The University of Texas at Arlington
HIST 1312: American History: 1865-Present
Instructor: Dr. Allen F. Repko
Office: UH 109 Phone 817-272-2338
STUDY GUIDE
FOR
BRUCE J. SCHULMAN’S LYNDON B. JOHNSON
AND AMERICAN LIBERALISM
Schulman’s Thesis:
1. Miriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 1998: “a position or proposition that a
person…advances and offers to maintain an argument.”
2. The difference between a “theme” and “thesis” is that the former would be about
“Joe’s green lawn,” whereas a thesis would seek to explain why Joe’s lawn is
green.
3. A scholar usually states his/her thesis in Part One (the Introduction), an may
restate it elsewhere in the book, particularly in the Conclusion. Look for
Schulman’s thesis as you carefully read the Introduction, and first chapter. The
following are helpful hints:
a. The book’s title states the theme of the book: Lyndon B. Johnson and American
Liberalism (emphasis added).
b. NOTE the opening sentence on p. 1. The following sentence explains the key
value/belief of liberalism: __________________________________________
c. Now let’s relate the political philosophy of liberalism to Johnson. Further
reading of the page reveals two statements: (1) Johnson “personified liberal,
activist government.” Note that “activist” expands the meaning of “liberalism.”
(2) Near the bottom of the page we read that Johnson “became the principle
champion of liberal government.” Is this Schulman’s thesis? We would have
to settle for this as the thesis if Schulman had stopped writing at this point. But
he continues with a very argumentative and sweeping statement, “More than
any other politician….” So Schulman is arguing that Johnson was not just any
liberal but a special kind of liberal. NOTE also the active verbs in the long
sentence such as “embodied,” “orchestrated,” “endured.”
d. Next, read the Conclusion (chapter 7) and search for sentences about Johnson
and liberalism. It’s a good idea to write these sentences on a pad one after the
other and then compare them with the statement on page 1. Try writing a short
paragraph expressing Schulman’s thesis in your own words. Including a direct
quote from Schulman as follows: blah blah blah “Johnsonian liberalism had
vastly expanded the regulatory state, moving into nearly every facet of
American life”(162).
Chapter 1: “The Perfect Roosevelt Man”: Young Lyndon Johnson, 1908-1948”
1. Fortunately Schulman’s chapter titles state the theme of the chapter. Obviously the
chapter has something to do with Roosevelt and Johnson as a young man.
2. After reading the chapter, you should be able to identify the three primary
influences (an event or person(s)) on Johnson’s early life that formed his political
philosophy and his belief/value system:
INFLUENCE #1_____________________________________________________
and BELIEF: _______________________________________________________
INFLUENCE #2 ____________________________________________________
and BELIEF: _______________________________________________________
INFLUENCE #3_____________________________________________________
and BELIEF: _______________________________________________________
3. The section on the New Deal is critical to understanding the development of
Johnson’s liberalism philosophy. The section compares and contrasts “classical
liberalism” and its definition of liberty with the “modern” liberalism
(Progressivism) of Theodore Roosevelt’s day with the New Deal liberalism of
Franklin Roosevelt. Write a short definition of each in your own words:
a. CLASSICAL LIBERALISM: _________________________________________
b. “MODERN” LIBERALISM: _________________________________________
c. NEW DEAL LIBERALISM: NOTE: Schulman devotes almost 3 pages to
explain New Deal Liberalism. He defines it in terms of FDR’s “four basic
freedoms” and the four new objectives he pursued. Understanding these is
critical to understanding how Johnson later transformed New Deal liberalism:
1)_______________________________________________________________
2)_______________________________________________________________
3)_______________________________________________________________
4)_______________________________________________________________
Chapter 2: “Democratic Leader: Senator Johnson, 1948-1960”
1. The key to understanding this chapter is the first sentence: After FDR’s death,
American liberalism retreated into a cocoon, entering a decade-and-a-half period of
quiet yet profound metamorphosis.” When you read the chapter, identify the three
ways liberalism changed during these years and why. List these below:
a. _________________________________________________________________
b. _________________________________________________________________
c. _________________________________________________________________
2. Of key importance to understanding this transformation of post-FDR liberalism is
the profound role played by Keynesian economics. Big ideas have big
consequences. And Keynesian economics was the biggest economic idea of the
20th century. Identify Keynes’ most useful insight:
___________________________________________________________________
Identify how American Keynesians wanted to use Keynesian economics:
___________________________________________________________________
Explain how Walt Rostow, a key advisor to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, used
Keynesian economics in its struggle against communism:
___________________________________________________________________
3. Explain the meaning of these two statements by Schulman: “During his first term,
Senator Johnson personified all the growing pains of postwar liberalism,” and
“Johnson walked a tightrope between northern liberalism and Texas [southern]
conservatism.”
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. Identify the one thing that Johnson’s liberal political philosophy revolved around
and what that meant in practical terms:
___________________________________________________________________
5. In order to prove himself presidential timber, LBJ pushed two landmark pieces of
legislation in the late 50’s. Identify each and explain how they reflected his
liberalism:
a. ________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________
Chapter 3: “’Let Us Continue’: LBJ and the Kennedy Legacy, 1960-1964”
1. Explain how Johnson’s mission to Vietnam in 1961 and report to Kennedy
reflected the third tenet of postwar liberalism:
__________________________________________________________________
2. Explain how John’s attempt to expand his power as Vice-President reflected his
liberal philosophy of government:
__________________________________________________________________
Chapter 4: “The Great Society”
1. Identify the three key components of Johnsonian liberalism:
a. ________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________
c. ________________________________________________________________
2. Identify Johnson’s two political mistakes, the two fateful errors, that ultimately
stifled the Great Society:
a. ________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________
Chapter 5: “’Shall We Overcome’? LBJ and the Civil Rights Movement”
1. Explain how Dr. Martin Luther King’s Selma march and the direct-action
tactics of the protesters in Washington were at odds with Johnson’s brand of
liberal politics:
__________________________________________________________________
2. Explain why Watts depressed Johnson and handcuffed him politically:
__________________________________________________________________
3. Identify the key differences between Johnson’s earlier war on poverty and
affirmative action:
a. ________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________
4. Describe the two main arguments advanced by the Moynihan Report:
a. ________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________
5. Explain why African American leaders understood the Moynihan report as a
serious insult, how the report represented a major departure from liberalism
(see bottom of p.117), and the New Left critique:
a. The insult: ______________________________________________________
b. The departure: ___________________________________________________
c. The New Left critique: _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
6. Explain how Johnson’s creation of the EEOC (which reflected the new direction
outlined in the Moynihan report) “marked a new phase in the evolution of
American liberalism:
__________________________________________________________________
Chapter 6: “’That Bitch of a War’: LBJ and Vietnam
1. Identify the three key assumptions of Johnson and fellow liberals concerning the
war in Vietnam:
a. ________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________
c. ________________________________________________________________
2. Explain how Johnson’s conduct of the war in Vietnam destroyed his credibility
and ultimately his Great Society:
__________________________________________________________________
3. Explain the New Left’s critique of the war and of Johnsonian liberalism:
__________________________________________________________________
4. Explain how Johnson’s liberal faith misled him about the efficacy of U.S.
intervention in Vietnam:
__________________________________________________________________
Chapter 7: “Dumping Johnson: The Decline and Fall of American Liberalism”
1. Identify the six reasons why the political coalition which had supported liberal
Democrats from FDR to LBJ came to view liberalism in general and the
Democratic party in particular as enemies rather than allies:
a. ________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________
c. ________________________________________________________________
d. ________________________________________________________________
e. ________________________________________________________________
f. ________________________________________________________________