Lyndon B. Johnson, the Great Society, and the Vietnam War
Lyndon B. Johnson, the Great Society, and the Vietnam War
An overview of Lyndon B. Johnson.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
NARRATOR: Lyndon B. Johnson became the 36th president of the United States following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. As president, Johnson supported civil rights and introduced an extensive social legislation program called the "Great Society." But he also faced harsh criticism for his handling of the Vietnam War.
Lyndon Baines Johnson—often called by his initials, LBJ—grew up in Texas, where his family had been early settlers. He represented Texas in Congress for almost 24 years, with a brief interruption to serve in World War II. Johnson earned a Silver Star for his wartime service.
In 1960 Johnson campaigned for president, but he lost the Democratic nomination to John F. Kennedy. Johnson agreed to run as the vice presidential candidate instead, and their ticket won the election.
Tragedy struck three years later.
NEWSCASTER: The president of the United States is dead.
NARRATOR: President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Within hours of Kennedy's death, Johnson took the oath of office as the nation's next president.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON: I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help and God's.
NARRATOR: Johnson urged Congress to honor Kennedy's memory by passing the slain president's proposed civil rights bill. The bill aimed to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. In July 1964 Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law.
In 1965 Johnson became president in his own right, having won the 1964 presidential election by what was then the greatest landslide in the nation's history. He continued to place a strong emphasis on social welfare and reform through his Great Society program.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON: The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice.
NARRATOR: The Great Society became the most impressive body of social legislation since the New Deal of the 1930s. It established a Job Corps for the unemployed, the Head Start program for preschool children, and Medicare and Medicaid, which provide health benefits for the elderly and poor.
Johnson also signed the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed the barriers that had been used to prevent African Americans from voting.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON: There is no constitutional issue here. The command of the Constitution is plain. There is no moral issue. It is wrong—deadly wrong—to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.
NARRATOR: This act is considered one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history.
Johnson could not carry out his full vision for the Great Society, however, as his focus shifted to the growing conflict in Vietnam. Since the 1950s the United States had sent military personnel and advisors to South Vietnam to support its fight against communist North Vietnam. U.S. leaders believed that if Vietnam became a united communist country, it would lead to the fall of neighboring countries to communism—an idea known as the domino theory.
In 1964 Johnson received reports that the North Vietnamese had attacked a U.S. warship off their coast. He asked Congress to authorize him to take whatever actions he deemed necessary to prevent or respond to future attacks. During Johnson's tenure the number of American military personnel in Vietnam increased from 16,000 to more than half a million.
As American involvement in Vietnam grew, so too did the antiwar movement at home. Students began demonstrating on college campuses, and by 1967, protests were being held all over the country.
Johnson's popularity plummeted, and he announced that he would not run for reelection in 1968.
Johnson retired to his ranch, which had become known as the Texas White House during his presidency. One staff member recalled going for a drive with the president while visiting the ranch, when the car suddenly veered into a lake as Johnson screamed that the brakes weren't working. It was only after the car floated and the president began laughing that the staffer realized they were in an Amphicar, capable of traveling on both land and water. The Amphicar was one of the many cars in Johnson's prized collection.
In 1973 President Johnson died after suffering a heart attack at his ranch.
Lyndon Baines Johnson—often called by his initials, LBJ—grew up in Texas, where his family had been early settlers. He represented Texas in Congress for almost 24 years, with a brief interruption to serve in World War II. Johnson earned a Silver Star for his wartime service.
In 1960 Johnson campaigned for president, but he lost the Democratic nomination to John F. Kennedy. Johnson agreed to run as the vice presidential candidate instead, and their ticket won the election.
Tragedy struck three years later.
NEWSCASTER: The president of the United States is dead.
NARRATOR: President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Within hours of Kennedy's death, Johnson took the oath of office as the nation's next president.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON: I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help and God's.
NARRATOR: Johnson urged Congress to honor Kennedy's memory by passing the slain president's proposed civil rights bill. The bill aimed to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. In July 1964 Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law.
In 1965 Johnson became president in his own right, having won the 1964 presidential election by what was then the greatest landslide in the nation's history. He continued to place a strong emphasis on social welfare and reform through his Great Society program.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON: The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice.
NARRATOR: The Great Society became the most impressive body of social legislation since the New Deal of the 1930s. It established a Job Corps for the unemployed, the Head Start program for preschool children, and Medicare and Medicaid, which provide health benefits for the elderly and poor.
Johnson also signed the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed the barriers that had been used to prevent African Americans from voting.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON: There is no constitutional issue here. The command of the Constitution is plain. There is no moral issue. It is wrong—deadly wrong—to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.
NARRATOR: This act is considered one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history.
Johnson could not carry out his full vision for the Great Society, however, as his focus shifted to the growing conflict in Vietnam. Since the 1950s the United States had sent military personnel and advisors to South Vietnam to support its fight against communist North Vietnam. U.S. leaders believed that if Vietnam became a united communist country, it would lead to the fall of neighboring countries to communism—an idea known as the domino theory.
In 1964 Johnson received reports that the North Vietnamese had attacked a U.S. warship off their coast. He asked Congress to authorize him to take whatever actions he deemed necessary to prevent or respond to future attacks. During Johnson's tenure the number of American military personnel in Vietnam increased from 16,000 to more than half a million.
As American involvement in Vietnam grew, so too did the antiwar movement at home. Students began demonstrating on college campuses, and by 1967, protests were being held all over the country.
Johnson's popularity plummeted, and he announced that he would not run for reelection in 1968.
Johnson retired to his ranch, which had become known as the Texas White House during his presidency. One staff member recalled going for a drive with the president while visiting the ranch, when the car suddenly veered into a lake as Johnson screamed that the brakes weren't working. It was only after the car floated and the president began laughing that the staffer realized they were in an Amphicar, capable of traveling on both land and water. The Amphicar was one of the many cars in Johnson's prized collection.
In 1973 President Johnson died after suffering a heart attack at his ranch.