Politics of Guns and Butter Lyndon Johnson 04 22 2013 The Great Society War on Poverty Civil Rights Domestic Agenda Vietnam Kennedy is assassinated Was this a foreign attack When will Johnson be sworn in o Aboard Airforce 1 Lyndon Johnson Felt that VP was a dull boring job Much rather preferred being a senate majority leader where he could be powerful Wanted to keep most of Kennedy s views plans Wants to be reelected o Promises to make civil rights a matter of federal law to create broader civil rights o MLK felt Kennedy had not delivered o Johnson wanted to be the man who lived up to what MLK wanted o Clarence Mitchell chief lobbyist for NAACP in Washington Felt Johnson made a better promise and gave better hope to negroes than any other president including Lincoln 1964 Civil Rights Act o Johnson pushes hard for it o Gives civil rights broad federal status barring discrimination and segregation o Democrats in the south are biggest opposition Johnson promises opportunity for all Americans regardless of Race and Gender Wanted to create legal channels for which people could go to if they The Great Society felt they were still being discriminated Vista Volunteer in Service to America o Domestic branch of the Peace Corps Policy of Peace When JFJ was elected president there were 800 military advisors in Vietnam In 1950 taken place of French o 1954 became financial source for South Vietnam o Part of the commitment to anti communism There were over 16 000 military advisors on the ground in Vietnam when Kennedy was killed o Part of Johnson s speech wanted to continue committee of Kennedy for foreign policy August 2 1964 there was an incident in the gulf of Tonkin o Body of water off the coast of North Vietnam o US had been sending troll boats into this gold to observe any troop movement of the Vietnamese o The USS Maddox one of the troll boats was fired upon North Vietnam claimed that it had drifted into Northern territory Maddox returns fire o Johnson finds himself in a potential war situation Left this as a single incident in world affairs August 4 1964 USS Maddox is still out at sea o Stormy weather seas are rough o Sonar detectors on board believe there are torpedoes coming at the ship o Maddox puts out decoys to possibly distract torpedo o Fires into the night August 7 1964 Resolution o President Johnson introduces to congress the Tonkin Gulf o Authorizes the US to take necessary measures in Vietnam Defensive measures to repel any armed attack o Also provides offensive measures to prevent further aggression o Opening license to America s war in Vietnam Johnson The Great Society Vietnam 04 22 2013 Domestic Agenda 1964 1965 The War Tonkin Maddox Pleiku Morse Gruening McNamara Clifford Crankite War on Poverty 1964 Johnson believed that the US was too wealthy to tolerate having poor and hungry people Ultimately fails Beginning of sustained deficit spending Election year beginning of programs o Johnson runs as peace candidate Civil Rights Act o Was able to persuade southern democrats Equal Employment Opportunity Commission o Federal agency through which one can file legal suits against employees if one feels singled out or prejudiced against due to gender or racial factors VISTA o Volunteers in service to America o Domestic branch of the Peace Corps o Addresses development issues in rural America Golf of Tonkin Resolution o Authorizes US intervention in Vietnam saying to take all necessary actions to prevent further aggression Johnson is reelected 1965 Pleiku o American forces come under attack in Vietnam o Kills 9 American servicemen Johnson orders through Golf of Tonkin Resolution Operation Rolling Thunder North Vietnam o Sustained bombing campaign meant to hold in communist Vietnam had been divided in 1954 and remained divided through 1959 supposed to be temporary but it wasn t o US dropped more bombs on North Vietnam than they had in Europe during WWII o Wasn t very effective because Vietnam did not have the kind of targets that US wished Factories railroads bridges in Vietnam Hard to tell what were vulnerable targets Feb 1965 send in armed forces o Begins America s active involvement in Vietnam War o War doesn t end until May 1975 50 000 Americans killed 1 5 million Vietnamese killed Great Society Benefit all Water Equality Act o Previously water had not been monitored o River caught on fire twice because it was so disgusting and filthy Clean Air o Greater control of emission fuels Banning lead in gasoline Dramatic expansion of funding for the arts o National Endowment for Arts and Humanities Medical Care Act o Medicaid Federal assistance to America s poor o Medicare Over the age of 65 Despite all of this domestic agenda he is very distracted by the war o Afraid of being viewed as weak by communists o Starts dramatically increasing number of armed forces 540 000 American troops by 1968 o Whole new technologies are being developed specifically for January 1968 this war holiday Communist North Vietnamese Forces launch the Tet Offensive o Tet is the Vietnamese lunar new year celebration major o People gathering as families and friends to celebrate o Traditionally time of year that there was a lull in the fighting between North and South Vietnam However during this particular celebration North Vietnamese launch a surprise attack o All of the capital cities in South Vietnam were captured o American embassy in Saigon is attacked o American military caught completely off guard o Guerilla Tactics Ordinary farmers and peasants becoming soldiers at North Vietnam took a big risk during the Tet attack by having these ordinary citizens fight during daylight American troops were able to capture most of these night people Considered a failure for North Vietnam but was a psychological victory At home Johnson was trying to ensure that the enemy was being defeated bit by bit and victory was right around the corner o Credibility gap American people were having doubts Tet Offensive reinforced this Johnson tried to convince American people that this was in fact a victory for US No one believed him No credibility had been telling the same story for the whole war Robert McNamara secretary of defense o Joined Kennedy s cabinet Had served in WWII on the Bureau of Statistical Affairs which helped military plan financially for the war o Became been the president of the Ford Motor Company Very successful executive o When he joins Johnson s defense team he became the architect of the Vietnam War o Domino