During his presidential term, President Johnson enacted nearly 200 pieces of legislature aimed to improve the everyday lives of Americans that he referred to as the Great Society. It was the largest reform since Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. The programs under the Great Society were unprecedented and broad, and still have an impact on American society today.
Civil Rights
One of the most important legislatures passed was the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was promised by Kennedy. This law banned discrimination based on race and gender in employment and ended segregation in all public facilities. Later, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed that banned barriers from voting.
War on Poverty
The Opportunity Act of 1964 created the Office of Economic Opportunity that aimed to eliminate poverty. The Office of Economic Opportunity directed educational employment training programs.
Education
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was signed in 1965 that committed the federal government to help local school districts whose students come from low-income families. The Head Start Program followed to give underprivileged children a "head start" before entering first grade. The Higher Education Act opened up opportunities for people to attend college through scholarships and low-income loans.
Health
Medicaid and Medicare were set up, which were health insurance programs for elderly and low-income families. Today, many people still participate in this program.
Environment
The Air Quality Act and Water Quality Act gave the government more authority to control air pollution and water quality. The Wilderness Protection Act made 9.1 million acres of land federal wilderness areas.
Housing
The Omnibus Housing Bill provided subsides for low-income people who moved into new houses.
Immigration
The Immigration Act of 1965 abolished discrimination based on national origins, so that some European countries were no longer given priorities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/national/great-society-at-50/
http://www.ushistory.org/us/56e.asp
Nice post! It is interesting how many laws and programs Lyndon Johnson enacted and how progressive they were. It seems like Johnson was an undervalued president, especially when considering how many of his programs are still alive today. This is a website with more about Johnson and his time as president. https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/lyndonbjohnson
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post- it really clarifies Johnson's intentions for America in the 1960s and the measures that were passed to get there. It's extremely interesting to see how many beneficial measures Johnson passed, and yet he's not really seen today as one of the "great" presidents (ex. Washington, Lincoln, etc.). However, it's evident that he made a huge impact on American society- like Ben said, many of his programs are still running/were expanded on today. I wonder what groups disliked his measures in hopes of creating the Great Society.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I like how you gave a breakup on the parts of the programs of the Great Society. It is important to note that Johnson grew up poor himself so his idea of a "Great Society" can be justified and supported by Johnson's personal history. I also agree with both Ben and Megan on the topic of the continuation of certain programs still today and their major impact on American Society.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting post to read because it really elaborates on something we learned about on class. Before this, I knew about the Great Society in abstract but could not name more that 2 or 3 pieces of legislation that came about because of the policy. For example, I had no idea about the Immigration Act of 1965 before reading this.
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