Summary
A* Summary Of The Johnson Presidency
- Module
- The Johnson Presidency
- Institution
- AQA
In depth summary of LBJ's presidency for A level history
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
The Johnson Presidency: 1963-1968Introduction: Life before the Presidency
-Johnson came from Texas, with some family members being part of the Lone Star State settlers and the
confederacy. He was also the oldest of five siblings. His father, Sam Johnson won the election as a Texas
legislature at twenty-seven, serving five terms before switching careers. The family moved near Johnson City
and he decided that he wanted more for his future; telling his classmates at twelve “You know, someday I’m
going to be president of the United States”. At fourteen he decided that he wasn’t going to be ‘the victim of a
system which would allow the price of a commodity like cotton to drop from forty cents to six cents and destroy
the homes of people like my own family’. He graduated in 1924, president of his six-member senior class.
- In 1927 he refocused his energy on his teaching career and was finally accepted into the Southwest Texas State
Teachers College; pursuing extracurricular activities like journalism, student government and debating. He
excelled in his teaching and was assigned to a tiny Hispanic school in a deeply impoverished area. He took over
the school in Cotulla, pushing the long-neglected students and giving them a shred of hope and pride in their
achievement.
When he graduated in 1930 the US had just entered the great depression. Johnson’s first teaching job paid
$1,530 for the year. He did well during this but the unpaid political work he had been doing in his free time had
fueled other ambitions; leading to a short teaching career. He worked tirelessly in helping a political friend of
his father’s in some local campaigns. This eventually led to him landing a job as an aide to U.S. Congressman
Richard Kleberg of Corpus Christi. During this time, he poured over every detail of congressional protocol, mail
from Kleberg's constituents didn’t go unanswered. He was a model assistant; causing his drive, ambition, and
competence helping him stand out among the young people in Washington. When Johnson returned to Texas in
1943 to visit family; he met Claudia Alta Taylor- a twenty-one-year-old graduate from the University of Texas
and a member of a wealthy East Texan family, and they married three months later
Marriage and Congressional Career
Whilst Roosevelt was fighting the depression, Johnson (with help from the future Speaker of the House Sam
Rayburn) won the appointment as Texas director of the National Youth Administration- a youth-employment
program. His work in the program was superb; but when James Buchanan (a congressman in his home district)
died in 1937 he quickly moved to grab the job. He also became the head of “Little Congress” in 1936. Johnson
tapped his new wife’s inheritance and her assets as owner of a local radio station to align himself with
Roosevelt’s sweeping social policies- eventually winning the Tenth District election at twenty eight years old.
Due to his age and ambition for higher office, Johnson’s congressional record produced few results. But in the
1930s he was securing federal housing programs and dams for his district; as well as bringing electrical power
to the Texas Hill Country, something he claimed for the rest of his days as his proudest achievement. When one
of Texas’ US senators died in 1941, Johnson seemed certain to inherit the job but a conservative former radio
star-turned-governor W.Lee O’Daniel entered the electoral race late. O’Daniel carried the election.
As he was still a member of the House, he used his contacts with Roosevelt to obtain an officer’s commission in
the Naval Reserve. In the Second World War Johnson was appointed congressional inspector of the war’s
progress in the Pacific Ocean, maintain his seat in the House. He went on a single bombing mission, securing
the "combat record" and a Silver Star for serving under hostile fire. After the war many of Johnson’s
countrymen were wary of the New Deal’s active social policies and the threat of wars overseas, especially the
threat of communism scaring them the most.
Democrats were losing their long-term grip on Congress and the White House, but Johnson won his sixth term
in 1948, his opponent painted him as an old-style liberal, a career politician who had profited from the war while
exposing himself to little risk. The charges lingered into the following year, when Johnson tried once again to
enter the U.S. Senate. A new popular Texan governor, Coke Stevenson, was slowly rising in politics with his
presence and character were so impressive that he was widely known as "Mr. Texas”. Johnson and Stevenson
,battled endlessly for the Democratic nomination. Johnson then waged an all-out Lone Star State campaign and
showed that he had learned lessons since his earlier Senate defeat. Three counties in the southern portion of the
state provided highly suspicious vote tallies that gave Johnson the victory in the Democratic primary—by 87
votes out of a 250,000 cast. He easily defeated his Republican opponent in the general election and won the
Senate seat, but the cost to his credibility was steep. Everyone knew the election had been rife with fraud, and
his slim, questionable margin of victory was certainly no popular mandate.
A Heartbeat from the Presidency
Being from the South was a restriction to a presidential candidate in 1960. In 1952 and 1956, Johnson had tried
but failed to be named vice president on the Democratic ticket, referring to himself as a "western" candidate. In
1960, his primary foe for the nomination was his Senate colleague, John Fitzgerald Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Johnson was out-campaigned. Kennedy announced his candidacy early, spent lavishly, worked local political
machines with corporate efficiency, and piled up one primary win after another. Johnson held back, waiting for
Kennedy's youth and Catholicism to take its toll. It never did. The young man from Boston won the party's
nomination on the first ballot.
However, Kennedy was a decided underdog to win the White House. The Republicans had nominated a skilled
and compelling candidate, Vice President Richard Nixon. The Democrats needed a running mate who would
appeal to those that JFK made uneasy. Lyndon Johnson—southern, Protestant, mature, and the ultimate
congressional insider—would be a perfect contrast. Kennedy was mildly surprised when Johnson not only
accepted the offer but campaigned hard for the ticket. It paid off because 1960 was the closest presidential race
of the century. Several southern states that had defected to the Republicans during the Eisenhower years
returned to the Democratic fold and helped Kennedy win. Kennedy relegated Johnson to the outer circles of the
New Frontier but did give him some significant responsibilities. He headed the space program, played a key role
in military policy, and chaired the President's Committee for Equal Employment Opportunity. In foreign policy,
Johnson had much less influence, though he did encourage acceptance of a diplomatic "trade" of Russian
missiles in Cuba for American ones in Turkey. Kennedy didn’t rely on LBJ for advice in these matters,
however. Johnson was frustrated as vice president, particularly when the New Frontiersmen around Kennedy
ignored him and refused to take advantage of his expertise.
In late November 1963, after the assassination of Kennedy, Johnson was sworn in as President. When the plane
landed, he gave a brief speech to his dazed nation, promising, "I will do my best—that is all I can do." Two
weeks later, Johnson moved into the White House. "All that I have I would have given gladly not to be standing
here today," Johnson told a joint session of Congress when he outlined his plans for governing. He kept
Kennedy's cabinet and top aides, telling them that he and the nation needed them to provide continuity. Within
days, Johnson firmly grasped the reins of government. His grief at Kennedy's tragedy was balanced by the
demands and responsibilities of the Oval Office.
Foreign Policy
Vietnam War: 1955-1975
- Cost the US $200 billion, costing 58,000 lives
“Johnson’s failure to win the Vietnam War stemmed from the mistakes of Kennedy” Assess the
validity of this view (25 Marks)
-Was Johnson’s inability down to himself or the things he inherited from Kennedy, Eisenhower and
Truman?
Key Terminology
Indochina – French colony in South East Asia: Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
Pathet Lao – Communist part of Laos
Ho Chi Minh – Leader of N.V
, Viet Minh – National Independence Coalition, led by Ho Chi Minh, eventually turning into the army
General Gap – leader of N.V army
Dien Bien Phu – City in the region in North-west Vietnam, French battle (asked for US assistance)
North Vietnam – Communist part of Vietnam
DRV – Technical name for Vietnam- Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North)
Hanoi – Capital of North Vietnam
South Vietnam – Non-Communist part of Vietnam
RVN – Technical name for South Vietnam
Saigon – Capital of South Vietnam
President Ngo Dinh Diem – President of South Vietnam
ARVN – Army of the Republic of Vietnam, S.V army
NLF – National Liberation Front, N.V army
Vietcong – (basically the NLF but referred to this in S.V)
Averell Harriman – The special ambassador to East Asia
Robert McNamara – Secretary of Defence under JFK and LBJ
McGeorge Bundy – National Security Advisor under JFK and LBJ
Who should bear responsibility for US difficulties in Vietnam during the Johnson Era?
Pre-WWII administration?
Ho Chi Minh at Versailles
Birth of the Vietminh
Context of other events
France v Vietminh
Chinese Revolution
South Vietnam:
Ngo Dinh Diem and Ngo Dinh Nhu
- Diem lead South Vietnam and his brother had ran his own political party similar to that of the
communist party; alongside a secret police force who ‘dealt’ with those who objected his brother’s
regime.
Buddhists & Students (inc. Diem’s response)
- Diem alienated the religious community in particular the Buddhist community which lead to protests
by monks as well as high school and university students, who were eventually arrested- inc. children in
Diem’s administration.
Madame Nhu
- “Vietnam has no use for your crazy freedoms” – US reporters
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller wentoncewkie29. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £8.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
75632 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now