Johnson's Great Society

Question 1

How did Johnson become president?

Answer 1

LBJ succeeded JFK as president after Kennedy’s assassination. They were both Democrats. LBJ’s reform programmes were called the ‘Great Society’

Question 2

How did LBJ improve education?

Answer 2

• ‘Operation Headstart’ gave money to poor schools in the cities
• the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided major funning for schools

Question 3

How did LBJ help the economy?

Answer 3

• the Job Corps was introduced to help high school leavers get jobs
• the minimum hourly wage increased from $1.25 to $1.40

Question 4

How did LBJ improve healthcare and poverty?

Answer 4

• a Housing Act funded low-income housing
• the Model Cities Act cleared up inner-city slums
• ‘Medicare’ was created [a JFK idea] to fund healthcare for the elderly and low income families

Question 5

Why was LBJ criticised?

Answer 5

• 56 per cent of African-Americans lived in desperate poverty, but by 1970 this had fallen to around 30 per cent; white families saw a reduction from 18 per cent to just 8 per cent
• despite this, many say LBJ spent far too much on his reforms. By 1968, unemployment was rising and there was widespread rioting in poorer areas of some cities