President’s Adviser
You were just hired to be an adviser to Johnson when he took
office late in 1963. Your job is to advise him about laws he should
try to pass. Review some of the laws LBJ passed during his
administration and select one. Answer the following questions:
• What problem did the law address?
• Whom was it intended to help?
• When the law first went into effect and, subsequently, did it hurt
anyone? Whom?
• How successful was the law in achieving its goals?
• How did the law succeed, or why did it fail?
• Is the law still in effect? Why or why not?
• If Lyndon Johnson were president today, would he be pressing for
exactly the same law? Or would he take a different position on the
topic, and if so, what position?