Impact of Johnson's Great Society

What % of America’s population lived below the poverty line in the early 1960s

more than 20%

When did Johnson make his first Great Society speech?

1964- Ohio

How many laws did congress enact during Johnson’s presidency?

over 200

Give 2 examples of some of these programmes that still exist today

Medicare

Medicaid

Between 1965 ad 1968 how much spending to help the poor increase?

double- $16bn to $26 bn

How did these prgrammes affect the % of those below the poverty line?

dropped from 20% to 12%

(continued to remain below 15%)

Why did many of these policies fail to last?

• lack of funding (Vietnam as priority)

• No second term running for Johnson

• Dismantled in 70s from conservatism

Examples of education legislation from the Great Society

• 1965: Elementary and Secondary Education act: granted federal aid to poor children, first federal money to go directly to help schools

• 1965: Higher Education Act: provided federal funding for post-secondary education in the form of scholarships and loans

Examples of environment legislation

1964: Wilderness Preservation Act: set aside 9 million acres of federal land to be protected from commercial use, creating 45 national parks

examples of urban development legislation

• 1964: Urban Mass Transportation Act: Federal aid provided for public transport in city centres, where the poor tended to live

• 1966: Metropolitan Area Redevelopment and Demonstration Cities Act: Designated 150 ‘model cities’ for programmes of social services, job training and housing including subsidies for housing and slum clearance.

examples of Social Welfare legislation

• 1964: Economic opportunity Act: created OEO administering a range of War on Poverty programmes (Head Start with free nursery schools for disadvantaged children, VISTA in encouraging young people in community service in poor areas)

• 1964: Omnibus Housing Act: federal funds for public housing and rent subsidies for low-income families

Medical care act:

1965: Created Medicaid- medical care for the poor- and Medicare- medical care for elderly- paid for by taxes and federal funds

other social welfare legislation:

• 1965: Air and Water Quality Act: set tougher standards and required states to enforce quality controls

• 1965 Minimum Wage Act: raised the minimum wage and included new groups of employees

pos: From 1959 to 1968, how many families had lived below the poverty line

1959: 40 million

1968: 25 million (according to Census Bureau)

How much had the minimum wage gone up by from the Minimum Wage Act?

$1.25 an hour to $1.40 an hour

How much did the number of Black Americans earning less than $3000 fall between 1960 to 1968?

fell from 41% (1960) to 23% (1968)

What happened to number of students graduating?

Students graduating from high school increased

What did the Medical Care Act now provide doctors with?

Provided doctors with services which they had previously given for free, many people had previously received medical help through charities

How many people were given access to decent health care for the first time?

• 25 million

How did the Programme increase the role of federal government in citizens welfare?

Put poverty. justice, and access into the centre of politics

More welfare legislation was passed than in..

the New Deal

How much did the number of African Americans living under the poverty line fall by?

over 50%

What was lacking in Head Start?

lack of spending on sufficient teachers

Who did not benefit from the emphasis on opportunity?

Those who could not take up on opportunity such as the old, elderly and single mothers

What led to increasing criticism for Johnson?

The escalation on the Vietnam war- spending was diverted from the Great Society to paying for the war.

How did the number of riots change from the programme?

1964-66: riots in many cities as many young African Americans were frustrated at high rates of unemployment, continuing discrimination and poverty.

1967, riots in 125 cities

What was the average total spent yearly by the Great Society?

never spent more than $2 billion in a year

How did Community Action Programmes impact councils?

raised expectations beyond the willingness of the city councils to deliver them.

What class limitations did the Great Society experience

Wealth was not redistributed, it could only be done through major tax reform

How did some middle class and blue collar workers feel about their work?

Felt their work was being undervalued.

How did republicans oppose the Great Society’s measures?

Argued that Johnson wasted money on welfare programmes and undermined ‘rugged individualism’