Lyndon B. Johnson - Domestic policies Flashcards
War on Poverty
In January 1964, Johnson declared an ‘unconditional’ war on poverty and to ‘eradicate poverty among the forgotten fifth’.
Persuaded congress to pass the Economic opportunity Act, and the Office of Economic Opportunity to coordinate the war on poverty.
In 1965, Johnson reminded congress of their progress:
-antipoverty programmes in 44 states, with 6 to come.
- 53 Job Corps Centres providing training
- 35000 college students in work-study programmes
- 35000 adults learning to read and write.
- Established Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA)
Johnson’s approach to healthcare
Johnson established medicare and medicaid in the 1965 social security act, which helped 19 million Americans in 1966, becoming extremely popular within a decade.
However, was far more expensive as fees were set by doctors and hospitals - medicaid increased spending on poor citizens from $1.3bn to $2bn from 1965-66.
- the problem of costly healthcare continued.
Johnson’s approach to education
Johnson claimed 8 million people had under 5 years of schooling. So…
* he obtained congressional agreement for education expenditure to be doubled to $8 billion
*Passed the Education Act & the Higher Education Act in 1965 targeting poorest states and children
Over 13 million benefited from federal aid to education - the % of diplomas rose and the shortage of teachers had came to end.
Johnson’s Fair Housing Act (drawback of Johnsons 1968 civil right legislation)
Despite 1965 legislation, ghetto issues continued, with 4/5 of ghetto rioters claiming it was housing problems rather than the poverty creating dissatisfaction. White taxpayers refused to fund large-scale improvements.
In 1968, Johnson’s Fair Housing Act hoped to better overcrowding in ghettos without costing taxpayers.
-unsuccesful due to white opposition.
Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement - Student Protests
December 1964, Mario Savio led the student protest against the infringement of their free speech after the Uni of California didn’t allow fund raising for the SNCC
Slogan “ You can’t trust anyone over 30!”.
The FSM triggered nationwide student protests, demanding a say in University authorities and resented Uni research for gov. defence agencies.
However, their focus changed to anti-vietnams protests after Johnson sent ground troops to Danang.
20,000 participated in a Berkeley Teach Inn, and 8000 vandalised cars and buildings in Oakland, on drugs.
SDS and the MOBE - Student Protests
In 1965, 25000 students participated in a March in Washington DC organised by the SDS.
*SDS established the National Mobilisation Committee to end the war (MOBE).
*Organised a demonstration in Washington as part of the 1967 Stop the Draft Week.
Columbia University Protests - Student Protests
In 1968 students from the Uni of Columbia resented…
*University involvement in weapon research, supporting the war effort
*Columbia expansion programmes evicting thousands of Harlem residents
*A gym constructed in a public park had separate access for the Uni students and Harlem residents - seen as a segregationist policy “Gym Crow”.
1000 Columbia students seized university buildings, & covered walls with pics of Malcom X and communist heroes eg. Karl Marx.
Police used clubs to make 700 arrests, and the Uni shut down for that term and abandoned the gym.
The Hippie Movement - Hippie protests
The roots of hippie counterculture lay in the beat generation, rejecting society’s emphasis on individualism, competitiveness and materialism.
Mid 60’s a group of young people moved into San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury area, wearing alternative clothes, doing drugs and attending ‘happenings’.
- became known as ‘hashbury’ due to hash popularity.
At the ‘Human Be-In’ in Golden Gate Park Jan. 1967, thousands celebrated personal freedom & communal living. At the ‘Summer of Love’, hippies attracted tens of thousands of followers of counterculture.
The greatest happening was Woodstock Rock Festival in New York, 1969 attended by 400,000. “Make Love, not war”. nude lake swimming, sex, and drugs. Headlined by Jimi Hendrix & Joan Baez.
The hippie movement faded by the mid 70’s but brought international attention to environmentalism & the liberalisation of attitudes towards sex & drugs.
Triggered the conservative reaction that brought Nixon into the White House.
Sexual liberalisation
The Kinsey Reports hastened the liberalisation of sexual behaviour. This was furthered by the availability of ‘the pill’ in the 60s.
However, long standing conservatism about birth control & abortion remained.
– Before 1965, married couples were denied contraception by doctors.
– Before 1974, unmarried couples were denied birth control by doctors.
– Before 1973, abortion was illegal. In the early 1960s, a Chicago hospital treated over 5000 women for abortion complications from Coat Hanger usage.
National Organisation for Women - Women protests
1966, Betty Friedan formed the National Organisation for Women (NOW), issuing a statement of purpose to ‘break through the silver curtain of prejudice towards woman. Used a variety of tactics including…
– Litigation - 1968, NOW won a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Ruling, overthrowing the Muncy Act, where woman convicted of crimes punishable by more than 3 years had to receive the maximum sentence.
– Political Pressure - presented politicians with a Bill of Rights for Women in 1968, which sought the enforcement of Title VII to ending employment discrimination , and reproductive rights (eg. abortion).
– Protests - organised a 1970 national strike for equality. “Don’t iron while the strike is hot”.
Jo Freeman and ‘Consciousness rising’ - women protests
The late 60s saw the emergence of more radical feminists, such as Jo Freeman, who opposed sexist suppression and the objectifying of women.
She produced the ‘Voice of the Women’s Liberation Movement’, encouraging the formation of women liberation movements worldwide - ‘consciousness rising’ meetings took place in communities and colleges, raising awareness for gender equality.
In 1960, 1/4 of women said they felt discriminated against. This reached 2/3 by 1974.
Radical female protest groups - women protests
Radical feminist, Valerie Solanas founded the Society for Cutting Up Men (SCUM), SCUM manifesto claimed men ruin the world, and its women’s job to fix it.
- attempted to assassinate artist Andy Warhol.
There was also the Women’s Independence Terrorist conspiracy from Hell (WITCH), who hosted an ‘un-wedding’ at a bridal fair in Madison Square Garden.
In sept. 1968, 400 feminists gathered on Atlantic City Boardwalk outside the Miss America Pageant.
- crowned a sheep to show how women were treated like animals, protesting against conformity to beauty standards.
These groups raised attention for the Women’s Rights movement, and brought attention away from CRM, as editors put pictures of young woman on CR coverage.
Johnson’s response to the women’s movement
Prompted Johnson to issue executive order 11375 in 1968, adding ‘sex’ to ‘race, colour and religion’ that the Civil Rights Act of 1968 prohibited organisation from discriminating against .
The federal government now worked closer to the women’s movement.
