Pages 50-51 of USA A5 booklet (Great Society) Not Complete Flashcards
What did President Kennedy announce in 1960?
A new direction for American politics and said that the USA stood “on the edge of a new frontier”.
He wanted to improve the lives of ordinary Americans whose lives may not have benefited from the post-war boom.
What were the 5 reforms that Kennedy made that passed through Congress?
- Extension of unemployment benefit
- Aid to poor cities to improve housing and public transport.
- Increase in social security benefit (e.g. family allowance).
- Aid to economically distressed areas.
- Expansion of rural electrification to provide help to farmers.
When was Kennedy assassinated and who was his successor?
1963 and LBJ.
What did Johnson continue and what did he call it?
Johnson continued Kennedy’s policies, which he called his “great society”.
What 4 things did LBJ also want to tackle?
- Unemployment
- Bad housing
- Inadequate medical care
- Civil Rights
Which 3 laws did he have approved by Congress?
- The Economic Opportunity Act 1964
- Medicare and Medicaid 1965
- The Development Act 1964.
What did the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 do?
Provided training to disadvantaged youths aged 16-21 and recruited volunteers to work and teach in low income, slum areas.
What did Medicare and Medicaid law of 1965 do?
This provided medical insurance for the over 65s and hospital care for the poor ( many Americans, who could afford it, had private medical insurance)
What did the Development Act of 1964 do?
Money was provided for replacing inner city slums with new homes.
What did Johnson also pass laws to do?
- Improve the safety of cars
- Clean up water supplies
- Improve the air quality in towns and cities.
What opposition was there to all of LBJ’s reforms?
Many Republicans hated them because of the limitations they placed (as they saw it) on people’s freedoms.
Which group didn’t benefit from the new laws introduced by LBJ?
Despite Johnson’s changes, many black Americans still lived in poor quality housing.
What made a lot of Johnson’s good work with the Great Society drown out?
A lot was drowned out by the terrible publicity around the Vietnam War and the steadily increasing death toll.
What did LBJ do in 1968?
He decided not to stand for re-election in 1968. ( avery rare thing for an incumbent president to do).
What is LBJ remembered as?
As a president who stepped up the Vietnam War, rather than the president who tried to improve the lives of American people.
What did Kennedy’s Housing Act do?
Spent $5 billion on improving houses in cities, often where some of the poorest people lived.
How much did Johnson spend on primary and secondary education?
He spent $1.5 billion on primary and secondary education, something which had been ignored since the 1940s.
Why did hospitals put the cost of many medical procedures up?
Because they knew that Medicare would pay for anyone over 65%.
What % of people lived in poverty?
14% of people lived in poverty and this did not decrease until the 1960s.
How much money was set aside in 1966 to improve the housing and quality of life for those living in the Appalachian Mountains.
$1.1 billion
How many new houses were built in 1965?
240,000
How much was spent on improving houses in cities in 1965?
$2.9 billion
In the 1960s, why did people not have much disposable money?
High taxes to pay for the Great Society and the Vietnam War.
Which 2 acts set minimum standards for safety in cars and roads?
The Highway Safety Act and the Traffic Safety Act
Which Act provided money for college students?
The Higher Education Act
What did each state have to decide about with Medicare?
Each state had to decide whether to hand out payments to cover medical bills.
Although most of the ideas for the Great Society were good ones, what happened to some of the money that was supposed to fund it?
There was much wastage and some money just ‘disappeared’ or wasn’t spent on helping the most vulnerable. Since state officials were often white and middle class, they spent money on people like themselves.
What was introduced in 1966 to help poor people pay their rent?
Rent supplements.
Who did LBJ hire to help him with housing developments?
Robert c. Weaver
What was important about Robert C. Weaver?
He was the first black American to be a member of the President’s cabinet (close advisors).
