Preview

Why Is Lyndon B Johnson A Good President

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
475 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Is Lyndon B Johnson A Good President
Overshadowed by his predecessor, the charismatic John F. Kennedy, and his successor, the notoriously scandalous Richard Nixon, Lyndon Baines Johnson's legacy and doings within the White House during his six years in office are nearly buried under the climatic terms of both Kennedy and Nixon. “(of Lyndon) Flawed, yes, and not always good, but great” (Updegrove). Johnson, held accountable for the war in Vietnam, had many presidential blunders, but passed many legislatures that couldn't have been passed by any other presidents and of which continue to effect today's politics. More times than not, presidents never envision that they would conquer the highest position in politics, becoming president of the United States, and Lyndon B. Johnson was no exception. In a small farmhouse in South Central Texas, a future president was born in the summer of 1908. A young Johnson quickly grew fond of education, so much so, he decided to …show more content…
to be the secretary of a senator, where he first ventured into the political realm. He became a Senator years later and was nicknamed “Landslide Lyndon,” for his great defeat over Republican Jack Porter, Johnson got 82% of the votes. After dominating the Senate, Johnson was chosen to be Kennedy's vice president, after Johnson's unsuccessful own bid at the presidency. The duo immediately gained popularity and won, but tragedy struck when Kennedy was assassinated and Johnson hastily became the 36th president of the United States. After finishing Kennedy's term, Johnson continued when he won the election of 1964. Despite the less than ideal beginning to Johnson's presidency, he passed many legislatures, such as the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Economic Opportunity act; and he started the War on Poverty along with his Great Society. Although many monumentous laws were implemented by Johnson, Lyndon Baines Johnson's presidency will forever be unfairly summed up in one word:

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt book by Alan Brinkley is considered to be a brilliant biography of America’s thirty-second President. As he himself noted, “No president since the nation’s founding has done more to shape the character of American government” (p. 62). Indeed, the main aim of this short biography is to highlight Roosevelt’s greatness and guile that to most went unnoticed. As Brinkley claimed and most scholars agree, “No president since Lincoln has served through darker or more difficult times,” Roosevelt is recognized as a resilient President that led the country through the worst economic crisis in history (p. 98). In addition, Brinkley aims to provide a concise, but vivid narrative of Roosevelt’s character and notable achievements,…

    • 1077 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Chapter’s title from Camelot to Watergate captures numerous impactful events in American history from 1961 -1975. The title shows how the mood of society went from joyous and lighthearted under Kennedy’s leadership to serious and suspenseful under Nixon’s leadership. For Example, Kennedy encouraged Americans adults and children to become active to gain fitness. Fun, entertaining musical shows began to be performed, such as the Camelot. This really captured American’s Attention and filled the country with excitement. However by the time Nixon had become president, Americans all over the country had lost the mood that many had developed under Kennedy’s leadership. African Americans were beginning to develop a stronger urge for civil Rights. The nation was involved in a senseless war known as the Vietnam War. John F…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kennedy received opposition from three main groups: Protestant Christians, older members of Congress and Southern Democrats. Each of these groups had a problem with the way Kennedy was going about his job. The Protestants were suspicious of Kennedy because he was Catholic, and the majority of presidents before him were Protestant. Older members of Congress felt Kennedy was too young and inexperienced to handle the job he had been given; this distrust was amplified by the fact that Kennedy never made much of an effort to persuade members of Congress to support his policies. But Kennedy received the most opposition from Southern Democrats, who were opposed to black Civil Rights. Kennedy hoped to be re-elected in 1964 and needed the support of these Congressman, and as a result did not play a leading role in the Civil Rights Movement for fear of losing their support.…

    • 613 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lyndon B Johnson came into office January 1995, after been elected president by the American Public in November 1964. Johnson inherited a war that wasn’t really developed military but something that was aimed to developing the South Vietnamese army rather than send in American ground troops. Furthermore Johnson accepted the Communist threat and he believed that it was essential to contain this threat. Furthermore he didn’t want to be the first American president to be in charged when it suffered its first military defeat. Due to this Johnson was the president that escalated the American presence in South Vietnam.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The presidents have always played a crucial role in American politics and are known for their roles in unifying the nation. They are glorified for their charisma and ability to lead, but even these brilliant men make economic, political, and social blunders. Andrew Jackson, who was in office from 1829-1837, was a president of many firsts as he was the first frontier president, first to have a “kitchen cabinet”, and first to use a pocket veto. Jackson was later succeeded by his vice president, Martin Van Buren. Van Buren, who was in office from 1837-1841, was known for his shrewd political skills. Both these men laid down the foundations for a stronger, more centralized national government with methods that garnered mixed responses.…

    • 1818 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    He finished Kennedy's term and was further elected to hold his own office of the presidency in 1964. Johnson was responsible for designing the Great Society legislation. He took a lot Kennedy's domestic proposals and turned them in to his own. Lyndon Johnson gets a lot of criticism of his foreign policy, but he is generally a favorite due to his domestic policies.…

    • 198 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why Benjamin Harrison Was a Good President Benjamin Harrison was the United State’s 23rd President. He did many things that were memorable, such as annexing Hawaii. Harrison was born in Ohio during the year 1833.…

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Born in North Carolina in 1808 to impoverished parents, Andrew Johnson had no formal education. He became a tailor’s apprentice at age fourteen. He later moved to Greenville, in eastern Tennessee, where he established a thriving tailor shop and went into local politics. Andrew Johnson was a lifelong Democrat and slave owner who won a place alongside Abraham Lincoln on the 1864 Republican ticket, in order to gain the support of pro-war Democrats.…

    • 2426 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lyndon B Johnson became president in 1963 after the assassination of President John F Kennedy on November 22nd 1963. He formulated many policies including ‘The Great Society’. This was introduced in an aim to end poverty, improve education and rejuvenate cities for all Americans. Johnson also introduced Civil Rights. This act refers to the personal rights a citizen holds which are protected by the US government and prohibits; the discrimination of race, religion, age or gender. This was introduced to create equal opportunities for all. This essay will outline the key factors regarding whether or not Lyndon B Johnson was significant in improving Civil rights due to factors such as riots, involvement in Vietnam, the policies he introduced and laws which were passed.…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John F. Kennedy's presidency may have been short-lived, but his impact on the equal rights movement solidified his reputation as an effective leader within just two years. Throughout the John F. Kennedy presidency, he was a huge supporter of civil rights and making efforts amongst all for equal rights. Advocating for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to The American Presidency Project, “Executive Order 11114 (Equal Opportunity in Federally Conducted Education Programs): Signed on June 22, 1963, this order prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in federally conducted education and training programs.” (“Executive Order 11114—Extending the Authority of the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity…

    • 365 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After President Lincoln’s assassination, his Vice-President took over and kept a very similar plan for reconstruction. President Johnson was a democrat that was not liked by congress because of his inability to make important decision on laws and amendments. He believed states right and thought it was the white men of the South’s job to reestablish government. Congress had to overwrite veto after veto that Johnson’s weak policies’ did not accept. His refusal to punish the South and force them to enter blacks in their societies brought the congress to an attempt of impeachment that failed.…

    • 1457 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lyndon B. Johnson made many changes for United States, by introducing the country to acts that would change America. Johnson declared war on poverty and introduced the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964. The act was aimed at to attack unemployment and poverty, the act provided adult education, job training and loans to small business. The food stamp act was also introduced in 1964, where families with low or no income would be able to purchase food. If Johnson followed a more of a classical liberalism mindset this would not be possible, because that idea believes in less government involvement and a laissez-faire economic system.…

    • 255 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    As the longest governing president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt greatly impacted a volatile and vulnerable America with effects that last to this day. Coming into office, he was faced with the worst economic crisis in America’s history, and his decisive action afterwards permanently shaped the nation’s political and social structure. Towards the end of his final term, he was leading his country into a global war that would later define America as a powerhouse. Although FDR’s aggressive and progressive response to the Great Depression directly benefited the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and he was skillful handling the controversial World War II, he only earns an eight out ten with deductions for his poor treatment of minorities and his role in the Roosevelt Recession.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Andrew Johnson was a fearless, brave, noble, and inspired person, blind to the subtleties of human relations, deaf to the words of others, and convinced that he and he alone knew the truth. One word to describe him, pigheaded, and certainty not like some of our other contemporary political leaders. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, though more like a silver foot in his mouth. Johnson 's father died when he was four; there was no money left, so he was sent out as an apprentice when he was nine. He never went to school, but taught himself to read when he was seventeen. He became a tailor and ended up in Greeneville, Tennessee when he was twenty-two. In his 20’s he learned that he was good not only as a tailor, but at "stumping.” Stumping was known as getting up and letting go with a speech. No radio, no television, no YouTube, no instant messaging in those days, if you wanted to hear something besides the crickets in the grass and the cows in the field, you went to the nearest town to participate in the best pastime of them all: political stump speakers. Johnson was known as one of the best stumpers in America. He also knew how to win public office (governor of Tennessee, member of U. S. House of Representatives and the U. S. Senate, Vice-President), but he did not believe in wheeling-and-dealing, horse-trading, charming the opposition, and, as everyone knew, he could not be bought.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    DBQ 07- Lyndon B. Johnson

    • 908 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Johnson used the nations grief to pass the civil rights bill. It had the same idea of the bill Kennedy was planning on passing, but the difference was that Johnson’s was stronger and more powerful. This act was passed in July of 1964, and it outlawed radical discrimination in all public places. Places that included hotels, and restaurants, it banned the discrimination of unions, and the employers and even programs that were funded by the federal government. The civil rights act was not the only thing passed in 1964 though, he also passed the Economic Opportunity Act. As seen in document B, the act was made to help people in poverty. It started head start, a preschool program funded by the government, and gave workers and farmers money to break through and escape from poverty. It improved what was being done in our nation at that time, and became a milestone for our 180-year search for a better life for our people.…

    • 908 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays