President Johnson and the Great Society

Question 1

Initial Set-Up/Context

Answer 1

November 1963, Johnson took office after JFK’s assassination. Won 1964 election- 61.1% of pop. vote against Rep. Barry Goldwater ‘dangerous extremist’
Wanted a ‘war on poverty’, and to continue Kennedy’s programmes, increase focus on aiding the poor and civil rights, but still improve the economy.

Question 2

War On Poverty- Why?

Answer 2

Top 20% owned 77% of the nation’s wealth, bottom 20% owned 0.05%.
Top 10% earned 28x as much as the bottom 10%
43% of black families classified as poor (annual income less than $300)
Only 1% of black Americans owned businesses
1962, 20-25% of Americans had barely enough money for food and accommodation.

Question 3

War On Poverty- Aims

Answer 3

1. To redistribute society’s wealth more evenly
2. To give more to the poor
3. To give the individual poor a better chance to overcome poverty
   Particular emphasis on point 3- cheaper+American ideals of self-help

Question 4

Policy Area 1- Poverty and Unemployment (Initial Set-Up)

Answer 4

Most important element of the Great Society, Jan ‘64- ‘unconditional war on poverty’
Social welfare experts predicted a $2bn national budget needed
Passed the Economic Opportunity Act (1964), established an Office of Economic Opportunity.

Question 4

Policy Area 1- Poverty and Unemployment (Office of Economic Opportunity)

Answer 4

Oversaw following by Feb 1965:
44 states had antipoverty programmes
53 Job Corps centres to provide job training
25,000 families on welfare receiving work training

Question 5

Policy Area 1- Poverty and Unemployment (Education)

Answer 5

Head Start programme- poor preschool children catch up, 1 million children enrolled
Upward Bound initiative- Linked higher education institutions with disadvantaged students, 50,000 accessed each year.

Question 6

Policy Area 1- Poverty and Unemployment (Criticisms)

Answer 6

Johnson claimed poverty was falling + he had inc. federal spending from $13bn to $20bn
Critics suggested spending was excessive, Liberals said it was insufficient. Congress+taxpayers wouldn’t agree to more.
One third of families below the poverty line, infant mortality and unemployment for non-white families twice white families.

Question 7

Policy Area 1- Poverty and Unemployment (Overall Analysis)

Answer 7

Johnson’s poverty programmes improved lives of lower income Americans- tailored towards young families, the illiterate, and unemployed. Enabled disadvantaged Americans to break the cycle to an extent, but insufficient funding to dramatically transform poverty, programmes should be judged long-term.

Question 8

Policy Area 2- Civil Rights Legislation (Civil Rights Act)

Answer 8

Civil Rights Bill proposed by Kennedy, blocked by Congress
Johnson passed it. Banned segregation in public places, restaurants and stores.
Fair Employment Practices Commission set up permanently, banned racial, sexual, and religious discrimination in work.

Question 9

Policy Area 2- Civil Rights Legislation (Civil Rights Act- Enforcement)

Answer 9

Gave Attorney General power to file lawsuits to speed up desegregation, mixed education and voting rights.
Power to withhold federal funding from states.
Voting rights not protected, de facto discrimination remained.
Not totally enforced, 68% of Southern black school children attended segregated schools in 1968.

Question 10

Policy Area 2- Civil Rights Legislation (Voting Rights Act)

Answer 10

Followed campaigning and backlash- Selma+Mississippi Freedom Summer.campaigns
Made illegal need to demonstrate educational achievement, knowledge of a subject, ability to interpret material, or to prove moral character.
1968- 59% of black population in Mississippi registered.
6x number of black Americans in office 1965-69, 2x 1969-80.
But differed state to state, Virginia 44% before, 43% after.

Question 11

Policy Area 2- Civil Rights Legislation (‘open housing law’/Fair Housing Act, 1968)

Answer 11

Many black Americans (esp. North) lived in slums in de facto segregation. Integrated housing opposed by pro segregationists (South), racist attitudes + concern for profits.
Fair Housing Act passed- de jure change, outlawed discrimination in rented housing.
Damaged Johnson’s popularity with electorate + in Congress and was difficult to enforce.

Question 12

Policy Area 2- Civil Rights Legislation (Overall Analysis)

Answer 12

Legal success (de jure) but not in actuality (de facto), piecemeal support for American citizens.
The Civil Rights Bill was extremely significant- first substantial civil rights legislation in 100 years.
Resistance in the South remained and discrimination still prevalent.

Question 13

Policy Area 3- Health (Medicare and Medicaid)

Answer 13

Elderly a large proportion of the poor, healthcare a major cause.
Medicare provided health insurance for over 65s + those with disabilities, regardless of income. 1966, 19 million Americans enrolled.
Medicaid gave financial assistance to states to provide healthcare.

Question 14

Policy Area 3- Health (Criticisms)

Answer 14

Johnson said it was a ‘healthcare revolution’ but:
Gaps in coverage, more expensive than anticipated.
Allowed doctors + hospitals to set fees- reached $144 billion by 1993. In 1965, 5% of GNP spent on healthcare, over 15% by 1990

Question 15

Policy Area 3- Health (Overall Analysis)

Answer 15

Improved access to healthcare, was piecemeal to an extent.
More expensive than predicted
Showed Johnson’s diplomatic skill- succeeded where Kennedy failed.
Long term- Provided security for the elderly but drained national finances.

Question 16

Policy Area 4- Education (Context)

Answer 16

54 million Americans never finished high school, 100,000 high school graduates couldn’t afford college.
Severe overcrowding in schools, shortage of teachers.
Johnson persuaded Congress to double expenditure on education to $8bn

Question 17

Policy Area 4- Education (Elementary and Secondary Education Act)

Answer 17

1965, Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Federal funding for education to invest in teacher training + provision of resources. Aimed to improve equal access and shorten achievement gaps, over 6.7 million children benefited.

Question 18

Policy Area 4- Education (Higher Education Act)

Answer 18

1965, Higher Education Act
11 million poor students benefited from $650 million in investment.
1970, 25% of college students received financial aid from HEA, number of students rose from 15% of 18-22 year olds to 52% by 1990.

Question 19

Policy Area 4- Education (Overall Analysis)

Answer 19

Enabled individuals to pull themselves out of poverty through educational opportunity
Effective persuasion of Congress- increased funding, more opportunities, better educated population.
Backed up ‘Great Society’ aims of improving education, unprecedented level of investment.

Question 20

Policy Area 5- Housing (Omnibus Housing Act)

Answer 20

1965, Omnibus Housing Act aimed to finance rent supplements and $8bn of low and moderate income housing in ghettos.
Construction began but taxpayers were critical, Johnson forced to focus on discrimination in housing instead- divisive issue.

Question 20

Policy Area 5- Housing (Model Cities)

Answer 20

Proposed that Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, and Washington DC should become ‘model cities’
Passed Demonstration and Model Cities Act (1966), but only $1.2bn dedicated, Johnson estimated $2.4bn, NYT said $6bn needed for New York alone.
Senator Robert Kennedy- ‘drop in the bucket’

Question 20

Policy Area 5- Housing (Context)

Answer 20

Johnson aimed to end urban decay- established Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1965
Over 2/3 of Americans lived in urban areas.

Question 21

Policy Area 5- Housing (Overall Analysis)

Answer 21

Faced opposition from Congress + the public, insufficient funding, lack of de facto change.
Housing was divisive, damaging Johnson’s popularity, still a lack of federal investment.
Ambitious promises and unrealistic projects offered piecemeal support.

Question 22

Conclusion (Vietnam War)

Answer 22

Johnson torn between Great Society and Vietnam War, divided time, attention, presidential agenda, and budget.
Jan 1966 State of the Union address, he said America could afford both.
Tax rises, welfare reforms unpopular, seen as costly.
1965-73, $15.5bn spent on Great Society, $120bn spent on Vietnam

Question 23

Conclusion (Political Views)

Answer 23

Achievements often seen as divisive.
Increased role + expenditure of the federal government in education and welfare- pleased liberals, angered conservatives.
For many poor, elderly, sick, unemployed, and disadvantaged, Johnson made a difference
Many of his policies were bold and unrealistic to deliver.