L6&L7: The 1960s – Johnson & The Great Society

1. L6&L7: The 1960s – Johnson & The Great Society The Shifting Size and Scope of the National Government: Part Two • Agenda • Objective: • To evaluate how Johnson redefined the purpose and role of government through his Great Society Program. • Schedule: • Lecture, Reading/Audio, Discussion Homework: Consult Unit Schedule for background reading.

2. The Shifting Size and Scope of the National Government in the 1960s • The 1960s represents the second wave of government growth and expansion in modern US history. • Made possible by the policies of two presidents: • John F. Kennedy • The New Frontier • Lyndon B. Johnson • The Great Society • Outlines a new philosophy on the role of government • Tremendous expansion in the size and the scope of government

3. The Legacy of the New Deal in the 1960s… • Recall the following chart…

4. Questions We Ask About the Role of of Government up in the 1930s..

5. The Legacy of the New Deal in the 1960s… • The New Deal introduces another question into the role/function of the United States Government

6. Questions We Ask about the Role of Government in the 1960s

7. Questions We Ask about the Role of Government in the 1960s: Republicans

8. Questions We Ask about the Role of Government in the 1960s: Democrats

9. John F. Kennedy • 1917-1963 • Senator from Massachusetts before becoming President • Youngest person to be elected president (he was 43) • First and only Catholic president • Assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald 3 years into his term as president.

10. Kennedy’s New Frontier • Package of domestic programs • Promised federal funding for education, medical care for the elderly, economic aid to rural regions, government intervention to half the recession of 1960, and an end to racial discrimination • Accomplishments of the “New Frontier” • Stabilized the recession • Passed laws to prohibit racial discrimination in federally supported housing • Sent the national guard to Little Rock to enforce integration of the schools • Created the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women • Signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963

11. Kennedy is Assassinated • Kennedy does not have the opportunity to enact much of his New Frontier Program before he is assassinated. • When Kennedy’s VP Lyndon Johnson takes office he makes it his mission to achieve Kennedy’s goals.

12. Lyndon Johnson • 1908-1973 • From Texas • Was a teacher prior to getting involved in politics • First comes to office by way of succession, but runs on his own and wins election in 1964 by a significant margin over Barry Goldwater. • One of only 4 people to be a Representative, Senator, VP, and President. • Mixed presidential legacy: impressive civil and economic rights agenda contrasted with the Vietnam disaster.

13. Johnson’s Great Society Program • Package of domestic policies Johnson proposed between 1965 and 1968 to deal with a variety of social and economic problems facing the United States. • Civil Rights, Education, Poverty, Environmental Issues • 435 bills pushed through Congress dealing with these problems!! • LBJ able to do so much because: • “Landslide Lyndon”: 1964 election swept Democrats into majority in both houses, enormous mandate for LBJ (61% pop. vote) • Kennedy legacy and assassination

15. What is the Great Society? • We will listen to a commencement address given by Johnson at the University of Michigan in which he outlines the goals of the Great Society. • As you watch take notes on the programs and goals Johnson outlines.

16. Legislative Accomplishments of the Great Society • Take a look at a list of some of the legislative accomplishments Johnson achieved as part of the Great Society • Any other programs/goals we want to add to our list?

17. Great Society Discussion • What is the Great Society? • What is the philosophy on the role government Johnson articulates through the Great Society? • Related, How does Johnson change the size and scope of the government as a result of this philosophy? • How does Johnson’s philosophy on the role of government compare with past eras? • Gilded Age • Progressive Era • 1920s • Roosevelt & The New Deal • The 1950s

18. Other Points to Add to Johnson’s Philosophy of Government • If these didn’t come up, we should also note that… • Johnson moves the government to one that reacts to social/economic problems to one that is proactive in dealing with social/economic problems • How can we stop the problems before they start? • Job Training, Head Start • Redefines the definition of needy • Needy are not just the disabled and the aged, needy are also the poor (whether they work or not) • Medicaid, HUD and Rent Subsidies • Broadens the definition of “citizen” – who the government is responsible to: blacks, women, immigrants, the poor –those who do not have a voice!

19. Exit Activity • Make a diagram/chart/visual metaphor that shows the shift in the role/purpose of government between 1890 and 1960. • “Points on your Graph” = • Gilded Age • Progressive Era • The 1920s • Roosevelt and the New Deal • The 1950s • Johnson and the Great Society