What is the value in experiencing this complicated history through theatre as opposed to in a textbook?

Sometimes it is easier to grasp the outline and even the particulars of a past event when it is dramatized, as opposed to reading it in a textbook. The story “comes alive” in a way that is rarely possible when just reading it.

As a playwright, what was it like to revisit political events that you experienced as teenager?

It was fascinating. Even though I lived through this period and was to some degree very involved in (or at least aware of) these events, there was so much I didn’t know or had forgotten. It is fascinating to be reminded of how little attention we actually pay to the daily political events in our lives, even ones that are as influential as this. It is a good lesson in how to live your life today—be conscious.

Which elements of LBJ’s story do you hope will resonate particularly strongly with young people?

Social and political progress is the result of the individual efforts of many ordinary people. You matter. What you do matters. Social justice will not happen by itself. It needs you.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our young audiences?

As you watch these individuals—LBJ, Dr. King, Bob Moses, Fannie Lou Hamer—struggle to make equality more an actual part of the American experience, what are the issues that are important to you? When you think about “power” in your life—the acquisition and exercise of—how do you decide where the line is drawn in terms of what is an acceptable compromise? How far do you think a person should go to achieve what they think is a “good” thing? Do the ends always justify the means? If not, where do you draw the line?

Great Society, Great Accomplishments

“We have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the

powerful society, but upward to the Great Society.”—LBJ

JOHNSON’S DREAMLBJ’s vision for the U.S. was rooted in equality. He wanted to create a nation with the highest standard of living in the world and equal access to safe housing, education and health care. His Great Society programs represent the largest expansion of social services since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs of the 1930s.

Johnson’s pet project was his War on Poverty, over 40 bills to improve living and working conditions for America’s poorest citizens.

Over the course of his time in office, LBJ passed thousands of bills. Some notable ones are listed below:ACCOMPLISHMENTS

EDUCATION

• Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 Funded primary and secondary schools, enforced equal opportunity, established high standards but forbade a uniform national curriculum.

• Higher Education Act of 1965 Increased federal money given to universities, created scholarships, gave low-interest loans for students, and established a National Teachers Corps.

• National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 Established the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts to promote artistic progress and scholarship.

PUBLIC BROADCASTING

• Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 Created public broadcasting by providing funds for educational radio and TV programs. This act eventually led to the creation of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR).

POVERTY AND HEALTHCARE

• Head Start Program (1965) Provided early childhood education, nutrition, and parent services to low-income children.

• Medicare (1965) Guaranteed health insurance for Americans age 65 and over who have worked and paid into the system, as well as younger people with disabilities.

• Medicaid (1965) Provided health care for low income families and individuals of all ages.

ENVIRONMENT

• Clean Air Act of 1963 Designed to control air pollution on a national level, the act put regulations in place to protect the public from hazardous airborne contaminants.

• Fish and Wildlife Conservation Protection Act (1966) Protected some 35 species of mammals and 30-40 species of birds which conservationists believed would otherwise become extinct.

CIVIL RIGHTS

• Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1968 LBJ’s first civil rights legislation outlawed most forms of racial segregation, and four years later he passed another bill that provided equal housing opportunities.

• Voting Rights Act of 1965 Regulated the administration of elections so voters would not be discriminated against based on race. One of the key pieces of this legislation ensured that voting laws could not be changed at the state level. (In 2013 the Supreme Court struck down this part of the act, allowing nine Southern states to change election laws without advanced federal approval.)

DO WE LIVE IN A GREAT SOCIETY?In the Southern U.S. police brandish heavy weaponry and utilize dogs to ward off enraged civil rights protestors. The situation is so explosive that the government sends in federal agents to intervene and announces a full investigation led by the Department of Justice. In the meantime, voting rights for all citizens are endangered due to shifting political boundaries and increasingly onerous proof of identification laws. In Washington D.C. the divide between the executive and legislative branches of government is deeply polarized. The country is challenged by a wide socio-economic divergence between the upper and middle classes. The United States sends military “advisors” into a foreign country and risks being drawn into all-out war. Sound like the 1960s? Actually these are the events of 2014.

Photos from last summer’s protests in Ferguson, Missouri bear resemblance to the 1967 Newark riots.

Though LBJ’s Great Society and Voting Rights Acts were watershed moments for the United States, it is worth pondering how much of his vision for the country remains intact. Indeed, some speculate that the emergence of political movements like the Tea Party can be traced back in part to the conversion of the Democratic South to a Republican stronghold, a conversion due in part to the policies of LBJ. Has the United States evolved into the Great Society envisioned by LBJ?

By Robert Schenkkan Directed by Bill Rauch

in partnership with Oregon Shakespeare Festival

The minute you gain power, you start to lose it. From 1965 to 1968, LBJ struggled to pass some of the most important social programs in U.S. history. The Great Society depicts the larger-than-life politician’s tragic fall from grace, as his legislative War on Poverty is overshadowed by the escalation of the Vietnam War.

The Great SocietyDecember 5, 2014—January 4, 2015

Accidental president. Brilliant politician. Flawed man. It’s 1963 and an assassin’s bullet catapults Lyndon Baines Johnson into the presidency. A Shakespearean figure of towering ambition and appetite, the charismatic and conflicted Texan hurls himself into Civil Rights legislation, throwing the country into turmoil.

All the WayNovember 14, 2014—January 4, 2015

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:1) Ask an adult in your life about their memories of the ‘60s.

How do their experiences compare to what you see onstage?2) How would you evaluate LBJ’s presidency? If he were a

candidate today, would you vote for him?3) What is a “Great Society”? What does social justice mean to you?4) What political stories from today do you think we will be talking

about 50 years from now?

From the Playwright A CONVERSATION WITH ROBERT SCHENKKAN

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act and shakes hands with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Pictured left to right: LBJ signs Medicare bill on July 30, 1965. LBJ during a commencement speech at the University of Michigan on May 22, 1964. LBJ’s War on Poverty outreach.

Written by Emma Watt, Rose Woodbury, and Scott Koh.#seattlerep

The Vietnam War AN INHERITED WARU.S. involvement in the Vietnam War did not begin or end with President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ). When LBJ stepped into office, he relied on Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and other advisers from the Kennedy administration for foreign policy expertise and military leadership. Thrust into office, LBJ chose to focus on the 1964 presidential election, knowing that increased involvement in Vietnam would not be smart politically. After LBJ won the election, however, incidents overseas made the Vietnam conflict increasingly complex and impossible to set aside.

INTERNAL UNREST:“WHY ARE WE IN VIETNAM?”

Whether they were protesting outside the White House, or arguing at the dinner table, by 1968 over half the country was asking, “Why are we in Vietnam?”

The answer was never simple. After World War II, France tried to take control of Vietnam, leading to eight years of conflict, 400,000 causalities, and the rise of communist leader Ho Chi Minh. When the French surrendered, President Eisenhower sent in military advisors to prop up the new South Vietnamese government, a policy Kennedy continued despite corrupt leadership in South Vietnam. When the corrupt government fell apart, Johnson sent in troops to protect decades of investment in the region.

But why protect a corrupt government? Fear of nuclear war with Soviet Russia was tangible during the Cold War (1946—1991). According to the so-called “Domino Theory,” if South Vietnam became communist, so would nearby countries like Laos, Thailand, and even Australia, threatening American security in a region dominated by communist China and Soviet Russia. To a Cold War generation, victory in Vietnam was a matter of national security.

LBJ’S ACHILLES’ HEEL: INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONAs he had done when seeking election in 1964, LBJ downplayed the war to the American public. He made few speeches about it and chose to focus on his domestic agenda with the Great Society programs. While LBJ was adept at building relationships domestically by bargaining and bartering with local politicians, he was not able to apply these skills as easily to conflicts overseas.

Many Americans came to see the Vietnam conflict as a civil war which had gone on for decades and could not be resolved by U.S. intervention. Because no American president had lost a war, and Johnson was determined not to be the first, he believed that if he persisted in demonstrating America’s strength, Ho Chi Minh would come to the bargaining table as was common in his dealings with American politicians.

Ultimately, by the time LBJ left office in 1968, the conflict in Vietnam had overshadowed his many domestic accomplishments.

The Civil Rights Movement GAINING MOMENTUM FOR EQUALITYWhen Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) stepped into the role of President after John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, he not only took on the great challenge of leading a grieving nation but the task of passing bills which Kennedy had endorsed. One of these bills was to become the Civil Rights Act of 1964, legislation which was strongly opposed by Southern Democrats.

LIFE UNDER JIM CROWAlthough federal law abolished slavery in 1865, a system of state and local laws known as Jim Crow continued to limit every aspect of African American freedom. Laws justified racial segregation by labeling African Americans “separate but equal.”

If you were a black teenager living in the ‘60s before the Civil Rights Act, you attended different schools than your white peers with outdated textbooks, poorly maintained buildings, and far fewer teachers. You couldn’t wait in the same waiting rooms or sit in the same part of a bus, go out for ice cream in the same stores, or be buried in the same graveyard as a white person.

African Americans were prevented from voting through laws requiring poll taxes and literacy tests. They faced blatant discrimination in hiring practices and home ownership, police brutality, false accusations of rape and murder, and daily verbal abuse. Even in the North, where Jim Crow laws were less common, these forms of discrimination existed, resulting in de facto segregation between black and white Americans.

MOVING TOWARD JUSTICELBJ and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. met less than two months after Kennedy’s assassination. Each man had already spoken highly of the other and an alliance on civil rights was imminent. Johnson also worked with several civil rights activist groups to help pass the Civil Rights Act.

One of the most notable achievements of Johnson’s presidency, the Civil Rights Act, outlawed segregation and discrimination based on race, gender or religion in hiring, promoting and firing. Outlawing segregation meant that blacks and whites now had the legal right to attend the same schools and to patronize the same establishments.

Many have questioned Johnson’s true motivation in passing the Civil Rights Act. Was he a true believer in equal opportunity for all Americans, or was passing the bill a pragmatic move to avoid further violence and gain the support of a substantial minority vote?

Meet the Political Players

Boy from rural Texas turned behind-the-scenes master of Congress; the “accidental” president was thrust into the public eye with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. At one of the most volatile moments in American history, suddenly politicians, journalists, soldiers and activists are all asking, “What does LBJ want?”

All the Way and The Great Society are historical dramas, and the characters on stage are fictionalized portrayals of real people. Sometimes, the dialogue on stage has been copied directly from speeches or papers written by the political figures. Other times, their words are the work of the playwright’s imagination.

FAIR WEATHER FANS

Richard RussellSenator from Georgia, Southern Democrat

Despite being LBJ’s close friend and political mentor, Russell led the Southern Democrats, a group of white senators and congressmen determined to block civil rights progress.

J. Edgar HooverFirst Director of the FBI

Hoover ran the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 48 years under six presidents. A keeper of personal and political secrets, his agenda was his own.

UNLIKELY ALLIES

From his “I Have a Dream” speech to the Nobel Peace Prize, King galvanized a nation to fight racial oppression using nonviolent resistance. A master of activism and political strategy, he also advocated for urban poverty relief and was against the war in Vietnam.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK)Civil Rights Leader

A close associate of MLK, Abernathy helped lead the SCLC and the 1968 March on Washington.

Ralph AbernathyCivil Rights Leader

LBJ LOYALISTS

Lady Bird JohnsonLBJ’s wife

A shrewd manager of LBJ’s campaigns, she was also a lifelong advocate for beautifying the nation’s cities and highways.

Walter JenkinsChief Aide to the President

His even temperament and ability to gracefully navigate tense situations made him one of Johnson’s top aides.

Hubert HumphreyVice President, Liberal Democrat

Humphrey was a strong advocate for civil rights and social programs. He ardently supported LBJ, at least in the public eye. Behind the scenes, the two argued about Vietnam War policies.

STAUNCH OPPONENTS

Governor George WallaceAlabama Governor, Southern Democrat

Wallace threatened civil rights from the governor’s mansion while challenging Johnson in the 1964 Democratic Primary.

Robert F. KennedySenator from New York, Liberal Democrat

The younger brother and closest advisor to late President John F. Kennedy, Robert was a powerful and charismatic Democratic leader—and no fan of Johnson’s.

Barry Goldwater1964 Presidential Nominee, Republican

Goldwater ran against LBJ for the presidency in 1964. Though ultimately he lost the election, Goldwater was credited with the resurgence of the American conservative political movement.

PRESIDENT LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON (LBJ) U.S. President: November 1963—January 1969

CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), run by Dr. King, was the largest of the civil rights groups, and organized through black churches.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) organized young people for civil rights demonstrations.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the oldest civil rights group in the play, favored legislative action over protests.

“We have talked long

enough in this country

about equal rights.

We have talked for

one hundred years or

more. It is time now to

write the next chapter,

and to write it in the

books of law.” —LBJ

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR EDUCATION SPONSORS:National Endowment for the Arts Thomas Wright & Alexandra Brouwer-Wright The Chisholm Foundation Washington State Arts Commission U.S. Bank Foundation

Horizons Foundation The Loeb Family Charitable Foundations National Corporate Theatre Fund Fales Foundation Trust AT&T Foundation

Photo credits: Left panel: Signs during Jim Crow, 1963 March on Washington Middle panel: LBJ’s War on Poverty outreach Right panel: Vietnam War protests

“This is not a jungle war, but a

struggle for freedom on every

front of human activity.”—LBJ