What are facts about Lyndon B. Johnson?

Answer 1

• He was originally a schoolteacher from Texas
• Nixon and Johnson are the only two Presidents to be elected to all four elected federal offices: Representative, Senator, Vice President and President
• He could get notoriously bad tempered and rude, even to his most loyal aides
• In 1964 he was reelected by President by one of the greatest landslides in history, gaining 61.1% of the vote. This was the highest percentage ever received by a candidate since 1820
• He owned a ranch at his hometown in Stonewall, Texas and enjoyed driving around the area, sometimes at speeds of up to 90mph
• He also owned a car with a well-hidden ability to float on water, and sometimes would drive it into lakes to scare unsuspecting passengers (maybe Ted Kennedy should have had one...)
• He was famous for giving congressmen the "Johnson Treatment" in which he would accost them and bombard them with persuasion, accusations, suggestions and ideas to try to get them to agree with him
• At 6ft 4in he ties with Abraham Lincoln as the US's tallest President
• He championed and signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which would finally give Black Americans the right to vote
• He also encouraged welfare legislation which became known as the "Great Society Programs", named after a speech he made in Ann Arbor. These introduced Medicare and Medicaid, saw a large decrease in people living below the poverty line and increased funding for education. However, these became overshadowed by the disastrous war in Vietnam
• He once gave orders to an aide while sitting on the toilet
• Once, while walking across the White House lawn to one of several helicopters waiting there, someone called out "Mr President! That's not you're helicopter!" Johnson replied "Son, they are all my helicopters."
• He had smoked heavily up until 1955 when he'd had a heart attack, and was forced to quit. After leaving office in 1969, he went back to smoking and his health took a turn for the worse. In 1973, he died in Stonewall. It would be 22 years before the next US President would die.

Answer 2

President: Lyndon B. Johnson (August 27, 1908 - January 22, 1973)

Term: November 23, 1963 - January 20, 1969

Background: Johnson was born near Stonewall, Texas to Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr. and Rebekah Baines. His family is descent from a pioneer Baptist clergyman named George Washington Baines. Johnson's father joined the Christian Church Disciples of Christ. His family was also from a Scots-Irish descent. Johnson attended the Southwest Texas State Teachers' College and then began teaching in 1927 to Mexican children. Johnson then became a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 10th District and was in office from April 10, 1937 to January 3, 1949. He then became the United States Senator from Texas from January 3, 1949 to January 3, 1961. Then Johnson became the 10th United States Senate Majority Whip and was in office from January 3, 1951 to January 3, 1953. From 7th January 3, 1953 to January 3, 1961, Johnson became the United States Senate Democratic Leader. He then became the 9th United States Senate Minority Leader and was in office from January 3, 1953 to January 3, 1955. Johnson then became the 11th United States Senate Majority Leader and was in office from January 3, 1955 to January 3, 1961. Johnson then became the 37th Vice President of the United States and his term lasted from January 20, 1961 to November 22, 1963.

Political Party: Democratic

Vice-President: Hubert Humphrey (1965-1969)

Major Domestic Policy: During Johnson's presidency, the Momentum for Civil Rights came more abundant as he pushed for the passage of civil rights legislation. Civil Rights activism became very abundant. Acts such as the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965 were an enacted giving blacks their civil rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was then passed in June 1964, which outlawed discrimination in employment on the basis of race, religion, national origin, or sex. Voting rights were still not equal, hence the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed on August 6, which suspended the literacy test and other measures most southern states used to prevent blacks from registering to vote. Millions of blacks were able to vote due to this Act and the adoption of the 24th Amendment because it outlawed poll tax. Johnson then though of methods to reduce poverty through his idea of the Great Society and War on Poverty. Liberalism amplified especially due to such things as the Great Society and for war on poverty. The Tax cut was taken over by Johnson since Kennedy was assassinated. This was one of the biggest tax but ever seen. His administration expanded long-established social insurance, welfare, and public works programs. Also Social Security was now including waiters and waitresses, domestic servants, farm workers, and hospital employees. Food Stamps, begun in 1964 to stabilize farm prices, grew into a major program of assistance to low-income families. The Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 provided federal funding for local roads, heath clinics, and other public works projects in that poverty. The Office of Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 created programs that were so numerous and diverse that they recalled the alphabet agencies of the New Deal. Head Start provided free nursery schools to prepare disadvantaged preschoolers for kindergarten. The Job Corps and Neighborhood Youth Corps provided jobs and vocational training for young people. Upward Bound gave low-income teenagers the skills and motivation to go to college. Volunteers in Service to American promoted community service among youths in impoverished rural and urban areas. The Community Action Program encouraged the poor to demand "maximum feasible participation" in decisions that affected them. Many of the programs went under attack when unable to measure up to the promises. The American Medical Association used its influence to shape the Medicare and Medicaid programs to ensure that Congress did not impose a cap on medical expenses. In response to such political pressure, the Johnson administration gradually phased out the Community Action Program and instead channeled spending for housing, social services, and other urban poverty programs.

Major Foreign Policy: The Cold War was still occurring, but due to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the World would not have to worry about the war becoming a nuclear war. The Domino Theory was still being put into use as American troops fighting in Vietnam increased. The Vietnam War soared especially in 1965 as the arms race increased. The conflict was still not getting better, therefore Johnson proclaimed in March of 1968 that he would focus his time on accomplishing peace with Vietnam instead of running for another term. This policy did not help due to the fact that once Johnson left office; men were still dying in Vietnam. Johnson then began exposing aggression with Cuba. Cuba was trying to force American's to leave by shutting off freshwater to Guantanamo military base, but American's built their own water treatment plant. Johnson then declared that U2 spy-planes would remain flying over Cuba. Resulting from this, Castro said that he would command all U2 spy-planes to be shot down. Johnson replied by saying that all violence on U2 spy-planes would result with brutal action. What also occurred during the Vietnam War was Operation Rolling Thunder. This was an aerial attack against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from March 1965 until November 1, 1968. Johnson also took part in the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This Resolution was a joint resolution on August 7, 1964 dealing with the United States Congress when their was two minor naval skirmishes near the coast of North Vietnam between United States destroyers and Vietnamese torpedo ships, which is known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. This was a significant time in the United States because of the fact that the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave Johnson that power to declare war with Congress in order to use military force with Southeast Asia.

Major Supreme Court Decisions:

• Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964)-Held that when Congress enacted the Title II of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, it did not exceed its powers.

• Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)-Held that the Constitution entails members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by districts that contain around equal population.

• Escobedo v. Illinois (1964)-Held that when a suspect who has been refused counsel, the persons statements are excluded.

• Miranda v. Arizona (1966)-Held that under the 5th Amendment suspects should be told of their rights to remain silent and to acquire a lawyer while being brought into custody.

Intellectual and Social Development:

• There was also a revival of feminism as women began to seek for Civil Rights.

• Youth counterculture was occurring as families moved to the suburbs and family sizes were increasing.

• With Civil rights on the brink of passage in 1964, black organizations and churches mounted a major civil rights campaign in Mississippi. Drew in several thousands volunteers from across the country, including idealistic college students. Freedom Summer Workers established freedom schools, teaching black children traditional subjects and their own history.

• Malcolm X, African-American Muslim minister, came to a rise, as he became an activist for African American Rights.

• Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee after fighting for African American rights and advocating non-violent methods.

• César Estrada Chávez established the National Farm Workers Association.

Johnson's Legacy: Johnson will always be remembered for wanting to help the men who were dying in the cold war instead of focusing running for another term. He helped Kennedy's legacy by finish off his ideas. Also, his presidency helped towards expanding the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt. Johnson was known for his expectations of gaining Civil Rights for all, including voting rights. He will be remembered for helping those below the poverty line, and making sure that more Americans do not go below the poverty line with his ideas on health care and other programs.