LB Johnson (1963-1969) Flashcards

Question

Education in 1964

Answer 1

1964: J highlighted: - 54M Americans never finished high school - 8M has under 5 years schooling - 100,000 high school graduates couldnt afford college - schools rundown and short of teachers

Answer 2

- gave $8bn to support Elementary and Secondary Education act and Higher Education Act by end of presidency: - over 13M children ahd benifitted from federal aid to education - percentage high school deplomas rose - shortage of teachers had ended - new buildings had been constructed - accessibility of college education increased - 1970: 25% of college students recieved financial aid from HEA

Answer 3

- not really - despite legislation, state of ghettos didnt improve and caused discontent - 4/5ths of detroit ghettos riders arresred in 1967 had jobs paying over $120 weekly, suggesting it was housing rather than poverty causing alienation - tax payers didnt want to fund large-scale improvements - majority opposed integrated housing - 1968: J focused on ending discrimination on housing - congress rewsponded with Fair Housing Act = unsuccessful from white opposition

Answer 4

- 1976: medicare + medicaidcovered 20% population (19M 1966) - Head Start P: free nursery for 1M - 50,000 benefitted from Upward Bound Programme - poor families in US: 40M-25M from 1959-1968 - Poverty: 17%-11% from 1965-1970s - federal xpenditure on poor: $13bn-$20bn from 1963-1966

Answer 5

- accused of damaging economy with interventionist approach - accused of destroying AA families through liberal welfare + CRL - ignored 'silent majority' - promised too much and was underfunded - unpopular extension of federal gov - medicare + medicaid expensive: expected to be $12bn by 1990 but turned out to be $98bn - cost remained high for those excluded - only 1/5th - J underestimated impact of social tensions

Answer 6

- put sargent Shriver as Director of OEO with initial budget $1bn - Vietnam War killed the war on poverty, taking Js money + time - 1965-73: $15.5bn spent on GS, and $120bn on Vietnam - Vietnam caused tax inflation, making GS more unpopular - 1966: MLK said gov was spending $500,000 to kill one vietcong soldier and only $35 available for each poor American

Answer 7

- J kept much of Ks team in place e.g. Bobby K as Attorney General despite tensions - continued Ks policies e.g. tax cut + civil rights bill - helped him win the 1964 election - issued executive order on 29th Nov for renaming NASA launch centre to JFK Space Centre - was in Vietnam that Ks legacy proved fatal for J

Answer 8

- Under EIsenhower = 19% growth in GNP - Under Kenendy and Johnson = 39% growth in GNP - GNP grew $9M - Unemployment stood at 1.4% - 96% americnas believed standard of living would improve - J put through Ks tax cut proposal = stimulated economy - Infletion stayed relatively low - just under 2%, picked up slightly late 1965, left Nixon infletion problem - average growth rate for economy = 4.1% a year - big economic problems in 1968: trade deficit made up by sending gold abroad, which had decreased by 40% since 1945 - when reserves dropped to $12.4bn (lowest since 1937) the dollar was greatly weakened

Answer 9

- signs booming economy was slowing | -

Answer 10

- Kennedy had increased military advisors - Confifdent china and communist rebels in Laos and Cambodia - South Vietnam protected bu US created SEATO supported by general Minh and 17,000 American advisers - 1968: America had 535,000 troops in south V - J wanted to eradicate communist dictatorship and avoid consequences of domino theory

Answer 11

- march-august 1964 - USS Maddox moves into Gulf of Tonkin, and its is 'attacked' by North Vietnamese border patrol - Resolution: provided Johnson with a reason to take any measures necessary for Vietnam (attack them) - gained public support to excalated war

Answer 12

- Johnson increasing US involvement after election - felt torn as previous presidents had endorsed involvement with policy of containment but he had GS to fund - when bombed North V first time (1964) approval rating went 42%-72% - was adivsed to maintain an independent South V and suggested heavier bombing to maintain 'antional prestige' - Operation Rolling Thunder begins 1965

Answer 13

- 26th Nov 1963 (day after Ks funeral) - national security memorandum approved by J - directed US gov to assist people and gov of south V to win contest against communism - proved disasterous and undermined his election commitments to peace

Answer 14

- march 1964 - called for greater use of US force - included air strikes against north V

Answer 15

- authorised 13th Feburary 1965 - sustained bombing camoagin against north vietnamese - designed to destroy supplies and infrastrucutew in North V and boost morale in south - respose to a Viet Cong attack on American Camp neae Pleiku, killig 8 and wounding 100 - 8th March 1965: 3,500 marines near Da Nang ordered to shoot only if fired at - 3rd April: J sent 2 support units of 20,000 men on 'search and destroy' missions - within year since election: 175,000 troops in V, 1/4M next year - 1965-68: 864,000 tonnes of bombs dropped on North V - 67% supported action

Answer 16

- domesitc opposition grew as war dragged on - worsened with use of draft to fill demand of troops (Selective Service Training Act of 1940) - J admin promised progress was being made and it would soon be over - 1968: North V launched Tet Offensive - coordinated attack on dozens of cities - destroyed concept that NV were in disarray - attack was unexpected - took 11,000 US and SV troops 3 weeks to clear dead: - almost 4,000 Americans - almost 5,000 SV military - 14,300 civilians - 58,000 communist soldieras - american embassy in Saigon taken for 6 hours - American opposition soared as result - Johnson decided not to stand in 1968 election after this

Answer 17

- same time as Tet - second major battle in NV since Jan 1968 - turned to bloodiest battle of the war - Khe Sanh = US base since 1962 - 21st Jan 1968: genrral Giap surrounded base with 20,000 men and a 75 day seige began - J couldnt lose base so dropped 80,000 tonnes of bombs - evetually closed it down - traid to keep quiet from US public but was revealed in NV propaganda victory

Answer 18

- lack of support for johnson - Charles de Gaulle of France gave speech urging johnson to pull troops out of Southeast Asia - frnace also withrew from NATO in 1966 - out of 40 US allies few supported: - South Korea had 50,000 troops deployed in 1968 - Austrailia only 7,700 - Philippines and New Zealand les that 3,000 between them

Answer 19

- [rotests against V war in San Fransisco, Boston, Madison, and Seattle in 1964 led by students from progressive labor party and the Young Socialist Alliance - 12th May: young men in New York had a draft cad burning in protest - led to congress criminalising this act - 1965: SDS organised 'teach-in' at uni of Nichigan - 1965: norman morrison (father of 3) stood outside Robert McNamara;s office in pentagon and burnt himself to death in protest, with youngest baby daughter sat in front of him = caused international meida attention and shock - crowds chanted 'hey hey LBJ! how many kids did you kill today?' - october 1967: largest rally held in washington by protest groups, saw 70,000 activisrts, 625 arrests

Answer 20

- 1968: 100M TV sets sold in US, 24% had coloured TVs - more focus on televised events - imagery of Vietnam came out exposing the severity and brutality of the war to americans - shifted perspective and lost alot of support

Answer 21

- summer 1964 Mississippi: SNCC, CORE, and NAACP - voter registration campaign - Mississippi targeted because of its lowest black voting rate in the US - only 6.2% of adult black citizens were registered, voters - Approx. 800 volunteers from the North (many were white) participated in the campaign - campaigners established 20 Freedom Schools across Mississippi - designed to educate black citizens about Civil rights issues and black history: encourage them to register to vote - Local KKK and State Police put up resistance - Homes of 30 black people and 37 black churches were firebombed - 80 beatings, 35 shootings, and 1000+ arrests - Approx. 17,000 AA’s tried to register to vote in Mississippi - Only 1600 succeeded in registering - As a result: set up the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), which held its own Primary

Answer 22

- controversy over the Mississippi Freedom Summer and the MFDP: signaled a breakdown in the relationship between Civil Rights campaigners and President Johnson - many Civil Rights activists saw this as proof that the American political system was fundamentally racist - learnt it was therefore necessary to use more militant methods and to stop compromising with white politicians

Answer 23

- belief that AAs should defend themselves 'by any means necessary' grew popular - 1969: NOI grew 25,000-250,000 - NOI newspaper had weekly circulation of 600,000 by mid-1970s - NOI declined when Malcolm X and 2 of Muhammad's sons left - they criticized the materialism and hypocrisy of leadership - Malcolm then converted to Sunni Islam, promoting New Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organisation of African-American Unity - appeared to be coming towards a compromise position with southern civil rights groups renouncing previous criticism of them and King - assassinated February 1965 by two NOI gunmen

Answer 24

- (southern senator) had mixed record in civil rights: Before presidency: - didn't sign 1956 Southern Manifesto, but ensured Eisenhower's 1957 Civil Rights Bill was examined and diluted by a committee headed by senator for Mississippi James Eastland (Extreme racist) - opposed Truman's civil rights program - pro-states rights During presidency: - showed huge levels of commitment to pass Kennedy's Civil Rights bill - due to economic reasons (believed it made south unattractive to investors) - feared losing northern voters to republicans and desire for legislative achievment - continued to support civil rights through presidency despite violent turn in CRM after 1965

Answer 25

- faced considerable opposition in congress - longest filibuster in Senate history: 54 days - July 1964: eventually signed into law by J helped by NAACP - January 1964: 68% of Americans favored the bill - Johnson feared this would lose south vote for long time - Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina only voted for DP once since: Jimmy Carter 1976

Answer 26

- 1968: third CRA - outlawed racial discrimination in sale/rental of houses - had delivered most effective Civil Rights legislation in American history - 70% of people who visited J before his death were black - 1980: proportion of AA voters only 7% less than proportion of whites - riots encouraged j would do more for AAs after 1965 voting act - 1966 poll showed 90% opposed new Voting act

Answer 27

Congress: - 1966: rejected admin civil rights bill as polls showed 70% white voters opposed large numbers of black neighbors - J also received little support in request for legislation to help AA children suffering from rat bites in rundown ghetto accommodation Local Officials: - J had to rely on state and local authorities to carry out his programs: wouldn't always cooperate - although 1964 CRA said federal funding shouldn't be given to segregated schools, Chicago mayor Daley was valuable political ally and got his funds for segregated schools

Answer 28

- King told Bayard Rustin now the movement need to focus on economic opportunity to allow black people to afford to eat in the restaurants they fought to be allowed in - King Chose Chicago to campaign: second-largest city, pop of 3M (700,000 were black) - Mayor Richard Daley (racist) close ally of Johnson = lack of political support, poor planning, saw a succession of failures Highlighted: - only 32% of ghetto pupils finished high school compared to the 56% white children - early 1960s: 46% unemployed Americans were solely black - some ghettos including chicago's, had 50-70% black youth unemployment

Answer 29

- king moved his family to ghetto apartment to prevent media attention - July 1966 rally only gathered 30,000 supporters instead of hoped for 100,000 - Daley met with King frequently: unproductine, blamed king - caused $2 million in damages and many arrests - march through white working class (Cicero) saw violent opposition - King left chicago after being hit by rock and deputy Jesse Jackson took over a more limited campaign of economic boycotts: operation breadbasket - co clear plan of action - kings tactics didnt focus on real concerns of AAs e.g. police brutality, lack of skilled jobs and the poor ghetto conditions - J made $4m pf fed funds but this was insufficicent

Answer 30

- 1965-1968 summers - ghettos saw alot of violence, looting and arson - began in Watts, LA: 3,500 arrests, 34 deaths, $40M damage - almost every large city outside south had a race riot - 1967: police prubality against black taxi driver sparked 6 days of riots = 26 died, 1,500 injured - Detroit followed: 40 died, 2,000 injuries, 5,000 arrests, 5,000 made homeless

Answer 31

- disturbances in over 200 cities until 1972 - 250 deaths, 10,000 serious injuries, 60,000 arrests poverty was largest cause: - 30% blacks below poverty line - 50% lived in substandard housing - percentage of poor AAs increased 28% - 31% Assassination of MLK also provoked major riots - 100 cities - 46 dead, 3,000 injured, 27,000 arrested - 21,000 federal troops - 34,000 national guardsmen - $45 M damage of property

Answer 32

- J commsissioned Otto Kerner, Governor of Illinois to investigate riots - 1968:Kerner commissions report: 'our nation is moving forward to two societies, one black, one white - seperate and unequal' - commission established 12 reasons for rioting gathered from interviews - riots angered johnson = felt he had done more than any other president to help AAs - exposure in the media nationally and internationally challenged progress many felt US had been making - undermined idea of the American Dream

Answer 33

- June 1966 - James Meredith, first black student to attend Uni of Mississippi, embarked on 220-mile walk from memphis jackson, Mississippi - shot on the 2nd day but leaders vowed to continue - 400 marchers by third day - King led SCLC group - NAACP no longer wanted to support the SCLC or SNCC and seemed that leadership of CRM was passing to advocates of black power - increased militancy of SNCC alarmed king = feared it would alienate white moderate support and J

Answer 34

- even more poorly planned than in chicago the previous year - MLK proposed occupation of washington by poor people of all colours - April 4th 1968: before campaign was underway King was assassinated in Memphis `Tennessee by James Earl Ray

Answer 35

- many ghetto residnets felt organisations e.g. NAACP and SCLC knew little about ghetto life and were unhelpful / ineffective - many turned to new radical leaders e.g. malcolm X and Stokely Carmicheal (new SNCC keader elected in 1966) - CORE elected more radical leader James McKissick, replaced James Farmer 1966 - both organisations excluded white members

Answer 36

- Elijah Muhammad: black power meant black supremacy / revolution - for others it meant a new black pride - Huey Newton and Bobby Seale (black panther founders) in Oakland used aggressive rhetoric - staged madia stunts - - never boasted more than 5000 members - respected in ghettos: set up ghetto clinics to advise on health, welfare, legal rights and self help - helped children and young people: 1970 southern carolina chapter of the free breakfast programme served over 1,700 meals weekly to the ghetto poor - carried weapons, sought confrontation, petty crime, advocated violence against police - manifesto sought: - federal compensation to black americans for slavery - black juries for black trials - black exemption from military service - no police brutality - ghetto improvements - never boasted more than 5000 members - respected in ghettos - 1970 poll revealed 64% black americans took pride in the black panthers

Answer 37

- December 1964: University of California at Berkeley = student radicalism first gained national attention - leader of protests: Mario Savio (participated in SNCCs black voter register campaign) - wanted to raise money for SNCC byt Uni authorities didnt allow fundraising and political activity on campus = prompted thousands of Berkeley students to protest - occupied the admin building until the police ejected them and made 800 arrests - 'you cant trust anyone over 30' slogan - students gained support from teaching staff and uni allowed political discussion on campus - triggered nationweide student protest

Answer 38

- big influence on new sense of disenchantment - increase of music from beatles and bob dylan - art from Andy Warhol, Allan Ginsberg (flower power) - concept of 'free love' all the talk - Alfred Kinsey report: not as sexually conservative as many believed - Playboy circulation of 7 million in early 1970s suggested some of the older generation subscribed - playboy first published in 1953

Answer 39

- election of K stimulated youth interest in politics - left leaning groups (SDS) began to gather support but many were occupied with civil rights - 1963: malcolm X second most sought-after speaker on US college campuses after republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater - students not always liberal and protested as a result of Ks new frontier, vietnam and CRM - just 12% of students identified themselves as part of the 'New Left' movement in 1970 - in half of 1968 alone there were 221 major demonstrations at Uni such as stanford, Yale, Harvard, UC Berkeley - lacked dominant issue / focus - surrounded civil rights, enviromental issues, vietnam - asome protest directed inwards critisising their own universities: teaching methods, lack of black studied programmes, unis (Harvard) buying up land and evicting poorer residents

Answer 40

- hippies rejected American society's emphesis on individualism and materiamism for communal living and harmony - attended happenings and 100,000 visited