Matt+V.+-+LBJ+-+F08

Lyndon B Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973) Democrat Served from November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969 Vice Presidents: None, Herbert Humphrey (1965-1959)

Lyndon B. Johnson came into office at a terrible time in American history. The battles in Vietnam were raging hot and former president Kennedy had just been shot dead. Surprisingly, he did a very good job for the situation that he was in, and for that I give Johnson a B.

Johnson was in a very good standing with Congress. Legislation was passed left and right, mainly because there was a 2:1 ratio of Democrats to Republicans in congress total. Johnson appointed the very first African-American to the supreme court, Thurgood Marshall. Marshall’s successful appointment was a perfect example of not only his relationship with congress, but his stance on Civil Rights.

The very most important thing Johnson did was for the Black community was the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Bill outlawed the usage of "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." This would have been fine as is, but there were problems in the South with the issue of segregation. Southern states did not always enforce national laws, so Johnson sent troops down to enforce the act.

Johnson made a smart move by continuing the policies of Kennedy, passing laws such as the Stalled Tax bill and the Economic Opportunity Act. His policies and his strategies were good as well, especially the infamous “Daisy ad”[|(Link to Daisy ad])

Johnson's biggest mistake was continuing the un-winnable war. Johnson pumped a ton of money into keeping the war effort alive, hoping to somehow continue a policy of containment against all tactical and statistical odds.

So in summation, Johnson's grade deserves to be a B. The way I see it, he got 4/5 things right when he aided education, medical care for the elderly and poor, immigration reform, and the new voting rights bill. The only “point” he missed was on the war and foreign policy. Still, an 80% isn’t that bad, considering more recent percentages (22% approval ratings… =P )