racial intolerance ceased to exist. A previously unsurpassed amount of legislation was passed during this time; numerous laws were passed to protect the environment, keep consumers safe, reduce unfairness in education, improve housing in urban areas, provide more assistance to the elderly with health care, and other policies to improve welfare. Johnson called for a “War on Poverty,” and directed more funds to help the poor; government spending towards the poor increased from six billion in 1964 to twenty-four and a half billion dollars in 1968. Not only did Johnson improve the American economy and greatly reduce poverty, but he also advocated for racial equality; he managed to get Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, making segregation illegal in public accommodations/institutions. He also enacted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, prohibiting literacy tests in areas in which the amount of voters was under a certain number, which forced many southern states to allow more blacks to vote. As a result of his presidency, the poor and minorities enjoyed significant benefits from the more favorable legislations and more successful American legislation.
When Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded the presidency after John F. Kennedy's assassination he spoke of his vision of a Great Society in America. This Great Society included "an end to poverty and racial injustice," and also was intended to turn America into a place where kids can enhance their mind, broaden their talents, and people could restore their connection with the environment. In order to reach his goal, LBJ enacted numerous proposals involving taxes, civil rights, poverty, and much more. For the most part Johnson did an excellent job on delivering his promises, but international affairs threatened the Great Society and although LBJ won the presidency in a landslide victory in 1964, by 1966 he and the Supreme Court began to face serious criticism.
Franklin Roosevelt influenced American society in a so many drastic ways. The impact Franklin Roosevelt left on the United States showed the power to overcome adversity. Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the President from March 1933 to April 1945, the longest tenure in American history. This essay is going to focus on ethnicity concerns that arose before and during F.D.R presidency. There were many successes and failures in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's wartime diplomacy. His policies were successful in that they led to the end of the war with Germany and Japan. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was relatively unknown to politics until his campaign for presidency in 1932. He won the landslide election not because the public was sure he was capable
Ulysses Simpson Grant, the 18th President of the United States of America, was a significant influence on American history. Throughout his life, he always felt an exceptional commitment to the American military. This man helped the Union defeat the Confederates in the American Civil War and contributed to Americans during the Reconstruction time period, in hopes that America would be a fully industrialized nation. Grant displays many important military and political leadership roles in American society.
Throughout the history of the United States, racial discrimination has always been around our society. Many civil rights movements and laws had helped to minimize the amount of discrimination towards every single citizen, but discrimination is something that will not ever disappear. On March 15, 1965, Lyndon Baines Johnson gave a speech that pointed out the racial injustice and human rights problems of America in Washington D.C. He wanted every citizen of the United States to support his ideas to overcome and solve the racial injustice problems as a nation. Throughout the speech, Lyndon Johnson used several rhetorical concepts to persuade the audience. He is speaking to all the citizens in the nation and
Andrew Johnson was born to a poor family in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was never formally educated but until the age of 16, he was apprenticed to a tailor. At 16, he ran away to Greeneville, Tennessee where he opened his own tailor shop. He would eventually marry Eliza McCardle who helped to improve on his reading, writing, and math. Because his tailor business was doing so well, he was able to save up and buy a few slaves of his own. The two would have five children together.
Although the Tenure of Office Act that got Andrew Johnson impeached was unconstitutional, this does not mean that he did not deserve to get impeached. Johnson was not a good president because he let personal issues of revenge on aristocrats and viewpoints of slavery blind him. Johnson would also have a stubborn personality that did not aid him in his path for reconstruction against the radical republicans. He would let feelings get in the way of his reason that made him the only president to be forced out of office due to breaking a law that he knowingly deified and would end in his demise igniting “ridicule” by the American people (H.A. Tompkins).
In 1963 after the assassination of the John F. Kennedy, the new president pass the series of law such as “The Great Society”. Passing of these acts has been one of the significant sets of acts created by any one president. The Great Society program was similar to FDR’s New Deal but the New Deal was created to get America out of the Depression whereas the Great Society was created to improve society. The Great Society was an ambitious series of policy initiatives, legislation and programs spearheaded by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This program set goals to eliminate poverty, provide better Medicare and Medicaid, establish Head start and education reform, as well as create Environmental Initiatives and Reducing crime and racial
Bessie Coleman was born on January 26, 1892 in Atlanta, Texas. She was one of 13 children and her parents were Susan and George Coleman. When Bessie Coleman was 12 years old, she started to attend the Missionary Baptists Church in Texas. After she graduated, she attended the Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University for only one year due to financial constraints. Bessie Coleman tried to enter United States flying
Welfare programs are an important part of American society. Without any type of American welfare, people will starve, children will not receive the proper education, and people will not receive any medical help simply because they do not have the resources available to them. Each of the three aspects of the American welfare system are unique in their own ways because they are funded differently and the benefits are given to different people. While support for these welfare systems has declined in the more recent years, the support for it when it was created was strong.
The criteria were placed on human values. Lyndon Johnson’s “The Great Society Speech” (1964) presented his argument on how he believed we should improve in each of these areas: the city, the countryside, and the classroom. My role here is to connect both Rouse’s and Johnson’s visions to effectively convey my point on what a good society is built upon. Diversity
The Great Depression was the deepest and longest-lasting economic downfall in the history of the United Sates. No event has yet to rival The Great Depression to the present day today although we have had recessions in the past, and some economic panics, fears. Thankfully the United States of America has had its shares of experiences from the foundation of this country and throughout its growth many economic crises have occurred. In the United States, the Great Depression began soon after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors ("The Great Depression."). In turn from this single tragic event, numerous amounts of chain reactions occurred.