US History

Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)

Law and Government

This collection uses primary sources to explore President Lyndon Johnson&#39;s Great Society programs.

Teaching Guide: Exploring Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society

A 1963 speech by President Johnson calling for civil rights legislation to complete the work of the recently assassinated President Kennedy.

An excerpt from the March 1965 speech to Congress in which President Johnson called for passage of the Voting Rights Act.

A 1965 photograph of President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act into law accompanied by Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders.

A 1967 photograph of Richard Solis, who opened an auto-body repair shop with support from the Los Angeles Small Business Development Center.

An excerpt from a 1969 report reviewing the health programs that had been established as part of the War on Poverty.

A 1965 photograph of a Neighborhood Youth Corps teacher aide assisting students in an Operation Head Start classroom.

A 1965 photograph of a teacher distributing Project Head Start diplomas.

An excerpt from a 1966 report outlining the programs begun under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

A 1962 video of President Kennedy advocating for passage of Medicare.

A 1962 video of an American Medical Association representative arguing against Medicare.

A 1965 editorial cartoon by Charlie Daniel satirizing bureaucratic expenses of the War on Poverty.

A January 1965 report by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee criticizing President Johnson’s actions and motivations.

An August 12, 1965 announcement from South Carolina Governor Robert McNair saying that the state would not enforce the Voting Rights Act.

An excerpt from a 2014 report by the Council of Economic Advisers assessing progress made in the fight against poverty in America.

Resources

1. “[The Great Society at 50](http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/05/17/the-great-society-at-50/),” *The Washington Post*. 
2. “[Evaluating the success of the Great Society](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/national/great-society-at-50/),” *The Washington Post*. 
3. [The Great Society Congress](http://acsc.lib.udel.edu/great-congress), The Association of Centers for the Study of Congress. 
4. [The Great Society](https://www.pbs.org/johngardner/chapters/4c.html), PBS. 


Overview

When he took office after the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson was able to mobilize national support for initiatives begun under the Kennedy administration, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Johnson then proposed a broader vision for the country, a “Great Society” that would eradicate poverty, expand access to health care, and improve education, among other goals. While Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration launched the New Deal during the financial crisis of the Great Depression, the Johnson administration’s Great Society sought to capitalize on the prosperity of the postwar era to ensure that no Americans were left in poverty. 

Key pieces of Great Society legislation include the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (which created Job Corps and Head Start), the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (which expanded federal programs for public education), legislation establishing Medicare and Medicaid (which expanded healthcare access for senior citizens, disabled citizens, and the poor), and legislation establishing the Department of Housing and Urban Development. After the protests in Selma, Alabama, led by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Johnson advocated for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

Ultimately, Johnson was not able to achieve all of his goals for the nation, instead becoming mired in the tragedies of the Vietnam War. The Johnson administration faced criticism not only from those opposed to American involvement in the Vietnam War, but also from conservative leaders who opposed civil rights legislation, and from activists and civil rights leaders who argued the nation was not doing enough to advance civil rights and social justice. This primary source set uses photographs, videos, reports, speeches, and memorandums to explore the motivations and effectiveness of the Great Society.

English

Lyndon Johnson's Great Society

great-society_11_f610159df886522d48580ad17fd04aac.jpg

Courtesy of University of Tennessee, Knoxville Libraries via Digital Library of Tennessee.

“Gee, Sam, couldn't we cut out the muddle man?,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/f610159df886522d48580ad17fd04aac.

The cartoon depicts a figure labeled “poor,” as well as Uncle Sam, on either side of a figure labeled “antipoverty bureaucrats.”

A 1965 editorial cartoon by Charlie Daniel satirizing bureaucratic expenses of the War on Poverty.

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Item 11 of 14 in the Primary Source Set Lyndon Johnson's Great Society