Johnson (Domestic) Flashcards
Great Society: War on Poverty institutions
OEO- Office of Economic Opportunities this oversaw the war on poverty.
-44 states had anti poverty policies
-53 job corps provided job training
-35,000 students on work-education programs.
-35,000 adults were enrolled to basic education programs
-Over 4 million families receiving ABCD benefits
-Loans given for small businesses
Poverty Problems
-American cities were characterised by poor housing and schools.
-Housing was a major ghetto disconnect for
-Found that 4/5 arrested during Detroit ghetto riots had an income of $120 per week suggesting it wasn’t poverty that caused discontent but poor housing and alienation.
-White taxpayers didn’t want to fund developments
-Majority opposed integrated housing
-Fair housing unsuccessful due to white opposition.
Health
-Johnson introduced Medicare and Medicaid in Social Security Act (elderly and the poor, safety net for America’s most vulnerable)
-Millions lifted out of poverty
-Proved so popular that no other president dared to oppose it
-Proved more expensive than Johnson and the administration ever thought: by 1966 would be $2b to rise to $98b
(-) Gaps in coverage in Medicare and Medicaid
Education
-Millions of Americans didn’t have highschool education
-100,000 students couldn’t afford to pay for college
-Schools were overcrowded and run down.
-Presidents rarely obtained funding for education seen as a local issue
-Elementary and Secondary Act
-Higher Education Act
-Over 13million children benefit from federal aid to education
-Increased amount of students who held highschool diploma
-Constructed new school buildings
And increased school teachers
Housing Legislation
Housing Urban Development 1965- Combat housing shortages
Demonstrations Cities Act 1966- Failed because congress demanded something for themselves so 6 cities increased to 150 cities which there wasn’t enough money for
Omnibus Housing Act 1965- Financed low and moderate income housing.
Fair Housing Act- Ineffective due to white opposition
Success of Great Society
-19 million benefited from Medicare and Medicaid. For many of the poor, sick and elderly this made a considerable difference
-13 million children benefited from Johnson Education legislation
- A million children benefited from Head-start programs
-Population poverty fell from 17% to 11%
-Unemployment rate was at a 13 year low
-Minimum wage rose by 35 cents
-Federal spending for poor rose to $20b
Failures of Great society
-This level of Federal spending was unsustainable
-1/3 of non-whites still lived below the poverty line. Infant mortality and unemployment doubled whites
-As a result of War in Vietnam belief that the Great Society had ran out of steam
$120b spent on Vietnam but only $15b spent on Great society.
-Lead to unrealistic expectations
-Increase tax and inflation made Great society unpopular
-Programs to help urban poor hijacked by black radicals
Economic development
1964:
-Low unemployment
-Limited inflation
1965:
Signs the economy was overheating
1966:
-Unemployment at a 13 year low
-Inflation highest for 10 years
1967:
-Slow down in capital investments
-Less residential construction
-Depressed retail sales
-Worst GNP since 1960 recessions
-Increasing federal budget deficits
-Inflation
-High cost of living
1968:
-Federal budget deficit of $19.8b
-Trade deficits of $4b
-Inflation
-Dollar greatly weakened
Head Start and Education Reform
To make sure every child had a shot at success, no matter their social and economic circumstances
Run office of economic opportunities for 500,000 children.
-Elementary and secondary act: guaranteed federal funding for education and funded preschool programs with school books and special education services.
Johnson’s attitude to civil rights
Opposed Truman civil rights program which he explained was because:
-Bills would never have passed anyway
-He was not anti-black but pro-state rights
-Civil rights legislation would not help blacks as much as better housing schooling and healthcare would
-Johnson contributed to Eisenhowers civil rights bill dilution
Supports:
-When a segregated cemetery refused it would not bury Mexican American war hero Johnson arranged a burial in the National cemetery.
-Johnson quietly to get black farmers and black school children equal treatments
-Johnson insured that Eisenhower civil rights bill obtained sufficient Democrat votes to pass it was called Johnson’s masterpiece
-Johnson persuaded Congress to agree that African-Americans deserve the vote
Four black schoolgirls killed in Birmingham
Bombs were planted in the Church basement underneath the girls restroom which detonated killing four black schoolgirls.
-When thousands of angry black protesters assembled. George Wallace sent hundreds of police and state troopers to break up the crowd in which two young black men were killed one by police and another racist thugs.
-Public outrage over the bombing continue to grow drawing international attention to Birmingham.
-A well-known klan member was charged with murder. He was then cleared of the murder charge and received a 6 month jail sentence and $100 fine for the dynamite.
Reasons for passing the Civil rights act 1964
Johnson used the shock of Kennedy’s murder to push forward the 1964 civil rights act the mood of the public in general wouldn’t have allowed any obvious deliberate attempts to damage ‘Kennedys bill’.
Society had changed which Johnson realised and wanted to change before potential civil arrest for it through.
Civil Rights Act 1964 contents
-Federal government had the right to end segregation in the south.
-Prohibited segregation in public places
-Equal employment commission created
-Federal funding wouldn’t be given to segregated schools
-Any company that wanted federal business had to have a pro-civil rights charter
Increasing the black vote & the Mississippi freedom summer
SNCC and cool extended the involvement in the deep south drawing the nations attention to the violent opposition faced by African-Americans trying to vote.
17,000 black residence of Mississippi attempted to vote in the summer of 1964 but only 1600 approved highlighting the news for further legislation.
Causes of Selma
Civil rights act 1964 gave the federal government the legal rules to end de jure segregation in the south
African-Americans felt the act had not gone far enough as must still suffer from poverty and discrimination.
50% of Selma’s population was black but only 23 people were registered to vote showing the Civil rights act 1964 had not brought any great improvements.
King knew that Selma’s sheriff could be trusted to act as brutally as bull Connor Birmingham which would gain national publicity
Events in Selma
King led potential voters to register but they were unsuccessful despite the federal judge ruling.
Several incident made headlines a trooper shot of black youth shielding his mother from a beating.
King organised a march from Selma to Montgomery to publicise the need for a voting rights act. State troopers attacked the matches with clubs and used to gas.
Congress might have failed to deliver the voting rights act without Selma.
Voting rights act 1965
Why it was passed:
-Events in Selma had drawn national and international attention to disenfranchisement of black Americans
-US claimed to be leader of the free world and communist propaganda emphasised inequality demonstrated by Selma
-Johnson’s persuasive powers
contents:
-Disallowed literacy tests
-Replaced southern whites registrars with federal registrars.
Impact of the change on the south
By 1980 the proportion of African-Americans registered to vote was only 7% less than the proportion of whites
In 1960 that had been no black officials in Mississippi by 1980 there were over 300
Johnson’s education at speeded up school segregation and helped black colleges
Civil rights legislation opened up way for richer black middle-class
Percentages of black Americans living below the poverty line was down 25%.
However many African-Americans continue to suffer poor housing schools and drop off opportunities and an inability to get out of the poverty trap.
