JOHNSON
1963
AFTER THE ASSASSINATION OF KENNEDY
- after the assassination of President Kennedy, vice president Lyndon B. Johnson took his place
- fought for the Civil Rights Bill
- Civil Rights Act of 1964, banned racial discrimination in most private facilities open to the public, including theaters, hospitals, and restaurants
- strengthen the federal government's power and to end segregation in schools and public places
- created the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to eliminate discrimination in hiring
ELECTION OF 1964
- Johnson was nominated by the Democrats on a very liberal platform
- Barry Goldwater was nominated by the Republicans
- Johnson won
- 43,129,566 popular votes against 27,178,188
- 486 electoral college votes against 52
"THE GREAT SOCIETY"
- the "Great Society" was an economic and welfare measures aimed at transforming the American way of life
- Congress increased the budget of the Office of Economic Opportunity to fight poverty
- created the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to which he appointed the first black cabinet secretary, Robert C. Weaver
- The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 doubled the number of immigrants allowed the enter every year
- the Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed literacy tests and sent federal voter registrars into several southern states
MEDICARE AND MEDICAID
- this new program aided the older Americans who had no health insurance and also the poor
24TH AMENDMENT
- the 24th Amendment abolished the poll tax in federal elections
TONKIN GULF
- Johnson order an retaliation on Tonkin Gulf after North Vietnam attacked
- The Tonkin Gulf Resolution gave the lawmakers virtually abdicated their war-declaring powers and handed the president the power to attack Southeast Asia
VIETNAM
- Viet Cong guerrillas attacked an American base in South Vietnam
- Johnson order "Operation Rolling Thunder" to attack against North Vietnam
- $30 billion were being spent on the military with no end in sight
- but Vietnam was destroying itself
- anti-war groups started protesting in Vietnam
VIETNAM WAR
- Viet Cong suddenly attacked south Vietnam
- the American public wanted the war to end
- American military leaders responded with a plan of 200,000 American troops
ELECTION OF 1968
- Democrats nominated Eugene McCarthy
- campaign antiwar
- Johnson responded with a promise of bringing back troops; (North Vietnam were now willing to negotiate)
- Senator McCarthy's vice president, Robert Kennedy, was assassinated by a pro-Israel view man
- The democratic party split, and in result Richard Nixon won the election