Johnson's "great society" Flashcards
what was the aim of the Great Society ?
- end of poverty
- racial equality
- modern housing
- end of urban decay
- internatonal peace
- environmentalism
what were initial strenghths of Johnson?
- 75% approval rate - optimism wealcomed after assassination
- able to effectively amnipulate congress
- passed much legislation
what were the intial response to civil rights under Johnson?
- civil rights act 1964 - able to use kennedy’s memory to pass through congress
- voting rights act - response to awareness raised by selma campaign
what was the Fair Housing Act?
limitations
1968
* Jophnson saw black slums as immoral
* white people opposed this due to fall of property value when black people moivd to neighbouhood
* MLK’s assassination pushed congress to act - prohibited discrimination
difficult to enforce due to white opposition
how did johnson improve balck lives ?
- civil rights act voting rights act
- affirmative action - executive powers to ensure balck employment
- citicised and reverse discrimination
many remained oppressed but social/economic status improved
what was the War on Poverty?
committment to irradiacate poverty
* economic opportunity act 1964
* 44 states had anti-poverty programmes 1965
* loans given to small businesses
sucesses of the War on Poverty
- Head Start - enabled over 1 billion disadvantages children to catch up before elemntary school
- Upward Bound - linked higher-educational institutiosn with poor but academically potential students , 50,000 benifited
- extension of food-stamj programme
limitations of the War on Poverty
- federal expenditure increased drastically - conservative saw this as excessive
- liberals complained about underfunding - unrealistic people wouldt accept tax rises
- didt irradicate povertty
- 1/3 of minority famlilies under poverty line
politically unrealistic promises
what was johnsons stance on education?
- “nothing matters more than the future of our country”
- went agaisnt congress - who thought education should be on local level
- dobled federal expenditure to $8 billion
- Elementary and Secondary Education Act
- Higher Education Act
what was the Elementary and Secondary Education Act?
ESEA
1965
* officals made sure that it was not used as anti-poverty programme
* 1/2 expenditure went to those above poverty line
* all Americans deserved help
* critics - president didnt pay attention to how it worked in practice
* liberals - enforced federal role in education adn investment in schools
what was the Higher education Act ?
HEA
1965
* 11 million benifited from it
* 1970 25% college students given some form of aid
* greatly increased opportunity - black colleges included
ho far did johnson reform education?
alot
* high-school diplomas rose
* shortage of teachers ended
* acessibility of college increased
* if not a great society a better one (Dallek, biographer)
what was the department for Housing and Urban Development
1965
* coordinated programmes to comnbar housing shortages
* 2/3 of americans lived in decaying urban areas
what was the “modl cities” aapolicy?
why did it fail
housto, Detriot and LA to become reformed and model cities
* cheap housign
* good transportation
* slum clearance
* Demonstration Cities Act 1966
DCA underfunded by $3.6billion
mebers of congress demanded too kuch of ntheir constituents
how did Johnson improve ghettos?
- Omnibus Housing act 1965 - rent suppliments
- builders encouraged to build reasonably priced housing
- 1968 - focused on ending housing discrimination - Fair Housing Act
