Johnson Presidency
1963 to 1969
How He Became President:
Nickname ---> “Landslide Lyndon” (won Senate seat in 1948 with a vote margin of 87)
Promoted to Democratic Majority Leader in 1954
Ran as Kennedy’s running mate in 1960
Sworn into the Presidential spot in 1963 after Kennedy’s assassination
- Election of 1964---> won presidency with over 15 million votes and 61% of the overall vote (ran against Barry Goldwater who was republican)
The Great Society
Great Society--->Named after one of the influential speeches he gave during his presidency
Series of new acts of legislation put in place by congress
Influenced Congress to create the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Put in place the nation’s first African American cabinet secretary (Robert C. Weaver)
Created National Endowments to support the Humanities and the Arts
- 4 Big Legislative Achievements: immigration reform, education aid, new voting rights bill, and medical care for the indigent and elderly
24th Amendment
24th Amendment---> prevented the State or Congress from influencing the right to vote in federal elections over any type of tax (especially poll tax)
Vietnam War & Tonkin Gulf Resolution
- U.S. air base was attacked by Viet Cong using guerilla warfare----> Johnson responded by bombing North Vietnam (Operation Rolling Thunder)
- Tet Offensive---> attack on South Vietnam during the Vietnamese New Year (ended with thousands of lives lost)----> bloodiest battle in Vietnam War
- Tonkin Gulf Resolution---> allowed Johnson to exercise his control over Vietnam War and avenge America for the attack of their naval ships
Civil Rights Act (1964) & Voting Rights Act
- Civil Rights Act of 1964---> declared public place discrimination unconstitutional in most places (started by Kennedy)
- Formed the Equal Employment Opportunity Coalition (EEOC)
- Helped the Federal Government to do away with school segregation
- Voting Rights Act---> gave more power to African Americans in the Southern region (led to African American migration to the South)
1968
- Civil Rights swept the nation---> leading to the slow extinction of racial discrimination (started incorporating African Americans into Society)
- Vietnam left anti-federalist thoughts in the minds of American citizens
- Assassination of Senator Richard Kelly by an Arab
- Nixon won election and became president
- Children's Crusade---> response to Vietnam War