Jonhson as President (1963-1968) Flashcards
What were some of Johnson’s traits?
- He was nicknamed ‘landslide Lyndon’ for a major win against his Republican opponent
- He was the second tallest president after Lincoln
- He used ‘the Johnson treatment’
- He didn’t need to use Executive Orders as much as JFK
What was the Johnson treatment?
LBJ’s intense and personal persuasion method to achieve his political goals. He’d extremely up close to people and sometimes give briefings on the toilet
What was Johnson’s domestic policy called?
The ‘Great Society’ (the policies were often a continuation of Kennedy’s ‘New Frontier’)
What did Johnson aim to achieve with his Great Society programmes?
He announced in his January 1964 State of the Union address that there was an ‘unconditional war on poverty in America’ which he intended to sort out
What ‘Great Society’ programmes did Johnson pass in 1964?
- Economic Opportunity Act (created the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to administer the ‘War on Poverty’
- Urban Mass Transportation Act
- Housing Act
- CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
- Wilderness Protection Act
What ‘Great Society’ programmes did Johnson pass in 1965?
- Medical Care Act (Medicare and Medicaid for the elderly)
- Elementary and Secondary Education Act (aid to poorer children)
- VOTING RIGHTS ACT
- Air and Water Quality Act
- Minimum Wage Act
- Higher Education Act
What ‘Great Society’ programmes did Johnson pass in 1967?
- Public Broadcasting Act (established National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
What ‘Great Society’ programmes did Johnson pass in 1966?
- Redevelopment Act
- Highway Safety Act
Who was Johnson’s Republican Opponent in the 1964 elections?
Barry Goldwater
What was the result of the 1964 elections?
- Johnson won a landslide victory with 61% of the popular vote, the highest figure in the 20th century, as Goldwater seemed to be campaigning against Kennedy’s legacy
- This earned LBJ the nickname ‘landslide Lyndon’
How did Vietnam affect the ‘Great Society’ programmes?
- Sargent Shriver, Director of the OEO, said the Vietnam War killed the War on Poverty
- Between 1965 and 1973, $15.5bn was spent on the GS while $120bn was spent on Vietnam
What were some successes of the ‘Great Society’?
- By 1976, Medicare and Medicaid were providing 20% of the population with healthcare
- The Civil Rights legislation was the most important since the Civil War
- In 1968, there was an estimated 25 million poor families in America compared to 40 million in 1959
What was the impact of JFK’s presidency on Johnson’s legacy?
- He kept the bulk of Kennedy’s team and went forward with a lot of his ‘New Frontier’ policies with his ‘Great Society’
- His honouring of Kennedy’s legacy (renamed NASA’s launch centre in Florida as the John F Kennedy space camp and had Earl Warren head a Commission into the assassination of Kennedy) made it easier for him to pass legislation
How did Johnson get involved in the economy?
- He made sure every light in the White House was turned off at night, giving him the nickname ‘Light-Bulb Johnson’
- He pushed through JFK’s tax cut proposal which stimulated the economy and gave him $4-5bn extra revenues in his first two years
- GDP grew by $9bn and unemployment stayed at 1.4%
- Average growth rate was 4.1% per year
Why might LBJ be accused of economic irresponsibility?
- Inflation was at 4.7 and rising in the later years of his presidency
- His spending on Vietnam
