1. THE NEW FRONTIER AND THE GREAT SOCIETY
KENNEDY AND JOHNSON LEAD AMERICA IN THE 1960S

2. Learning Objectives: Section 3 - The Great Society
1. Describe the political path that led Johnson to the White House.
2. Explain Johnson’s efforts to enact a domestic agenda.
3. Summarize the goals of Johnson’s Great Society.
4. Identify the reforms of the Warren Court.
5. Evaluate the impact of Great Society programs.

3. SECTION 3: THE GREAT SOCIETY
A fourth-generation Texan, Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) entered politics in 1937 as a congressman
Johnson admired Franklin Roosevelt who took the young congressman under his wing
Johnson became a senator in 1948 and by 1955 he was Senate majority leader
Senator Johnson pictured in 1958 with a nerd

4. The Great Society LBJ’s Path to Power3
SECTION
The Great Society
LBJ’s Path to Power
From the Texas Hills to Capitol Hill
• As Congressman, Lyndon Baines Johnson mentored, helped by FDR
• 1948, LBJ narrowly wins Senate seat
A Master Politician
• 1955, LBJ becomes Senate majority leader
• “LBJ treatment”—ability to persuade senators to support his bills
• Gets Civil Rights Act of 1957 passed—voting rights measure
• LBJ helps Kennedy win key Southern states in presidential election
Continued . . .
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5. JOHNSON’S DOMESTIC AGENDA
As soon as Johnson took office, he urged Congress to pass the tax-cut bill that Kennedy had sent to Capital Hill
The tax cut passed and $10 billion in cuts took effect

6. LBJ signs the Civil Rights Act as Martin Luther King watches
CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964
In July of 1964, LBJ pushed the Civil Rights Act through Congress
The Act prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin, and granted the federal government new powers to enforce the law
LBJ signs the Civil Rights Act as Martin Luther King watches

7. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
A – Why did Kennedy chose Johnson to be his running mate?
Johnson brought balance to the ticket because of his experience and influence in Congress and his Southern Protestant background.

8. "By the way, what's the big word?"
VOTING RIGHTS ACT 1964
Part of the Civil Rights Act was to insure voting rights for all Americans
The act prohibited literacy tests or other discriminatory practices for voting
The act insured consistent election practices
"By the way, what's the big word?"

9. Johnson’s Domestic Agenda3
SECTION
Johnson’s Domestic Agenda
The War on Poverty
• 1964 tax cut spurs economic growth; lowers federal deficit
• 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination, allows enforcement
• LBJ declares “war on poverty”
• Economic Opportunity Act: education, training, small business loans
• Includes Job Corps, VISTA, Head Start, Community Action Program
Continued . . .
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10. THE WAR ON POVERTY
Following his tax cut and Civil Rights Act successes, LBJ launched his War on Poverty
In August of 1964 he pushed through Congress a series of measures known as the Economic Opportunity Act
The Act provided $1 billion in aid to the inner city

11. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT
THE EOA legislation created:
The Job Corps
VISTA (Volunteers in service to America)
Project Head Start for underprivileged preschoolers
The Community Action Program which encouraged the poor to participate in public works program
Project Head Start is still going strong

12. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
B – What problems in American society did the Economic Opportunity Act seek to address?
Poverty and lack of opportunity.

13. Guided Reading Program or Law Objectives or Results
1. Tax-cut Bill of 1964
Tax-cut: Economic growth;
an increase in consumer spending,
business investment, and tax revenues;
a reduction in federal budget deficit

14. The 1964 Election 3 • Republicans nominate Senator Barry Goldwater
SECTION
continued Johnson’s Domestic Agenda
The 1964 Election
• Republicans nominate Senator Barry Goldwater
• Goldwater: government should not deal with social, economic problems
• Threatens to bomb North Vietnam, advocates intervention
• LBJ says will not send troops to Vietnam; wins by landslide
• Democrats big majority; Southern Democrats not needed to pass bills
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15. THE 1964 ELECTION
In 1964, the Republicans nominated conservative senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona to oppose Democrat Lyndon Johnson
Goldwater opposed LBJ’s social legislation
Goldwater alienated voters by suggesting the use of nuclear weapons in Cuba and North Vietnam

16. LBJ WINS BY A LANDSLIDE LBJ won the 1964 election by a landslide
For many it was an anti-Goldwater vote
Many Americans saw Goldwater as a War Hawk
The Democrats also increased their majority in Congress
Now Johnson launched his reform program in earnest

17. LBJ easily defeats Goldwater in ‘64

18. 1968—A Turning Point in Civil Rights3
SECTION
1968—A Turning Point in Civil Rights
King’s Death
King objects to Black Power movement, preaching of violence
Seems to sense own death in Memphis speech to striking workers
Is shot, dies the following day, April 4, 1968
Reactions to King’s Death
King’s death leads to worst urban rioting in U.S. history
- over 100 cities affected
Robert Kennedy assassinated two months later
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20. Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement3
SECTION
Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement
Causes of Violence
• Kerner Commission names racism as main cause of urban violence
Civil Rights Gains
• Civil Rights Act of 1968 prohibits discrimination in housing
More black students finish high school, college; get better jobs
Greater pride in racial identity leads to Black Studies programs
More African-American participation in movies, television
Increased voter registration results in more black elected officials
Continued . . .
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22. Guided Reading Program or Law Objectives or Results
2. Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights: Prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and gender;
granted the federal government new powers of enforcement

23. 3
SECTION
continued Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement
Unfinished Work
Forced busing, higher taxes, militancy, riots reduce white support
White flight reverses much progress toward school integration
Unemployment, poverty higher than for whites
• Affirmative action—extra effort to hire, enroll discriminated groups
1960s, colleges, companies doing government business adopt policy
Late 1970s, some criticize policy as reverse discrimination
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24. Guided Reading Program or Law Objectives or Results
3. Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
Economic: Funded youth programs, antipoverty measures, small business loans, and job training;
created the Job Corps, the VISTA volunteer program, Project Head Start, and the Community Action Program

27. BUILDING THE GREAT SOCIETY
In May of 1964, LBJ summed up his vision for America in a phrase: “The Great Society”
By the time he left the White House in 1969, Congress had passed 206 of LBJ’s Great Society legislative initiatives

28. EDUCATION
Johnson considered education “the key which can unlock the door to the Great Society”
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided $1 billion to help public schools buy textbooks and library materials
This Act represented the first major federal aid package for education ever

29. Guided Reading Program or Law Objectives or Results
4. Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Education: Provided federal aid to help public and parochial schools to purchase textbooks and new library materials and to offer special education classes

30. HEALTHCARE
LBJ and Congress enhanced Social Security by establishing Medicare and Medicaid
Medicare provided hospital insurance and low-cost medical care to the elderly
Medicaid provided health benefits to the poor

31. Guided Reading Program or Law Objectives or Results 5. Medicare
Medicare: Provided hospital and low-cost medical insurance to most Americans age 65 or older

32. Guided Reading Program or Law Objectives or Results 6. Medicaid
Medicaid: Extended health insurance to welfare recipients

33. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS C – How are Medicaid and Medicare similar?
Both provide govt sponsored health insurance.

34. HOUSING
Weaver
LBJ and Congress appropriated money to build 240,000 units of low-rent public housing; established the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and appointed the first black cabinet member, Robert Weaver, as HUD’s first leader

35. IMMIGRATION REFORM
The Great Society also brought reform to immigration laws
The Natural Origins Acts of the 1920s strongly discriminated against immigration by those outside of Western Europe
The Immigration Act of 1965 opened the door for many non-European immigrants to settle in the U.S.

36. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
D – How did the Immigration Act of 1965 change the nation’s immigration system?
It replaced the nations origins systems, which discriminated against people from, outside Western Europe.

37. Guided Reading Program or Law Objectives or Results
7. Immigration Act of 1965
Immigration: Replaced the national origins system -with a new immigration quota system that allowed more non-European immigrants to settle in the U.S.

38. THE ENVIRONMENT LBJ also actively sought to improve the environment
The Water Quality Act of 1965 required states to clean up their rivers and lakes
LBJ also ordered the government to clean up corporate polluters of the environment

39. CONSUMER PROTECTION
Consumer advocates also made gains during the 1960s
Major safety laws were passed in the U.S. auto industry and Congress passed the Wholesome Meat Act of 1967
LBJ said, “Americans can feel safer now in their homes, on the road, and at the supermarket”

40. SUPREME COURT REFORMS SOCIETY, TOO
Warren
Reform and change were not limited to the Executive and Legislative branches
The Judicial Branch led by the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Earl Warren did much to protect individual rights

41. WARREN COURT AND SUSPECT’S RIGHTS
In Mapp v. Ohio (1961) the Supreme Court ruled that illegally seized evidence could not be used in court
In Escobedo v. Illinois the court ruled that the accused has the right to have an attorney present when questioned by police
In Miranda v. Arizona the court ruled that all suspects must be read their rights before questioning

42. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
E – What were the different reactions to the Warren Court decisions on the rights of the accused?
Liberals supported the decisions for protecting individual rights,
Conservatives criticized the Court for protecting criminal suspects and limiting police power.

43. IMPACT OF GREAT SOCIETY
The Great Society and the Warren Court changed the United States
No president in Post-WWII era extended the power and reach of the federal government more than LBJ
The War on Poverty helped, the Civil Rights initiative made a difference and the massive tax cuts spurred the economy

44. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
F – What events and problems may have affected the success of the Great Society?
Some programs contributed to the budget deficit;
Federal spending, deficits and intervention sparked conservative backlash;
The Vietnam War drew away funds and attention.