...LYNDON B. JOHNSON HIS223: Major Issues in U.S. History INTRODUCTION Lyndon B. Johnson, most commonly known as LBJ, was an American Vice President and President who served in the White House from 1960 – 1969. In 1963, Vice President Johnson was abruptly sworn in as President of the United States after the unexpected assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. President Johnson would go on to serve not only the remainder of this term, but he would be selected by the people of the nation to serve one more term as nominated and elected president. Strongly backed by the Democratic Party, President Johnson soared and dominated domestic politics while he struggled to navigate foreign affairs. Throughout his time as President of the United States, President Johnson gained much praise as a domineering leader; however, he also faced much criticism over his failure to bring a successful end to the Vietnam War. Throughout his years in the White House, President Johnson developed many insurance and education programs (among others) that have greatly affected Americans over the past 40 years. Many of these programs are still in use today and have become a part of the American way of life. His dream of a “Great Society” and “War on Poverty” helped millions of Americans rise above horrendous poverty and racial discrimination of their day. President Johnson was forced to face the up and coming counterculture that occurred...
Words: 2668 - Pages: 11
...sworn into office. Lyndon B. Johnson is one of nine vice presidents to become a president because of death. Johnson is remembered as the president who stopped segregation with Martin Luther King Junior. Due to this fight for equal rights, Lyndon B. Johnson has left an undeniable impact on the citizens of the United States. Lyndon B. Johnson was born on August 27, 1908, in central Texas. Johnson was the son to Sam Ealy Johnson and Rebekah Baines. Throughout his life, Johnson felt the pinch of poverty. Sam lost the family farm on and off so they didn’t have much money. On November 17, 1934, Johnson married Claudia “Lady Bird” Alta Taylor. Together they had two daughters: Lynda Bird Johnson and Luci...
Words: 865 - Pages: 4
...Principles or Politics of Lyndon B. Johnson? Lyndon B. Johnson born on a farm near Stonewall in Texas, was an American Politician. He served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Before his Presidency Johnson was Vice President to John F. Kennedy in 1960. There they both fought for Civil Rights and equality for all the nation. Many people believed that LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 just to be re-elected. I disagree with those allegations and believe that Johnson signed it for reason of principle rather than politics. LBJ was known for his intelligence and energy since a young boy. At the age of 20 he began teaching fifth, sixth and seventh grade students. These were not just average...
Words: 380 - Pages: 2
...Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency was extremely active! In addition to pursuing the Vietnam war, President Johnson pressed on with an expansive slate of programs labeled as the great society that included three landmark civil rights bills and medicare. But Vietnam's impact damaged Johnson’s political base severely and he declined to run in the 1968 United States presidential election. In the presidential campaign of 1960 , President Johnson was elected Vice President under President John F. Kennedy. Johnson ran as Kennedy’s running mate in the campaign. When President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson was then sworn in as the 36th president of the United States of America. President Johnson’s vision was to build...
Words: 759 - Pages: 4
...citizens. Lyndon B. Johnson, although his original intention was the good of his nation, became involved in a bloody battle that upset the nation who in turn voiced their hostility which further sparked a call for improvements in civil rights. President Lyndon B. Johnson entered office after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Although Johnson was viewed as no match to Kennedy, his energy surprised all. Upon his entrance to the White House, Johnson planned to complete Kennedy’s unfinished programs and introduce many of his own ideologies. Many of his programs were in direct effect of the Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, however, he greatly...
Words: 903 - Pages: 4
...The speech “Remarks upon Signing the Civil Rights Bill” presented by Lyndon B. Johnson was broadcasted over national television and radio on July 2nd, 1964. This bill had been imposed a year prior to the delivery of the speech by John F. Kennedy. Because of his assassination, the bill was never completed. When Lyndon B. Johnson took the role as the new President of the United States, completing and publishing this bill became a grand priority. In his eyes, this bill would, “Let us close the springs of racial poison and let us lay aside our irrelevent differences and make our Nation a whole.” One of this main messages portrayed throughout his speech is that there should be a unification of all American citizens. Johnson. Being strongly advocated on the fight for civil rights, the denial of equal treatment was not going to go on for any longer in the United States for any longer on his terms....
Words: 459 - Pages: 2
...Lyndon Baines Johnson the thirty sixth president of the United States of America. Known for signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. L.B.J knew that colored people weren’t being treated like everyone else. L.BJ. saw how people of different races were lacking basic civil rights. In all honesty, why did L.B.J. sign the civil rights act of 1964. Was Lyndon Baines Johnson doing it all for himself or was he doing it for the people of the United States. Lyndon Baines Johnson passed this act because of principle. He was willing to lose everything to help these people. He knew it was the right thing to do. What inspired him to so it was probably what he experienced in his lifetime. Such as his teaching career in Cotulla, Texas, willing to lose the election, and free from the southern segregation policies. First of all Lyndon Baines Johnson was a teacher at Welhausen Elementary School in Cotulla Texas (Johnson 411). Lyndon Baines Johnson saw that Mexican Americans weren’t being accepted into society because of their race. L.B.J saw what how his students were going through the “pain of...
Words: 697 - Pages: 3
...believe that it wasn’t a single person. With all the conspiracy theories about Mr. Kennedy’s murderer, I believe it would be okay to rule out the ones about someone poisoning a salad, or sandwich and giving it to him because that’s obviously not what happened on the day of his assassination. I mean, it could have happened earlier, not saying that anything is possible, but there’s no reliable source that we can look back to. Plus, his face didn’t explode from a chemical reaction or poison… It was more of a bullet to the face approach. But sandwich and salads aside, one of the conspiracy theories that do capture my attention with convincing evidence is the fact that the ones truly responsible for his assassination were the Mob and Lyndon B. Johnson. The single shot theory that was apparently ruled as the cause of President Kennedy’s death seems like the cover up for what really was going on. On the day of the assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and was “allegedly” booked and printed at the Dallas police station. In a later interview filmed in the 1990s, an officer whom had been...
Words: 848 - Pages: 4
...Paper Blood, Money, and Power: How LBJ killed JFK, is an interesting non-fiction novel written by Barr McClellan. Barr McClellan was a lawyer who worked in President LBJ’s administration as an attorney clerk for National Labor Relations Board, and later on as a Commissioner lawyer of the Federal Power Commission. The novel uncovers the secret of a conspiracy that led to the death of President John F. Kennedy (JFK) and the progression of Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) as the President. In his novel, through his qualifications and use of evidence from the warren commission, court papers, and documents, Barr McClellan uses corruption, fraud, and assassination as the main themes that disclose the murder plot of President JFK. The author of the book provides clear evidence and details that connect several people especially LBJ to the assassination of JFK, and further enlighten people on the JFK’s murder case. Barr McClellan started working as a licensed lawyer after finishing his studies, whereby he started working for Lyndon B. Johnson. He first worked with the United States Labor Relations and later moved to the United States Federal Power Commission department. In 1966, Barr McClellan joined the Texas law firm of Clark, Thomas, and winters, where he worked for about eight years and resigned. McClellan resigned after discovering the illegal activities that the firm was engaged in, such as helping criminals out of trouble and planning crimes. He also discovered that one of his...
Words: 1243 - Pages: 5
...Contemporary International Problems 300 January 29, 2015 “A View From The Outside Looking In” Lyndon B. Johnson was elected the 37th Vice President of the United States in 1960 and became president on November 22, 1963 aboard Air Force One following the assassination of then-President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was said to have added Johnson to his ticket to ensure Southern votes, and that may have been the thought, but in reality the right man inherited this great undertaking. During his initial administrative tenure under President Kennedy, Vice President Johnson endorsed the Kennedy doctrine of Vietnam. Oversaw the equal opportunity programs for minorities, and headed the space programs; all while spearheading the negotiations of the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963 with the Soviet Union which became the first arms control agreement (Peters and Woolley, 1999-2015, & Bio,2015). With most doctrines, they are started by one president and finished by his successor and Johnson did what was expected. What wasn't expected was the fury in which he led each endeavor. On January 20, 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson began his first term as the elected President of the United States; holding true to his oath, he picked up where Kennedy left off. Moreover, he put out some doctrines of his own; the passage of the Medicaid and Medicare acts, and voting rights for minorities. In 1965, Johnson pushed a legislative agenda known as the "Great Society," which became the most ambitious and influential...
Words: 987 - Pages: 4
...Lyndon B. Johnson came into office as a former vice president to the president, John F. Kennedy, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Following Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration, this new president created the “Great Society”; characterized as an era of programs aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice, something the United States had been struggling with for some time. This Great Society was only “part of his legacy” though, and led to an increased dependency on government assistance. Although Johnson created the Great Society, the Vietnam War was an “elephant” to his presidency, leading me to remember Lyndon B. Johnson as a dishonest and bad president. The Vietnam War was a major part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s...
Words: 387 - Pages: 2
...The Kennedy Assassination- 24 Hours After: Lyndon B. Jonson’s Pivotal First Day as President. By Steven M. Gillon. (New York, N.Y.: Basic Books, 2009.) In 1963, a tragic event created confusion and vulnerability throughout the United States of America. John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while traveling during a political trip in Dallas, Texas. The book, The Kennedy Assassination- 24 Hours After, written by historian Steven M. Gillon, successfully outlines this view. Gillon recounts the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and reveals compelling evidence regarding the events that took place during Lyndon B. Johnson’s first day in office that would shape his presidency. Throughout the book, Gillon provides insight towards Johnson’s demeanor concerning the chaos and disputes that surrounded the rapid transition of presidential power. While riding in a motorcade through...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...huge effect on how people in society look at life now and how we as African Americans are being treated. Civil rights were a way to desegregate everyone from race to sex. Equality was a characteristic that pleaded its case for years and years. People can now realize that we once didn’t have the same privileges we have today. For example, Blacks couldn’t use the same facilities as white people or even attend to the same school as team. Not only were the blacks striving for freedom but they also strived for justice. Everyone didn’t have the honor to be an influence and make history but many other people did. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the historical individuals that left memories on this earth. After reviewing his and Former president Lyndon Johnson’s speeches, I have made many inferences that can not only do good to society today but as well as society from back in the day. In Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered in 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, on August 28th in Washington D.C. As if Martin was writing a paper, he started his announcement with an attention grabber saying, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” He expressed the feelings he had towards the African American race not being treated fairly. As a Civil rights activist he put in effort to not only gain equality but to change minds. He encouraged whites to consider giving blacks a chance to be...
Words: 1342 - Pages: 6
...man, woman, and child is endowed with equal rights and it is a crazy notion to suggest otherwise. However in the spring of 1964 not every man was considered equal, especially in the south. However, at the same time, a movement was building to codify equal rights spearheaded by Lyndon B. Johnson. Of course there were so many individuals and factors involved in the passage of the bill, however, in this paper I will focus mainly on LBJ and his contribution to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although the initial bill was brought before Congress during JFK’s presidency, his assassination led to Johnson successfully shepherding the bill to passage. Johnson’s success can be attributed to his headstrong endurance, long time relationships with members of Congress, and the policy window due to the death of President Kennedy that finally got the legislation passed. In order to fully examine and give context to Johnson’s struggle for passage of this important bill, this paper will also touch upon who LBJ was before his presidency and what the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did for him, his perception, and his presidency. Lyndon Baines Johnson really got his start in government when he entered the Senate in 1949. Johnson had been a Representative to Texas’ 10th district; his win was due to the death of James P. Buchanan which created an open seat, prior to winning his Senate seat. His real drive and passion for politics showed in the amount of time and effort LBJ put into his work. Like most Americans...
Words: 3580 - Pages: 15
...Lyndon Johnson The Civil Rights bill was brought before Congress in 1963 and in a speech on television on 11th June, Kennedy pointed o/ut that: "The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the nation in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing high school as a white baby born in the same place on the same day; one third as much chance of completing college; one third as much chance of becoming a professional man; twice as much chance of becoming unemployed; about one-seventh as much chance of earning $10,000 a year; a life expectancy which is seven years shorter; and the prospects of earning only half as much." Kennedy's Civil Rights bill was still being debated by Congress when he was assassinated in November, 1963. The new president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, who had a poor record on civil rights issues, took up the cause. His main opponent was his long-time friend and mentor, Richard B. Russell, who told the Senate: "We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states." Russell organized 18 Southern Democratic senators in filibustering this bill. Johnson became President of the USA, in November 1963 after the assassination of Kennedy. It was then that Lyndon Johnson announced his vision of a "Great Society" for America, with "an end to poverty and racial injustice". In his first address...
Words: 589 - Pages: 3
