Johnson
Lanslide Lyndon
Johnson Election
Sworn in on air force one at Dallas Love Field Airport after President Kennedy’s assassination.
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)
Great Society
Named after one of his speeches, it was over everything he wanted to fix during his time in office.
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
prohibits both Congress and the states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax.
Tonkin Gulf Resolution and Vietnam War
Viet Cong guerillas attacked U.S. air base
Johnson responded by ordering bombing raids on North Vietnam
Operation Rolling Thunder-bombings on Vietnam
Gave the Viet Cong more resilience and will to fight
Fighting in a losing war
Public opinion was against Johnson as draftees would flee to Canada, burn draft cards, or refuse to go and protest
Tet offensive-during the new year Viet Cong forces attacked 27 South Vietnamese cities but lost. However it proved that JOhnson’s policy of raising the stakes gradually would not work.
Tonkin Gulf Resolution gave Johnson complete power over the war in Vietnam and sought to reprimand the North Vietnamese for their “attack” on U.S. naval ships.
Civil Rights
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act (Johnson’s Civil Rights)
Started by Kennedy, it made discrimination in most private facilities open to the public unconstitutional and illegal
Strengthened the federal governments power to end segregation in schools.
Created the Equal Employment Opportunity Coalition
Title VII passed along with the act to enforce gender equality as well
Voting Rights Act gave blacks more power in the south
- Led to a migration of black into the South
Watershed year
Civil rights came into the forefront of political and social upheaval at the time. With the end of discriminatory and racial practice, blacks started to become integrated into society
Public sentiment towards Vietnam left a more liberal and anti-federal government view in the minds of people.
Tet offensive proved disastrous for the U.S.
Senator Robert Kennedy was assassinated by an Arab immigrant because of Kennedy’s Pro-Israel stance
Nixon won 1968 election
“Children’s Crusade” swept the nation in retaliation of the Vietnam War
- North Vietnam agreed to talk peace after Johnson ordered the bombardments to stop.