Jon+A.+-+LBJ+-+SP10

Lyndon Baines Johnson Born: August 27, 1908 Died: January 27, 1973 Democrat Terms of Office: November 22, 1963 - January 20, 1969 Vice President- Hubert H. Humphrey __ Thesis __ For his role as the president, Lyndon Johnson deserves a B-. He deserves a B- because he was a better-than-average president. With his furthering of Medicare, the passing of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and his part in the Vietnam War. __ Goals __ Lyndon Johnson had several goals during his presidency, but chief among them was probably victory in the Vietnam War. To accomplish this goal, Lyndon had congress pass the Golf of Tonkin Resolution. This pretty much handed the president a blank check to spend however he saw fit to further the chances for victory. This didn’t pay out in the end however, because just when the United States began to feel good about the war, North Vietnam, coupled with the Viet Cong, launched a major offensive. This huge attack, involving 85,000 invaders, was named the Tet offensive. Many consider the Tet offensive to be the turning point in the Vietnam War. It really showed the American people that to gain victory, the U.S. still had a long and bloody time to come. In the end Lyndon really didn’t complete this goal very well. __ Relationship with congress __ Lyndon Johnson had a pretty good relationship with his congress. This might have been due to the fact that he was a Democratic president leading two houses of congress with Democratic majorities. One important piece of legislation passed was the Golf of Tonkin Resolution, where as said earlier, Congress handed the President a blank check to go win the Vietnamese War. Another important piece of legislation that was passed was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This Act stopped Discrimination in employment, and in public facilities such as hotels. During his time in office, Lyndon Johnson vetoed 30 bills and none of them were over-ridden. One bill that he vetoed was a Bill to give several western states, such as California and Oregon, help to repair areas damaged by recent flooding. __ Positive/ Negative Decisions __ The most positive decision that Lyndon made over his career as president was probably the Civil Rights Bill of 1964. This Bill stopped Discrimination in public places. This was one of the stepping stones in the Civil Rights movement. This ended up paving the way for the equality of blacks and whites. Before this, many people discriminated against African Americans, and had segregated places such as restaurants and even bathrooms! After this bill, it took a while for discrimination to drain away, especially in some of the deep southern states, but in the end, it led to the equality of all people. The most negative decision made during Johnson’s administration was made by congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This handed Lyndon Johnson the keys to the federal piggy bank, and he ended up pretty much squandering what he took. In retrospect, it could have been a good decision if Johnson would have won the war; but in reality, the fact that no victory was won for the United States, made it a horrible decision. Johnson spent Billions of dollars on weapons and supplies to fight the Viet Cong, and when the U.S. ended up winning the war, it was a big loss on the Treasury. That’s why this was a very negative decision. __ Influential Decision __ Lyndon Johnson made several long-lasting decisions. One of the most long-lasting was the invention of Medicaid and Medicare. Medicare is still helping people receive health benefits! It’s especially meant to help the elderly. Medicaid was meant to help people of any age. It was intended to help the poorer people still get health insurance and hospital attention. Both of these programs were created through the Social Security system. They both have helped many people throughout their many-year lives and will continue to help many more. __ Conclusion __ So in conclusion, Lyndon B. Johnson did an above average job as president. With the passing of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, his part in Medicare, and the way he handled the Vietnam war, Lyndon Johnson deserves the grade of a B- for his job as president. __ Bibliography __ DeGregorio, William. __The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents__. Fort Lee: Barricade. 2005. “Lynson B. Johnson.”__Eighty-Eighth Congress, First Session.__ __[] __