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Lyndon B. Johnson August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973 Democrat Term: 1963 -1969 VP: Hubert Humphrey

After the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson took control and continued JKFs original policy. Then after winning the election in 1964, Johnson started the Great Society plan which included various legislations that helped reach “abundance and liberty for all.” Although Johnson succeeded domestically, his most obvious failure is seen through the Vietnam War. The effects of his decisions involving this war continued past his presidency, in a negative direction. This balance of successful domestic policy and failure of foreign policy leaves Lyndon B. Johnson with an overall grade of a B-.

Entering his presidency, Johnson pursued JKFs civil rights movement. Encompassed by the “Great Society” Johnson’s goals could be summed up as wanting to fight for the war on poverty, civil rights, healthcare, environmental protection, and consumerism. All of these goals were addressed through different legislation passed by Congress. For example, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in public facilities, and later Medicare and Medicaid became present. Some legislation that was passed for environmental purposes include the Water Quality Act and the Clean Air Act which help set water quality and auto emission standards. Another goal was to lower American influence in Vietnam. Johnson had received congressional approval to prevent further aggression against the US. Although he wanted to avoid the aggression, he ended up putting more troops on land then before, peaking at 550,000 troops. Like mentioned before, most of Johnson’s domestic goals were achieved, but in Vietnam, his actions did not benefit his goal of prevention of assault.

Congress and Johnson did have a good relationship as seen by the quantity of legislation that was passed under his presidency for the “Great Society.” He also benefited by the fact that the Democratic Party held majority in Congress. When Johnson did veto a law, Congress did not override him. An additional Act to the ones mentioned above is the Voting Rights Act which ultimately promoted voting registration and marked an increase in minority voting. Accompanying the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Johnson also passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 which prohibited discrimination in the sale and rental of housing. There were also criminal penalties added for violations of these laws. Among these, Johnson also passed the Clean Water Restoration Act of 1966, the Air Quality Act of 1967, the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1966, the Highway Safety Act of 1966, and the Wholesome Meat Act of 1967. These Acts were passed to help protect the environment and consumerism. The Great Society legislation helped Johnson achieve many of his goals.

Johnson’s most positive outcome is seen through his domestic policies, specifically his fight for civil rights and the war on poverty. With the passing of the Civil Rights Acts and the Voting Rights Act, minorities such as African Americans were able to vote and go to public facilities without the worry of racism or discrimination. These acts were followed by riots and radicalism, but these great strides of equality would help shape the future of the United States. To help with the War on Poverty, he passed the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 which managed anti poverty programs. These programs include Job corps, VISTA or a domestic Peace Corps, Work-Study program, Work Experience Program and the Community Action program. These programs helped the poverty percent decrease in America. These were some of Johnson’s greatest outcomes during his presidency.

Johnson’s most obvious negative outcome is seen in his action with the Vietnam War. By the end of his term, he had a lot of domestic opposition to his decisions in foreign policy and this is unfortunately what he is remembered for. Although he wanted to prevent aggression toward the US he continued to send US troops into Vietnam. This was the complete opposite of his goal of containing the war and making sure it does not widen. Soon, Johnson launched air raids over North Vietnam. In a matter of three years (1965-1668) Johnson increased the number of soldiers from 100,000 to 550,000. He continuously sent firepower and troops into the war, but the outcome never changed. This created strong antiwar movements back home. Due to this, Johnson was not able to be president the next term.

Johnson impacted the lives of many during his presidency. With his progress in the civil rights movement, equal opportunities now meant something. Following in the ideas of JFK, Johnson was able to change the futures of all American lives by prohibiting discrimination of any kind whether it is in public facilities, housing markets, or voting. These advancements affected the lives of all Americans for generations to come. They did cause riots and the eventual assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., but, it was a step taken to help reach equality.

Lyndon Johnson came into the presidency with racial struggles at home and communist struggles overseas. He was able to successfully end one struggle with the passage of several civil rights acts, but he unfortunately failed at ending the other. Johnson deserves a B- because he was extremely successful domestically with his “Great Society” legislation. The major negative of his presidency came from Vietnam. So although better off at home, Johnson left the foreign fight for another president.

Works Cited:

American President: Lyndon Johnson." //Miller Center of Public Affairs // . N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May. 2011. < http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/lbjohnson>.

DeGregorio, William A.. "Lyndon B. Johnson." //The complete book of U.S. presidents //. 6th ed. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2005. 563-579. Print.

"Party Division in the Senate, 1789-present." //United States Senate //. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May. 2011. .