Lyndon B. Johnson The Great Society By: Lorin Murphy This book belongs to:
LBJ is Born Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in 1908 near Stonewall, Texas. Like most of the families in Stonewall, the Johnsons did not have electricity or running water in their house. Many of the people in his town lived in poverty and struggled to pay for basic things like food, clothes, and housing. Unscramble the words and phrases to solve the final phrase. The words and phrases are all bold words from your book. Final Phrase Hint: This is what LBJ wanted America to be. Lyndon as a young boy, the house where he grew up
him today as the Vice President who helped the country heal after John F. Kennedy was killed, as a fair minded President who fought for civil rights and appointed the first African American Justice to the Supreme Court, and as a Texan who never forgot the poor town he came from, and who always fought to help those in need. Lyndon s father was a lawmaker in the state legislature, so Lyndon began learning about the government when he was a young child. He visited his father at work, traveled with him as he campaigned, and hoped to be a politician like him one day. In which branch of the government did Lyndon s father work? This library in Texas is named after Lyndon B. Johnson. There are other schools, roads, and buildings named in his honor all over the United States. L. B. J. Jumbles Lyndon B. Johnson as a young man
Lyndon s First Job After college, Lyndon did not begin working in politics right away. His first job after graduating was teaching school. The students at Lyndon s school didn t have a lot of money, and many lived in poverty. Lyndon knew what that was like because he remembered growing up in the poor town of Stonewall. Lyndon used his own money to buy things his students needed. He even bought equipment to start a sports club at the school! In 1967, Lyndon chose Thurgood Marshall to be the first African American Supreme Court Justice. He knew Thurgood believed in fairness as much as he did. Which river borders Texas on the southwest side? Which state borders Texas on the north side? Which city is the capital of Texas? In 1968, Lyndon decided not to run for President again. He had already been President for six years. The United States was fighting the Vietnam War and Lyndon wanted the war to stop. If he was no longer President, Lyndon could spend all of his time convincing people to end the war. After 1968, Lyndon moved his family back to Texas. He lived there for the rest of his life. We remember
The War on Poverty Another fight that Lyndon fought as President was the War on Poverty. Growing up living and teaching in Texas, Lyndon saw lots o f people who did not have the food, clothes, medicine, and housing that they needed. He worked with Congress to pass laws that would give better medical care to the poor. He also started a program that would help young children learn to read. The program was called Head Start, and we still use that program today. The Youngest Member of Congress In the 1930s, America was going through the Great Depression. Lots of Americans lost their homes and jobs. Lyndon Johnson thought that he could help if he was part of the government. Over the next few years he worked in Washington D.C. and his home state of Texas. By 1937, he had been elected as the youngest member of Congress. Match the term to its definition. 1. diligence a. a lawmaking group 2. segregation 3. poverty 4. legislature b. not having enough of the you need, being poor c. hard work towards a goal d. when people are forced to separate based on race things Lyndon s new job was to help write and pass laws. Like his father before him, Lyndon wanted to pass laws that would make people s lives better. He voted to give more money to schools, to build new roads, and to bring electricity to more places in the United States.
For ten years, Lyndon was a member of the House of Representatives, but in 1948 he decided to switch to the other side of Congress and become a senator. As a senator, Lyndon continued to help people. He started working hard to improve the lives of African Americans. He worked to pass laws that would make life more fair for African Americans. He even worked with people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall! Describe some of the laws that Lyndon worked to pass during his time in Congress. Even with all of the great laws he passed, Lyndon was discouraged. Segregation had ended, but African Americans were still treated unfairly. Some states were making African Americans pass difficult tests before they could vote. Other states were making African Americans pay money to vote. Lyndon knew that voting was the right of every American. He needed a law to protect that right. In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act. The act made it illegal to force people to take tests or pay money before voting. Lyndon encouraged all Americans to use their right to vote. He told the American people, Your future and your children s future depend on it. What do you think this cartoon is trying to say about voting rights?
Another Term A New Job for Lyndon In 1964, it was time to elect the President again. Lyndon had to be elected by the voters this time. He campaigned by telling Americans he wanted to create a Great Society, a place where no one suffered from poverty or unfair treatment. Lyndon won the election by 15 million votes. He began working on laws to give money to schools, clean up the environment, make cars safer, and improve medical care. What five laws would you pass to help people and create a Great Society if you were the President? 1. In 1960, a young senator from Massachusetts named John F. Kennedy decided to run for President. He needed a smart and fair minded Vice President to run with him. He asked Lyndon B. Johnson to be his Vice President. Johnson agreed, and the two won the election together. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Assassination John F. Kennedy was not President for very long. After only two years as President, he was shot and killed. The United States citizens were shocked, sad, and in need of a new President. Fortunately, the men who wrote the Constitution had planned for what would happen if a President died in office. When the President dies before the end of his or her term, the Vice President automatically becomes President. Lyndon B. Johnson was suddenly the new President of the United States. President Johnson Begins His Work One of Lyndon s first challenges as President was to continue President Kennedy s fight to end segregation. Some lawmakers wanted to keep segregation, but Lyndon knew it had to end. He knew what it was like to be a member of Congress because he had worked there for over twenty years. He was very good at persuading the representatives and senators to change their minds. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President on November 22 nd, 1963 aboard Air Force One. After 83 days of arguing, Congress finally passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Lyndon s hard work and diligence had finally paid off. Segregation was not legal anymore.