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The Great Society. LBJ. Took office after JFK ’ s assassination in November, 1963 Encouraged passage of JFK ’ s Civil Rights Act and tax cut plans Deficit reduced from $6 billion to $4 billion Declares “ war on poverty ” and plans for new social programs. 1964 Election.
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LBJ • Took office after JFK’s assassination in November, 1963 • Encouraged passage of JFK’s Civil Rights Act and tax cut plans • Deficit reduced from $6 billion to $4 billion • Declares “war on poverty” and plans for new social programs
1964 Election • Barry Goldwater: conservative Republican • Not government’s job to create social programs • Johnson wins by landslide (61%), Democrats win large majorities in Congress • By the time he left office in 1969, Congress had passed more than 200 of his bills
consumer protections education immigration housing & cities poverty & health care environment The Great Society
Education • ESEA of 1965: $1 billion for textbooks • College scholarships and low-interest loans • Corporation for Public Broadcasting: educational TV
Poverty & Healthcare • Economic Opportunity Act • Head Start, VISTA, Job Corps • Appalachian Development Act • Medicare for those over 65 • Medicaid for those below the poverty line
Housing & Cities • 240,000 low-rent public housing projects • HUD to administer federal home loans at low interest rates • Funding for rebuilding “slums” • Funding for mass transportation
Environment • Water Quality Act made states clean up rivers • Clean Air Act set emission standards • Wilderness Act set aside 9 million acres of national forest land
Immigration • Immigration Act of 1965 ended national-origins quotas that had discriminated against people from outside Western Europe
Consumer Protections • Federal safety standards for auto and tire companies • Transportation Department, Highway Safety Act • Standards for labeling consumer products • Wholesome Meat Act