Elyse+L.+-+LBJ+-+FA09


 * Lyndon B. Johnson **



//"I do not want to be the President who built empires, or sought grandeur, or extended dominion. I want to be the President who educated young children to the wonders of their world. I want to be the President who helped to feed the hungry and to prepare them to be taxpayers instead of tax eaters. I want to be the President who helped the poor to find their own way. I want to be the President who helped to end hatred among his fellow men and who promoted love among the people of all races, all regions and all parties. I want to be the President who helped to end war among the brothers of this earth." -Lyndon B. Johnson//


 * Full name**: Lyndon Baines Johnson
 * Birth Date**: August 27, 1908
 * Death Date**: January 22, 1973
 * Political Party**: Democratic Party
 * Date/Number of Terms**: 2 terms (1963-1964 due to JFK's assination) (1965-1970)
 * Vice President**: None (1963-1964) Hubert H. Humphrey (1965-1970)

Lyndon Baines Johnson was a man who had great ideals and morals to make the world a better place. He held the interests of the people who would not usually be remembered; he represented the poor and the needy through his policies in order to achieve social justice. He made superb achievements with his "Great Society" goals such as poverty and civil rights, as well some blunders with the actions he took during the Vietnam War. Johnson deserves a B+ for his presidency for all the positive social changes he encouraged and passed.
 * Rating of President:**

Johnson's term as president after JFK's assassination was mainly following through into the footsteps of JFK's unfinished business. He made an oath to uphold JFK's civil rights policies, as well as education legislation and tax cuts. Johnson was able to complete these goals, especially in the civil rights movement. During Johnson's second term, he introduced his famous "Great Society" ideology. This idea was to create a society to mainly protect consumer rights, help underprivileged citizens, and to improve the environment. Along with these he wanted to improve education, make better healthcare, conservation, beautification, development of regions, fight against poverty, control and prevent crime, and allow fair voting rights. He was also especially dedicated to his "War on Poverty." He was able to pass The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1968, Voting Rights Act of 1965, Medicare, and Water Quality Act of 1965. The Clean Water Restoration Act of 1966, The Air Quality Act of 1967, The Highway Safety Act of 1966, The Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 and many others. He was indeed able to complete most of these goals and acts. However, despite these drastic and positive policies, LBJ was unable to finish all he wanted to accomplish due to the foreign policy strains. His foreign policy goals were to escalade the numbers of troops in Vietnam until a victory. However, unfortunately for Johnson this did not occur and he was unable to end the war.

Lyndon Johnson had a remarkable relationship with Congress which he worked incredibly hard to achieve. Johnson spent a great deal of his time communicating and persuading the House and Senate to pass his bills, and he was constantly involved with them. He would be immersed in the bills and work with Congress to achieve them. He even had weekly breakfast with the legislative branch, and made their opinions and feedback a high priority. With this tactic and influence, Johnson was able to pass numerous amounts of legislature, probably the most any president has done. For example, Johnson was especially dedicated to passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was not able to get the southern votes and respected this measure, but he knew he had to get the Republican vote to get it approved. Johnson did successfully pass this bill along with the Water Quality Act of 1965, Medicare, Clean Water Restoration Act, Highway Safety Act of 1966, The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1966 along with many others. Congress knew that if they were cooperative with Lyndon Johnson, they could gain benefits for what their region or state wanted. Most of the time LBJ had a 2/3 support from the House and Senate. Johnson no doubt transformed the relationship former presidents had with Congress, which contribute to how his policies were so successful.

Out of all of LBJ's policies, the best was his support of civil rights. The 1960’s were a time of high racial tension and discrimination as well as violence. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 barred discrimination in employment as well as other public facilities. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was one of Johnson's most proud achievements, for it encouraged voting and banned unfair literacy tests. This policy drastically changed voting, and enabled the minority to be able to make a difference with their votes. It allowed millions of African Americans to finally be able to vote. Also, the Civil Rights Act of 1968 banned discrimination in housing and made the punishment for civil rights violation much harsher. Johnson was able to successfully outlaw all discriminations and unfair social injustices. LBJ was most defiantly one of the most important and devoted advocates to the civil rights movement. While supporting his views, he was also finishing the business of JFK, who was trying to push civil rights policies through Congress. Though these policies did indeed help end discrimination, it also provoked violence and separated society.

Lyndon Baines Johnson's worst decision would most defiantly have to be his actions conducting the Vietnam War. Most of his support and popularity had dangerously decreased because of his decisions and his failure to end the war. Unlike JFK, Johnson believed that more troops would be needed to be placed in Vietnam, and soon the numbers escaladed from 180,000 to 500,000. This escalation plan of Johnson's was his undoing as president. He mostly supported this policy because of his morals and overly exaggerated belief in the United States military along with his strong opinion against communism. It made inflation occur, and allowed problems such as the civil rights movement in America to deepen and become corrupt. His plan caused much criticism from the young men who were to be drafted, and they led many strikes against Johnson. His plan obviously did not work. Despite the extensive and large numbers placed in Vietnam, America was losing the battle and gaining many casualties. The war was deemed "unwinnable". Eventually Johnson did end the extensive bombing in North Vietnam, and he set out to create a peace settlement rather than a military win.

Many of Johnson's policies are in action today, and he greatly enhanced the executive role in domestic affairs. His idea of a "Great Society" did in fact influence future policies, and made government intervention more intimate with the country.

The country was in a much better state thanks to the legislation Johnson had passed. His policies had changed the country, and benefited the people who were in the bottom minority. He was one of the leading advocates for the civil rights movement, and sufficiently helped the cause. Not to mention the extensive work he had successfully completed with healthcare, the environment, consumer safety, and poverty. Johnson can not blame entirely for the Vietnam mistakes, since he was not the one that led the people into the war, and he did eventually learn his mistakes. In conclusion, Johnson was a great president who deserves a B+ for his achievements which helped the country.

"American Experience . The Presidents . Lyndon B. Johnson |." //PBS//. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. . "American President: Lyndon Baines Johnson: A Life in Brief." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. . // The Complete Book of US Presidents //. XII ed. Vol. I. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2009. Print. "LBJ Biography." //Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library & Museum//. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. . "Lyndon B. Johnson |." //The White House//. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. . "Lyndon Baines Johnson : Biography." //Spartacus Educational - Home Page//. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. . "President Lyndon Johnson." //The Reformation Online - The Most Timely, Scientific, and Patriotic Site on the Internet//. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. .
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