Woori+K.+-+LBJ+-+FA09

(August 27, 1908 - January 22, 1973)
 * __Lyndon Baines Johnson__ **

Political Party: Democrat

Terms of Office: November 22, 1963 - January 20, 1969

Vice President: None (1963-1965) ; Hubert Humphrey (1965-1969)

John F. Kennedy was assasinated on November 22nd, 1963. It was a tragic occasion to say the least, but American politics had to go on. The man who steppeed up and received the mantle was Lyndon Johnson, vice president at the time. He managed to do much in his time and changed the face of America at home and abroad. Domestically, he attempted to mold America into a "Great Society" which included a war on poverty. He also improved race relations, though there were still many tensions between the white and black communities. On a global scale, Johnson had his hands tied with the Vietnam War. This single event ruined much of his credibility as president and killed his popularity. Nevertheless, Lyndon Johnson had a positive impact on the nation. He deserves a B mainly because of his domestic policy.

Johnson had three major goals upon entering the presidency. He wanted to move the nation upward to a Great Society, one that would end poverty and racial injustice. Waging war on poverty was obviously another one of his goals. Last but not least was Johnson's fight for racial equality. All of these goals were related to the others and Johnson was generally able to successfully carry them out. Johnson's major initiative in foreign policy was the Vietnam War. He, like his predecessors, was committed to maintaining an independent South Vietnam. Communism had to be kept in check. Johnson escalated American involvement in the conflict and drew criticism for his acts. However, he did not want to be remembered as the man who lost Southeast Asia to Communism. In his eyes, engagement was necessary.

​Congress, during this time, proved to be a large gain for the president. Both houses were dominated by the Democrats and because of this, Johnson had little trouble passing laws. He had the upper hand in the relationship. This is further illustrated in the fact that out of 30 total vetoes he made, zero were overruled. Some of the most important acts that Johnson backed dealt with civil rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public facilities. In 1965, Johnson turned to another issue: the denial of voting rights for the blacks in the south. Responding to a public uproar that was caused by a violent breakup of a march for voting rights in Alabama, Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This essential piece of legislation guaranteed minority registration and voting. It also suspended the use of literacy tests that had served to keep some blacks off the voting lists. Immediate impact was felt. Black voter turnout in the south tripled within four years, coming very close to the white turnouts in the same region. Other significant laws that were passed include the Social Security Act of 1965, Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965. These all were a part of Johnson's Great Society program. The Social Security Act authorized Medicare, which provided federal funding of many health care expenses for senior citizens. The Economic Opportunity Act was the centerpiece of the war on poverty. It established an Office of Economic Opportunity to oversee a variety of community-based antipoverty programs. Johnson's War On Poverty was the most controversial part of the Great Society. Critics claimed that it was an effort to get Congress to authorize social welfare programs. However, in the decade following its introduction, poverty rates in the U.S. dropped to their lowest level to date: 11.1%. The Elementary and Secondary Act was the most important educational component of the Great Society. It provided federal aid to public education, initially giving more than $1 billion to schools.

Unquestionably, Johnson's best move as president was the pushing of his Great Society agenda onto the nation. Although he did not build a perfect society, he brought about a number of changes that significantly affected a majority of people. Previously umentioned, Johnson also contributed to environmental matters. He passed a number of laws to protect the environment and one of which was the Wilderness Act of 1964. It created the legal definition of "wilderness" in the United States and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. This, like many of the other Great Society programs, continues to exist in the present. Specifically speaking, Johnson's movement for civil rights stands out as the greatest measure of his domestic policy. He ended segregation in public facilities and brought the blacks into the voting mix, something they had desired for a long time.

There really is only one contender for the spot of most negative decision by Johnson. Not surprisingly, it is the escalation of the Vietnam War. Johnson believed that if Communism in Vietnam was left unchecked, it would spread throughout Southeast Asia like a wildfire. He therefore snapped to action by approving the NSAM 273 in 1963, which directed the U.S. government to assist the people of South Vietnam to win their contest against the northern Communist threat. In 1964, Johnson approved NSAM 288 which called for more U.S. involvement in the war and a greater use of force. After the Gulf of Tonkin incident later that year (American naval vessels attacked), Congress passed a resolution that authorized Johnson to take all measures necessary to protect the armed forces. Johnson used this power to begin America's direct involvement in the ground war in Vietnam. By November 1965, there were 175,000 troops in Vietnam. By the end of Johnson's presidency, that number surged to 535,000. The number of deaths continued to pile up and hopes for winning the war slipped away. Johnson steered a middle course in his drive to win the war. The "hawks" wanted a more aggressive method of fighting the war. The "doves" wanted Johnson to negotiate with North Vietnam for a "neutral" Sotuh Vietnam in an effort to stop American death. Johnson took a middle ground and was determined to convince the communist regime that it could not win. He did not conclude that the Vietnamese would be williing to accept the costs of continuing the war indefinitely. That, was a serious mistake. They waited long enough to see the U.S. withdraw its troops and go home in defeat.

This was also the most impactful event of Johnson's presidency. Nothing did more to shape the reputation of Lyndon B. Johnson in the eyes of many Americans. More than 58,000 American military personnel lost their lives in Vietnam. Johnson had sent these boys to their deaths with no victory to make up for it. It is positively true that the Vietnam War overshadowed all other decisions that Johnson made in his presidency. To come home after losing so much; it was heartbreaking. Gerald Ford was left with the task of withdrawing the troops more than six years after Johnson left office, but Johnson was to blame for the failure. When the people of today look back on President Johnson, they see war. Lyndon B. Johnson was a good president, make no mistake about it. He tried to create a Great Society and managed to bring about a number of helpful reforms. His involvement in the Vietnam War does well to block out the rest of his deeds. However, those deeds must be taken into account. The Great Society changed America profoundly. It resembled FDR's New Deal, though different, and was expanded under the following presidencies of Nixon and Ford. Many of the programs are still in existence today. Another legacy of Johnson's administration was the race to space. In December 1968, NASA sent the first human space flight to the moon. This single achievement brought much publicity and praise. Soon, they would attempt to land a man on the moon. To end, Johnson had a smart domestic policy that positively impacted the nation but was dragged down by his foreign policy in Vietnam. One side prevailed over the other; a natural occurence. He deserves a B because his domestic policy kept him from drowning.

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"Great Society." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia //. Web. 17 Dec. 2009. .

"List of United States presidential vetoes." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia //. Web. 17 Dec. 2009. .

"Lyndon B. Johnson." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. Web. 17 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson>.

"Party divisions of United States Congresses." //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. Web. 17 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_divisions_of_United_States_Congresses>.

"Vietnam War." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. Web. 17 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War>.