LBJ Domestic Policy
Background:
Upbringing and career:
● Born in Texas, taught at a poor school, therefore saw education as a key driver for change.
● Spent life in public service- teacher and congressman.
● Senate majority leader 1955-1960- knew each senators weaknesses, prejudices and ambitions
● Vice president- 1961-63. Failed to win 1960 nomination, felt he was being overlooked. Took over november 1963.
● Became president due to JFK death
● Used JFK death to help him pass legislation, eg anti-poverty ‘let us here highly resolve that JFK did not live - or
die- in vain’
● Mourning for JFK translated into sympathy for johnson
● However- not legitimate power- unelected president.
LBJ character:
● Sympathetic to the less fortunate ‘I wanted power to give things to people..especially the poor and the blacks’
● Impulsive, opinionated
● Manipulative, persuasive- ‘the johnson treatment’- physical, would invade personal space and bully others to
persuade them as he wished.
● Racist?
- Used n word frequently
- Said foreigners were ‘not like the folks you were reared with’
- However, ‘I wanted power to give things to people..especially the poor and the blacks’
- Wanted social reform
● Ego problem- pushed around ‘ivy league politicians’
Main policies:
● Expanded on JFKs efforts to fight a war on poverty
● Wanted equality for all- the great society
● Did not seek re election in 1968
JFK Death:
● Made president following JFK's death in 1963.
● As president, he achieved more for the disadvantaged than any previous president
● Passed legislation to make it easier for them to access the American dream of greater prosperity and equality
● JFK’s death traumatised the nation
● LBJ brilliantly exploited the public’s desire to memorialise Kennedy in order to obtain anti poverty legislation and
CR bill
● ‘I became the custodian of the Kennedy dream’ `
● ‘Let us highly resolve that John Kennedy did not live- or die- in vain’
● The national mourning for Kennedy translated into sympathy for Johnson
1964 election:
● LBJ vs Goldwater
● Nov 3rd 1964, less than a year after JFK assassination
● LBJ
- campaigned on the successes of his GS programmes and CR initiatives
- Use of tv and media- connect with voters, showcase his vision
- Public desire for continuity after JFK assassination
- Social welfare programmes resonated with voters in urban areas
- Democrats had dominated ‘solid south’ but JFK’s stance on CR pushed south to vote republican
● Goldwater
- US senator from Arizona, had voted against CR act
- Staunch anti communist- extremist
- Less gov intervention
- Divided republican party- many distanced themselves from Goldwater’s extremes, eg stance on the use
of nuclear weapons
- Little effort to appeal to black voters
, - Emphasis on crime in big cities
- Slogan ‘in your heart you know he’s right; countered by democrats with ‘in your guts you know hes nuts’
● Result:
- Strong democratic turnout and widespread support for LBJ
- LBJ 486 electoral votes vs Goldwater 52 electoral votes
- Popular vote 43 million LBJ and 27 million Goldwater
- Goldwater- southern vote
- LBJ victory expanded democratic majority in congress, solidified mandate
- Landslide victory
LBJ cabinet
● Kept many JFK cabinet members- sec of state Dean Rusk, Sec of defense McNamara
● Mix of experienced politicians and reform minded individuals who supported his GS agenda
● Eg Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach
● After 1964 victory- appointed more individuals committed to GS initiatives (eg sec of health, education and
welfare john Gardner). Cabinet became more liberal.
Legacy:
● Accomplished more for the disadvantaged than any president before
● Passed legislation that made it easier for them to access the american dream
The Great Society
Overall:
● LBJ programme with the goal of eliminating poverty in the United States
● Introduced in May 22 1964 speech- aimed to address economic inequality, education, healthcare, and civil rights
+ peace with other nations
● He obtained an unprecedented quantity of social reform legislation ‘Hell we’re the richest country in the world, the
most powerful. We can do it all’
● Not all programmes were successful but his civil rights legislation and medicare in particular improved many lives
● From 1965 he was increasingly preoccupied with the Vietnam war and he greatly escalate US involvement
● Could be argued he was a victim of his predecessors ever increasing involvement in Vietnam
● ‘The commitment trap’
Aims
● End discrimination/ inequality
● Racial equality
● End/ eradicate poverty
● Education as the faculty for upward social mobility
● Wanted a lot of social reform ‘Hell, we’re the richest country in the world, the most powerful. We can do it all’
● Not all his ‘great society programs’ were successful, Aims high but does not fully achieve ambitions
● Many were cheered by Johnson’s optimism and positivity about what America could achieve
● 75% approval rating in polls after JFK death
War on poverty:
Jan 1964, declared unconditional war on poverty
Persuaded congress to pass EOA which established office of economic opportunity. Poor were not to be given
handouts but rather the opportunity to take responsibility. Spoke of the ‘forgotten fifth’ living in poverty.
Feb 1965- informed congress of its progress
- 44 states had anti poverty programmes with six more to follow
- 55 job corps centres providing job training were receiving thousands of applications daily
- Members of 25,000 families on welfare were receiving work training
- 35,000 college students were on work study programmes with poorer students able to earn federal
funding through part time work
- 35,000 adults were learning to read and write and 90,000 adults were enrolled in basic education
programmes
- Neighborhood youth corps in 49 cities
- 8000 volunteers in service to america were assisting needy children, native americans and migratory
workers
Background:
Upbringing and career:
● Born in Texas, taught at a poor school, therefore saw education as a key driver for change.
● Spent life in public service- teacher and congressman.
● Senate majority leader 1955-1960- knew each senators weaknesses, prejudices and ambitions
● Vice president- 1961-63. Failed to win 1960 nomination, felt he was being overlooked. Took over november 1963.
● Became president due to JFK death
● Used JFK death to help him pass legislation, eg anti-poverty ‘let us here highly resolve that JFK did not live - or
die- in vain’
● Mourning for JFK translated into sympathy for johnson
● However- not legitimate power- unelected president.
LBJ character:
● Sympathetic to the less fortunate ‘I wanted power to give things to people..especially the poor and the blacks’
● Impulsive, opinionated
● Manipulative, persuasive- ‘the johnson treatment’- physical, would invade personal space and bully others to
persuade them as he wished.
● Racist?
- Used n word frequently
- Said foreigners were ‘not like the folks you were reared with’
- However, ‘I wanted power to give things to people..especially the poor and the blacks’
- Wanted social reform
● Ego problem- pushed around ‘ivy league politicians’
Main policies:
● Expanded on JFKs efforts to fight a war on poverty
● Wanted equality for all- the great society
● Did not seek re election in 1968
JFK Death:
● Made president following JFK's death in 1963.
● As president, he achieved more for the disadvantaged than any previous president
● Passed legislation to make it easier for them to access the American dream of greater prosperity and equality
● JFK’s death traumatised the nation
● LBJ brilliantly exploited the public’s desire to memorialise Kennedy in order to obtain anti poverty legislation and
CR bill
● ‘I became the custodian of the Kennedy dream’ `
● ‘Let us highly resolve that John Kennedy did not live- or die- in vain’
● The national mourning for Kennedy translated into sympathy for Johnson
1964 election:
● LBJ vs Goldwater
● Nov 3rd 1964, less than a year after JFK assassination
● LBJ
- campaigned on the successes of his GS programmes and CR initiatives
- Use of tv and media- connect with voters, showcase his vision
- Public desire for continuity after JFK assassination
- Social welfare programmes resonated with voters in urban areas
- Democrats had dominated ‘solid south’ but JFK’s stance on CR pushed south to vote republican
● Goldwater
- US senator from Arizona, had voted against CR act
- Staunch anti communist- extremist
- Less gov intervention
- Divided republican party- many distanced themselves from Goldwater’s extremes, eg stance on the use
of nuclear weapons
- Little effort to appeal to black voters
, - Emphasis on crime in big cities
- Slogan ‘in your heart you know he’s right; countered by democrats with ‘in your guts you know hes nuts’
● Result:
- Strong democratic turnout and widespread support for LBJ
- LBJ 486 electoral votes vs Goldwater 52 electoral votes
- Popular vote 43 million LBJ and 27 million Goldwater
- Goldwater- southern vote
- LBJ victory expanded democratic majority in congress, solidified mandate
- Landslide victory
LBJ cabinet
● Kept many JFK cabinet members- sec of state Dean Rusk, Sec of defense McNamara
● Mix of experienced politicians and reform minded individuals who supported his GS agenda
● Eg Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach
● After 1964 victory- appointed more individuals committed to GS initiatives (eg sec of health, education and
welfare john Gardner). Cabinet became more liberal.
Legacy:
● Accomplished more for the disadvantaged than any president before
● Passed legislation that made it easier for them to access the american dream
The Great Society
Overall:
● LBJ programme with the goal of eliminating poverty in the United States
● Introduced in May 22 1964 speech- aimed to address economic inequality, education, healthcare, and civil rights
+ peace with other nations
● He obtained an unprecedented quantity of social reform legislation ‘Hell we’re the richest country in the world, the
most powerful. We can do it all’
● Not all programmes were successful but his civil rights legislation and medicare in particular improved many lives
● From 1965 he was increasingly preoccupied with the Vietnam war and he greatly escalate US involvement
● Could be argued he was a victim of his predecessors ever increasing involvement in Vietnam
● ‘The commitment trap’
Aims
● End discrimination/ inequality
● Racial equality
● End/ eradicate poverty
● Education as the faculty for upward social mobility
● Wanted a lot of social reform ‘Hell, we’re the richest country in the world, the most powerful. We can do it all’
● Not all his ‘great society programs’ were successful, Aims high but does not fully achieve ambitions
● Many were cheered by Johnson’s optimism and positivity about what America could achieve
● 75% approval rating in polls after JFK death
War on poverty:
Jan 1964, declared unconditional war on poverty
Persuaded congress to pass EOA which established office of economic opportunity. Poor were not to be given
handouts but rather the opportunity to take responsibility. Spoke of the ‘forgotten fifth’ living in poverty.
Feb 1965- informed congress of its progress
- 44 states had anti poverty programmes with six more to follow
- 55 job corps centres providing job training were receiving thousands of applications daily
- Members of 25,000 families on welfare were receiving work training
- 35,000 college students were on work study programmes with poorer students able to earn federal
funding through part time work
- 35,000 adults were learning to read and write and 90,000 adults were enrolled in basic education
programmes
- Neighborhood youth corps in 49 cities
- 8000 volunteers in service to america were assisting needy children, native americans and migratory
workers
