Cloze Exercise

Johnson's 'Great Society': 1964-69

Background

• LBJ believed in a society benefiting ALL, calling it the 'Great Society'.

• Vision: Equal opportunity, work, prosperity, racial & social equality, & removal of barriers like poverty, lack of education, & pollution.

• Assembled young advisers, sought bold ideas. Politically skilled, passed >200 major laws in 2 years, inc. landmark measures. Doubled govt size.

• Vietnam War ruined his reputation; chose not to re-run (1968).

• Irony: JFK was admired despite little domestic reform; LBJ hated despite unprecedented help to poor.

The 'Great Society' Programme

a. Economic Growth

• Economy: Grew 5%/yr (from JFK). Heller (economic adviser) introduced ‘New Economics’ (full employment, tight budgets).

• Act (1964): Cut $11bn in taxes → top rate reduced 90%→70%; bottom rate 18%→14%.

• BUT Vietnam & inflation → Revenue & Expenditure Control Act (1968): Tax rises, govt spending cuts.

b. Space Race

• Backed program despite Apollo 1 disaster (1967). Apollo 8 (1968) orbited moon; witnessed Apollo 11 man-on-the-moon launch (1969).

• NASA’s spin-offs (by 1976): Satellites, heart pacemakers, memory foam, solar tech, computer circuits, etc.

c. Civil Rights & Women's Rights

• Implemented Kennedy’s Civil Rights promises:

• Act (1964): Ended race/sex discrimination, banned segregation in public/work.

• Act (1965): Ended voting discrimination → mass Black voting in South.

• Executive Order (1965): prohibited employment discrimination based on race.

• (1968): Passed after Martin Luther King’s assassination.

• BUT these did not sufficiently address Black poverty → unrest (1964–68 riots).

• Women's rights: Executive Order (1967) banned sex discrimination in govt hiring BUT women were excluded from EO11246 and only added (1967) after NOW campaign.

• Immigration Act (1965): Abolished quotas.

d. Alleviate Poverty/Housing

• Act (1964): created the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) → ran Job Corps (16–21 work training), Head Start, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), health centres, & Legal Services for Poor.

• Food Stamp Act (1964): Expanded food aid; from 1965, this inc. home-delivered meals for elderly.

• Min wage raised to $1.40/hr.

• Act (1965): Dept. Housing and Urban Devl. (HUD) created. Model Cities → slum clearance.

• Impact: Poverty fell 23%→12%, Black poverty 56%→30%.

e. Public Health/Environment/Consumer Protection

• Amendments (1965): Medicare (elderly insurance) & Medicaid (low-income families).

• Social Security Amendments (1967): Family planning funding.

• Wilderness Act (1964): National Wilderness Preservation System and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Pollution control via Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act (1965).

• Consumer laws: Cigarette warnings, flammable fabric standards, meat inspection, & product labels.

f. Education

• Act (1965): Funded schools (esp. low-income areas).

• Higher Education Act (1965): Expanded college funding (incl. student aid).

• Bilingual Education Act (1968): Aid for non-English-speaking pupils.

• : Early education for low-income families.

Interpretations

LBJ: ‘Great man’, personality dominated politics. Opinions diverge: hero or bully?

Supporters

• Valenti & Kearns (1970s): Praised civil rights, poverty, health, & education initiatives.

• Patterson (1981): "Fantastic" poverty drop, "stunning" welfare expansion (Medicare/Medicaid).

Critics

• Goldman (1969): "Wrong man, wrong time".

• Caro (1982): "Ruthless, deceitful, insecure bully".

• Schlaes (2019): Great Society caused the problems it sought to solve by creating dependency & damaging the economy.

Moderates

• Dallek (1991): LBJ hatred is "beyond sense". Praised his vision & important role in history.

• Woods (2006): Great Society = culmination of progressive reform, basis of modern society.

Background

• LBJ believed in a society benefiting ALL, calling it the 'Great Society'.

• Vision: Equal opportunity, work, prosperity, racial & social equality, & removal of barriers like poverty, lack of education, & pollution.

• Assembled young advisers, sought bold ideas. Politically skilled, passed >200 major laws in 2 years, inc. landmark measures. Doubled govt size.

• Vietnam War ruined his reputation; chose not to re-run (1968).

• Irony: JFK was admired despite little domestic reform; LBJ hated despite unprecedented help to poor.

The 'Great Society' Programme

a. Economic Growth

• Economy: Grew 5%/yr (from JFK). Heller (economic adviser) introduced ‘New Economics’ (full employment, tight budgets).

• REVENUE Act (1964): Cut $11bn in taxes → top rate reduced 90%→70%; bottom rate 18%→14%.

• BUT Vietnam & inflation → Revenue & Expenditure Control Act (1968): Tax rises, govt spending cuts.

b. Space Race

• Backed APOLLO program despite Apollo 1 disaster (1967). Apollo 8 (1968) orbited moon; witnessed Apollo 11 man-on-the-moon launch (1969).

• NASA’s spin-offs (by 1976): Satellites, heart pacemakers, memory foam, solar tech, computer circuits, etc.

c. Civil Rights & Women's Rights

• Implemented Kennedy’s Civil Rights promises:

• CIVIL RIGHTS Act (1964): Ended race/sex discrimination, banned segregation in public/work.

• VOTING RIGHTS Act (1965): Ended voting discrimination → mass Black voting in South.

• Executive Order 11246 (1965): prohibited employment discrimination based on race.

• FAIR HOUSING ACT (1968): Passed after Martin Luther King’s assassination.

• BUT these did not sufficiently address Black poverty → unrest (1964–68 riots).

• Women's rights: Executive Order 11375 (1967) banned sex discrimination in govt hiring BUT women were excluded from EO11246 and only added (1967) after NOW campaign.

• Immigration Act (1965): Abolished quotas.

d. Alleviate Poverty/Housing

• ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY Act (1964): created the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) → ran Job Corps (16–21 work training), Head Start, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), health centres, & Legal Services for Poor.

• Food Stamp Act (1964): Expanded food aid; from 1965, this inc. home-delivered meals for elderly.

• Min wage raised to $1.40/hr.

• HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Act (1965): Dept. Housing and Urban Devl. (HUD) created. Model Cities → slum clearance.

• Impact: Poverty fell 23%→12%, Black poverty 56%→30%.

e. Public Health/Environment/Consumer Protection

• SOCIAL SECURITY Amendments (1965): Medicare (elderly insurance) & Medicaid (low-income families).

• Social Security Amendments (1967): Family planning funding.

• Wilderness Act (1964): National Wilderness Preservation System and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Pollution control via Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act (1965).

• Consumer laws: Cigarette warnings, flammable fabric standards, meat inspection, & product labels.

f. Education

• ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION Act (1965): Funded schools (esp. low-income areas).

• Higher Education Act (1965): Expanded college funding (incl. student aid).

• Bilingual Education Act (1968): Aid for non-English-speaking pupils.

• HEAD START: Early education for low-income families.

Interpretations

LBJ: ‘Great man’, personality dominated politics. Opinions diverge: hero or bully?

Supporters

• Valenti & Kearns (1970s): Praised civil rights, poverty, health, & education initiatives.

• Patterson (1981): "Fantastic" poverty drop, "stunning" welfare expansion (Medicare/Medicaid).

Critics

• Goldman (1969): "Wrong man, wrong time".

• Caro (1982): "Ruthless, deceitful, insecure bully".

• Schlaes (2019): Great Society caused the problems it sought to solve by creating dependency & damaging the economy.

Moderates

• Dallek (1991): LBJ hatred is "beyond sense". Praised his vision & important role in history.

• Woods (2006): Great Society = culmination of progressive reform, basis of modern society.