Creating the Great Society

BY Kuleen Nimkar:

Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) had a sweeping vision for the potential of the United States, a vision he named in May 1964: the Great Society. To achieve his vision, LBJ implemented domestic reform in 5 main categories: addressing poverty, improving cities, providing education,helping the environment, and empowering customer advocacy. To fix the aid the poor, LBJ passed the Medicaid Act in 1965 to ensure those on welfare received medical assistance. He also passed the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964, creating the Job Corps., VISTA, Project Head Start, and a variety of programs to win the war against poverty.

To improve cities, LBJ passed the Omnibus Act of 1965 to provide funding for low income housing for the needy. He also formed the Department of Housing and Urban Development to monitor and develop federal housing programs. Along with this line of aid, LBJ significantly increased funding for public education. The Higher Education Act of 1965 funded scholarships and low-interest loans for college students. Another piece of legislature to improve education was the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided over 1 billion dollars to fund schools with textbooks, libraries, and special education.

To protect the slowly eroding environment in the U.S., LBJ implemented a trio of acts: The Water Quality Act, the Clean Air Act Amendment, and the Air Quality Act. These 3 acts ensured safe water in the U.S. for all to drink and use, and it set standards on air pollution and emissions to stop factories from polluting to a dangerous extent. Finally, to empower consumers, LBJ created the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act to make sure the government monitored safety in automobiles and tires. On top of that, LBJ convinced Congress to pass the Truth in Packaging Act of 1966 to make sure companies could not lie to consumers about the consumer products they sold.

This myriad of laws and acts that were established during LBJ's presidency were all aimed at creating LBJ's dream Great Society. While they did not make the country perfect, these programs and laws still function to this day because they provide a valuable and necessary part of the American infrastructure, and help citizens every day.