Goal 11 Part 4

Lyndon B. Johnson’s

GREAT SOCIETY

Lyndon B. Johnson

Sworn in as President after

JFK’s assassination (1963) Goal for America = The Great Society

(poverty, attack on racial injustices, economy, education, environment, consumer protection, housing, healthcare, consumer protection & rights of the accused)

*** VERY successful –later elected in 1968

WAR ON POVERTY = it worked!

Great Society programs / laws

Tax – Cut Bill (Tax Reduction Act)(1964) = $10 billion cut – spurred economic growth and cut deficit spending from 6 to 4 billion

**********Civil Rights Act (1964)**********- Prohibited discrimination based on race, religion,

gender & gave the power to the government to enforce it!

- (loss of federal funding if proven guilty)- *** Why do we need this when we have Brown??

Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) 1964 (Great Society Program)$ 1 billion to the YOUTH of America

Created the following:

Job Corps: youth training program *jobs

VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America)

Project Headstart: underprivileged “preschoolers”

Community Action Program: encourage poor people to participate on public work projects

Great Society Attacks DISCRIMINATION in America 24th Amendment – no more “poll tax”

Voting Rights Act (1965)- No more “literacy test”

- * Remember: poll tax and literacy tests were ways for the South to limit cultures from receiving rights

Education and Healthcare:

Elementary and Secondary Education Act = $ 1 billion to purchase textbooks and library materials

HEALTHCARE (GREAT SOCIETY)Medicare - Provides insurance forAmericans over 65 years oldMedicaid – extends health insurance for welfare

recipients

Immigration & Environment (GREAT SOCIETY)Immigration Act (1965) -ended immigration based on quotas (no more quotas) - opened Southern and Eastern Europe to immigrate into

America- Dissolved the Emergency Quota Act from the 1920s- Why did we limit years ago???Environment:*****Rachel Carson: Silent Spring – exposed the hidden

dangers of “pesticides” on the environment (chemicals getting into the rivers and lakesof America) = leads to the Water Quality Act – states given money to clean up rivers and lakes

Consumer Protection & Warren Court

Ralph Nader –Unsafe at Any SpeedCriticized the auto industry for ignoring risks or safety concerns************************************************************

WARREN COURT (Chief Justice Earl Warren) LIBERALISM – took over the court system throughout the 50’s-

60’s *Great Society******** GAVE MORE RIGHTS TO THE ACCUSED *********Brown V. Board of Education (1954)Segregation = unconstitutional(****OVERTURNED: Plessy v. Ferguson****)

RIGHTS OF THE ACCUSED(GREAT SOCIETY/ WARREN COURT)

Mapp v. Ohio – evidence seized illegally cannot be used to incriminate the accused

Gideon v. Wainwright – a court-ordered lawyer will be appointed to you if you cannot afford it (right to counsel during court process)

Escobedo v. Illinois – the accused have the right to counsel “DURING” police questioning

Miranda v. Arizona – accused MUST be read their rights BEFORE questioning

*The ACCUSED are receiving MORE RIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!