Lyndon Baines Johnson

Birth-Death: (1908 - 1973 ) Term: (1963-1969 )

Great strides in American history were made during Johnson's administration, however, the conflict in Vietnam remains a controversial subject today. The Civil Rights Act was passed, and President Johnson declared a war on poverty. Medicare and the Department of Housing and Urban Development were two of the first legislations passed in his efforts towards a Great Society. Under Johnson, the first black cabinet member and the first black Supreme Court justice were appointed. In 1968, three astronauts orbited the moon.

Major Events with Lyndon Johnson

1964 - Income Tax Cut

    The income tax was greatly reduced in February of 1964. For example, based on a family of four, an income of $5,000 was taxed $290 instead of $420, and an income of $8,000 was taxed $772 instead of $972.

1964 - Civil Rights Act

    The Civil Rights Act of 1964 finally passed after a three month long filibuster in the Senate was ended by a cloture vote The major provisions of the act were as following: uniform standards must be setup for the right to vote; schooling through sixth grade constituted literacy and all literacy tests must be saved and could be requested by the Attorney General; all public accommodations (food, gasoline, lodging or entertainment) were made available to all persons without discrimination based on race, sex, or origin; projects receiving federal money would lose the money if there is discrimination based on race, color, or origin. Throughout the Act there are references to the Attorney Generalıs right to enforce the law. It was obvious that resistance would exist, and the law showed that the Federal government was willing to enforce the law.

1964 - Anti-Poverty Act

    Johnsonıs war on poverty began in 1964 with the an act that spent almost $950 million on establishing job-training centers, giving aid to low income families and needy college students, establishing a domestic peace corps, and increasing the number of people with basic education.

1965 - Immigration Act

    This law discontinued quotas based on national origin, as set up in the 1920s. Instead, the United States was looking for professionals. Preference was given to people who were of the occupation the United States was looking for, and the question of national origin was completely left out.

1965 - Medicare Established

    Starting July 1, 1966 Medicare provided payment of hospital and doctor expenses to most of the people 65 and over. It did not apply to aliens and civil employees already on government insurance.