Lyndon B. Johnson’sLyndon B. Johnson’sGreat SocietyGreat Society

What domestic policies does LBJ bring to the White House?

Carrying on Kennedy’s Legacy• Lyndon B. Johnson was a shrewd politician, uses Kennedy’s legacy

to get things done

• LBJ urges Congress to cut taxes, tax cuts spur economic growth, & lower federal deficit

• Urges Southern Senators not to block Civil Rights Act

• Act passes and prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and sex (Govt gets new powers to enforce these laws)

LBJ’s War On Poverty• 1964: LBJ creates Economic Opportunity Act (EOA)• $1 billion for youth programs, antipoverty measures, small business

loans, and job training.• EOA also creates• 1) Job Corps Youth Training Program• 2) VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America)• 3) Head Start (pre-school)• 4) Community Action Program

LBJ’s Great Society1. Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965: gave $1 bill. + in

fed. aid to public schools

2. Medicare: provided low-cost medical insurance for almost every American 65 years old and older

3. Medicaid: extended health insurance to welfare recipients

4. Immigration Act of 1965: opened the door for non-European immigrants to settle in the US

5. Water Quality Act of 1965: required states to clean up rivers & seek out the worst chemical polluters

6. Department of Transportation created to deal with air, rail, highways

7. Corporation for Public Broadcasting (educational radio & TV)

Reforms in Supreme Court

• Several major cases decided by Supreme Court during LBJ years

• Baker v. Carr: Courts can tell congress to reapportion their districts to have more fair representation

• Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963: criminal courts must provide free legal counsel to those who cannot afford it

• Miranda v. Arizona, 1966: all suspects must be read their rights before questioning