The LBJ Influence
The Great Society and Civil Rights
Even though urban renewal most often affects the physical infrastructures of cities, oftentimes building new homes will not retard decades of decline. Nor will new homes correct the mindsets of generations of inner city residents who believe sports and entertainment to be their only way out of poverty, joblessness, and hopelessness. Lyndon Johnson’s unexpected ascension to the White House following the assassination of John Kennedy brought about the opportunity to establish a social agenda that would focus on the needs of the poor regardless of race or ethnicity.
Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society
Lyndon Johnson’s presidency was arguably the most difficult ever experienced by any American president. It began with the sudden and unexpected assassination of a popular president, endured years of urban riots, war protests on college campuses from California to New York, and ended with the escalation of the Vietnam War. Still, in five short years Johnson’s imprint on American society survived long after he refused his party’s nomination for the 1968 presidential election. Johnson’s Great Society initiative brought the national spotlight on the plight of the poor in this country. Even though in the mid 1960s 78 percent of those living in poverty were white, the legislative initiatives of the Great Society have historically been associated with inner city minorities, especially blacks.
Johnson first introduced the “Great Society” in a 1964 speech on the campus of the University of Michigan. In his 1965 State of the Union address Johnson formally defined the Great Society as a federally directed domestic programs designed to improve the quality of life for all Americans. Even before becoming President, Johnson had already established himself as a powerful politician in the legislature, and it was his influence over the 89th Congress that produced the most significant urban legislation in this country’s history.
Under his guidance, the 89th Congress passed legislations that ended discrimination and fought poverty, provided medical care for the elderly, increased the availability of education, and made clean air and water a national priority. Furthermore, LBJ’s three major civil rights initiatives (the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Open Housing Act of 1968) changed the very essence of race relations in this country and ended Jim Crow segregation and discrimination against minorities and assured all citizens their constitutional right to vote.
Conclusion
Ideologically, the Great Society was a descendant of the New Deal. Unfortunately, the Vietnam War greatly limited the Great Society from reaching its full potential. While there are no guarantees that LBJ would have won reelection in 1968, the continuation of his presidency would have certainly given his social programs a better foothold in our society. However, the election of Richard Nixon led to withdrawal of Great Society programs as the Silent Majority ushered in the neoconservative movement and believed the ills of society could be addressed by hard work and desire, not government handouts.
References
Berstein, Irving. Guns or Butter: the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Dallek, Robert. Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961-1973. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
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