Lyndon B Johnson The Great Society 2nd New Deal Domestic Policy Momentum for Civil Rights Civil Rights Act 1964 outlaws discrimination in employment on basis of race religion or sex Equal access to public accommodations and schools 24th Amendment ban poll taxes Voting Rights Act 1965 outlawed literacy tests and other devices that prevented blacks from voting Elementary and Secondary Education Act authorized 1 bil in fed funds for schools Higher Education Act fed scholarships for college students Medicare health plan for elderly funded by a surcharge on social security payroll taxes Medicaid health plan for the poor paid for by general tax revs War on Poverty many fallen through cracks and not served by New Deal era welfare programs Broadened Social Security Social welfare expenditures public housing and rent subsidy programs increased rapidly Food Stamps Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 array of regional development programs aimed at spurring economic growth in impoverished areas Free nursery schools training and jobs for young people technical assistance Community Action Program encourage clients to demand voice in decisions that affected their lives Lawyers to provide poor with effective representation Comp for federal aid shortage of funds left many promises unfulfilled especially when Viet War began to take funds from domestic programs The Great Society was shot down on the battlefields of Vietnam Vietnam USS Maddox summer 1964 North Viet boats fired at Maddox 1st attacked but we beat them 2nd later proved not real thought we heard torpedoes and started firing Johnson requests authorization to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of US and prevent further aggression The Gulf of Tonkin resolution gave him a mandate to conduct operations in Viet as he saw fit Johnson finally took aggressive stance on Viet 1965 Began American takeover of war in Viet Deployment of American ground troops and intensification of bombing against North Viet Confirmed fear of JFK that requesting troops like taking drink of water effect wears off have to take another Rolling Thunder escalating bombing campaign against North Viet Bombing has little effect on Vietcong s ability to wage war Quickly rebuilt roads moved plants underground constructed network of tunnels and shelters Instead of destroying morale it was hardening their will to fight Defoliation deprive them of cover and destroying crops to undercut economic base of their society Fostered corruption and prostitution triggered inflation and black market activity Public Opinion on Viet Every night saw war on tv Journalists said gov covering bad news about war s progress War cost tax payers billions military spending was pushing inflation up Anti war movement developed new generation of peace activists skeptical about US policy in Viet Student Activism Students for a Democratic Society 1962 by 40 students from Big Ten and Ivys Disillusionment with consumer culture and gap between rich poor Reject Cold War foreign policy Referred to movement as the New Left Berkeley Free Speech Movement 1964 first demonstration after school banned political activity students organized a sit in Sparked protests across nation at universities Counterculture While new left plotted against political and economic system many other youths had general revolt against authority and middle class respectability Hippie symbolized the new counterculture Black Movement For blacks knocking the mainstream meant rejecting established civil rights leadership that had faith in courts and legislative Eye for an eye Nation of Islam 1960s leaders of black separatism anticipating day when Allah would banish white devils and give the black nation justice Malcolm X After power struggle with Nation of Islam founder broke away Remained black nationalist but began to talk in terms of class struggle uniting poor whites and blacks Assassinated in Feb 1965 by three black Muslims Black Power 1966 new brand of nonreligious black nationalism Black Panthers 1966 dedicated to protecting blacks from police and violence Rejecting white society awakened an interest in black history art and literature MLK Assassination April 1968 Set in motion revolutionary changes in American race relations Vietnam Tet Jan 1968 Vietcong struck many major towns and cities in South Viet on nam new years High Vietcong losses but psychologically devastating for Americans watching on tv Made mockery of official announcements that US was winning war Domestic attitude shifts start of anti war movement 1968 Election Campaign Robert Kennedy Assassination June 1968 Nixon Southern Strategy tried to attract southern voters still hurting from civil rights gained by blacks Pledged to rep the quiet voice of the great majority of Americans the nondemonstrators Pivotal election bc the south had abandoned the dem party his southern strategy worked Domestic Agenda Proposed rev sharing program that distributed portion of fed tax rev to states as block grants while scaling back on fed programs Cut back on War on Poverty programs urban renewal environmental initiatives Failed Programs Family Assistance Plan replace welfare system National health insurance Expanded Medicare Medicaid and Social Security D tente French relaxation of tensions Period of time after Nixon met with leaders in Beijing and Moscow to set up Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty SALT I limiting production deployment of intercontinental ballistic missiles Alleviated tension between Soviet US Anti Balistic Missle Treaty 1972 SALT 2 1972 1979 further reduce amount of ballistic missiles banned new missiles programs Vietnam Nixon thought abandoning nam would damage America s credibility make us look weak Didn t want to be first prez to lose a war Vietnamization 1968 slowing dropping American troop levels Eventually vietnamization eroded the antiwar opposition bc draft cut back Vietnam reunited April 1975 under North Viet Dead 150 bil spent slow to heal internal wounds lost confidence in US political leaders 1972 Election Nixon beats McGovern by landslide Watergate June 1972 men found breaking into Dem National Committee s headquarters carrying wiretap equipment Formally worked for Nixon s Committee to Re elect the Prez CREEP Part of campaign of dirty tricks against the dems Nixon arranged hush money for burglars instructed FBI to stop investigation obstruction of justice Burglar revealed Nixon installed taping system in Oval office Found evidence