Lyndon B. Johnson: The Great Society

APUSH Chapter 38

Essential Questions:What were the 3 major issues of LBJ’s

presidency?

What was the importance of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, including the

establishment of Medicare?

LBJ in the White House• The demand for reform

helped create a new awareness of social problems, especially on matters of civil rights and the effects of poverty

LBJ’s Path to Power

• LBJ’s ambition and drive were legendary

• He entered politics in 1937 as a “New Dealer”

• He caught the eye of FDR as a spokesman for farmers of his district

• He was a master of party politics and maneuvering and rose to Senate majority leader in 1955

• Became President in 1963

• His ability to achieve legislative results had captured JFK’s attention as well

• Johnson’s congressional connections and his Southern Protestant background convinced Kennedy to make LBJ his running mate

• This helped Kennedy win states in the south

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The Domestic Agenda

• Johnson urged Congress to pass the civil rights and tax-cut bills that Kennedy had sent to Capitol Hill

• The tax-cuts spurred economic growth

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal to discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, and sex

The War on Poverty Spirit p. 475

• Johnson declared an “unconditional war on poverty in America”

• Congress enacted the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA)– The Job Corps Youth Training Program– VISTA: Volunteers in Service to America– Project Head Start, an education program for

underprivileged preschoolers– The Community Action Program, which encouraged

poor people to participate in public-works programs

Election of 1964

• Republicans nominate Barry Goldwater of Arizona

• Barry Goldwater believed the federal government had no business trying to right social and economic wrongs such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of opportunity

• Most Americans sided with LBJ

Election of 1964

Election of 1964• Goldwater had also frightened many

Americans by suggesting he may use nuclear weapons on Cuba and North Vietnam

• LBJ won in a landslide• Democrats also gained more control in

Congress• LBJ could launch his domestic reform

program, The Great Society with high confidence

Building the Great Society• Johnson summed up his

vision for America in a phrase: The Great Society

• In a speech he outlined a legislative program (Great Society) that would end poverty and racial injustice

• He would also try to create a higher standard of living for everyone

The Great Society

• Passed bills increasing funding for education; the first major federal aid package for education in the nation’s history

• LBJ created Medicare and Medicaid

• Created the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

• Medicare: give low-cost medical insurance to Americans age 65 years and up

• Medicaid: extends health care insurance to people on welfare.

Impact of the Great Society

• The Great Society and the Warren Court changed the United States

• People disagree on whether the U.S. was better or worse afterwards

• The massive tax cut spurred the economy, but funding the Great Society along with the Vietnam War led to increased deficits

Backlash • There was a conservative

backlash– Ronald Reagan swept to victory

in the race for governor of California

• The increase in Communist forces in Vietnam began to overshadow the Great Society

• Four years after the election, Johnson, who ran on a peace ticket, would be labeled a “hawk” for supporting one of the most divisive wars in recent U.S. History

The Warren Court• The Supreme Court under

Chief Justice Earl Warren encouraged the expansion of individual rights in the U.S.

• This started with Brown v. B.O.E.

• Limited censorship• Stated free speech

included allowing students to wear black armbands to protest the war (Tinker v Des Moines)

• Tinker v Des Moines - 1969

The Warren Court • The Warren Court also

greatly expanded the rights of people accused of crimes. Earl Warren – Illegally seized evidence

couldn’t be used in court– Required criminal courts to

provide free legal counsel(Gideon v. Wainwright)

– Right to a lawyer during questioning

– People must be read their Miranda rights before questioning (Miranda v. Arizona - 1966)

EQ: How did the Warren Court expand the individual rights of American citizens?