L6&L7: The 1960s – Johnson & The Great Society
The Shifting Size and Scope of the National
Government:
Part Two
Agenda
Objective:
1. To evaluate how Johnson
redefined the purpose and role
of government through his
Great Society Program.
Schedule:
1. Lecture, Reading/Audio,
Discussion
Homework:
1. Consult
Unit
Schedule
for
background
reading.
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
The Legacy of the New Deal in the
1960s…
• Recall the following chart…
Questions We Ask About the Role
of of Government up in the 1930s..
Should the Government Intervene in the
Economy
(Question Introduced by the Gilded Age)
NO
YES
NO
YES
Should the
Government
Intervene in Social
Life?
(Question
Introduced by the
Progressive Era)
The Legacy of the New Deal in the
1960s…
• The New Deal introduces another question
into the role/function of the United States
Government
Questions We Ask about the Role of Government in
the 1960s
Should the Government Intervene in the
Economy
(Question Introduced by the Gilded Age)
NO
YES
NO
YES
Should the Government
Intervene in Social Life?
(Question Introduced by the
Progressive Era)
NO
YES
Should the Government
Intervene to Promote Equality
(Economic, Racial, Sex,
Sexuality?)
(Question Introduced by the New
Deal)
Questions We Ask about the Role of Government in
the 1960s: Republicans
Should the Government Intervene in the
Economy
(Question Introduced by the Gilded Age)
NO
YES
NO
YES
(Social Conservative
Wing)
Should the Government
Intervene in Social Life?
(Question Introduced by the
Progressive Era)
NO
YES
Should the Government
Intervene to Promote Equality
(Economic, Racial, Sex,
Sexuality?)
(Question Introduced by the New
Deal)
Questions We Ask about the Role of Government in
the 1960s: Democrats
Should the Government Intervene in the
Economy
(Question Introduced by the Gilded Age)
NO
YES
NO
YES
Should the Government
Intervene in Social Life?
(Question Introduced by the
Progressive Era)
NO
YES
Should the Government
Intervene to Promote Equality
(Economic, Racial, Sex,
Sexuality?)
(Question Introduced by the New
Deal)
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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?
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
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!
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