LBJ: The Great Society

Ch 15.3

Thursday, May 17, 2012

• Daily goal: Understand the main points of LBJ’s Great Society including: Medicare, Medicaid, HUD, Head Start and the War on Poverty.

LBJ replaces JFK

• The death of JFK made Vice President Lyndon Johnson the President, and he was better known as LBJ.

President Johnson

• LBJ’s agenda was called the Great Society – A more perfect and equal America.

• LBJ took over where JFK had left off and began his “war on poverty” which created many programs to help America’s poor.

VISTA

• Volunteers in Service to America was similar to the Peace Corps, but it sent people to aid the poor and within the US.

• VISTA is today known as AmeriCorps.

Medicare

• Social Security had protected the elderly from poverty, but less than half had Health Insurance.

• LBJ created Medicare which provided free government Health Insurance for people over 65.

Medicaid

• Medicare’s twin program was Medicaid.• The program was created to provide Health

insurance for the poor.

Head Start

• LBJ valued education and started the Head Start program to give disadvantaged kids an opportunity to attend preschool.

HUD

• Housing and Urban Development Administration created subsidies to help low income people afford housing.

Think About it…

• Which Great Society program do you think was the most important to America? Why?

Think About it…

• LBJ grew the government in size, expense and responsibility.

• How much help can the gov’t give its people before the lose the motivation to fight hardships themselves?