Vietnam Research Writing Exercise - Lyndon B. Johnson By: Kyle Manns

        Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th President of the United States. He was a member of the Democratic party. He was a Southern Democrat and got lots of support from the South. He was in office from 1963 to 1969. He was former Vice President to legendary American President, John F. Kennedy. He was sworn in as POTUS after JFK was assassinated. I personally consider him to be the worst modern president just on policy alone. Many of his ineffective programs still hurt us today. That being said, I'll put my personal bias aside, and I wont even bother to comment on the man's character (he was a strange man).
LBJ was a notable figure during the Vietnam era, as he escalated the war more than any other president. Anti-war protesters were very much opposed to LBJ's handling of the Vietnam War. They would often stand outside the white house and yell things out (which were written on signs) such as "Hey hey LBJ how many kids did you kill today?" Unlike John F. Kennedy, he seemed to be a bit of a war monger. He was the man sending so many of the nation's young men to their deaths, and the Anti-war camp did not take kindly to him.

Anti-war hippies protesting LBJ's Vietnam War handling

        This was also a period of great racial tension. Blacks were fighting for Civil Rights during this time period. His big indisputable achievement was the Civil Rights Act of 1964, even though there are many accounts of him expressing racist ideals. It was one of the most important strides in race relations in U.S. history. It started us on a brighter path in terms of race in America, and thanks to it, the nation is a better place for Black Americans today than it has ever been.

Lyndon B. Johnson shakes hands with Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. (1964)

        LBJ could be considered the most progressive president in U.S. history. His big goal as president was the "Great Society" idea, which consisted of many different gov't programs. Some of these programs included Medicaid, Medicare, Aid to the arts and education, etc. His so called "Great Society" idea seemed almost insulting to people, because it had such a stark contrast to the bloodshed in Vietnam.

        He also waged a "War on Poverty", which is ironic because he was already waging an actual war in Vietnam. Spoiler alert, the "War on Poverty" didn't really work. It was a very unrealistic goal, in which he left to his advisers to achieve. Instead of actually winning a so called war on poverty, he just caused people to be more cynical of what the government is actually capable of. It was a rapidly changing time period in American history. He was overall what the country didn't need at the time. We needed someone like John Kennedy, not Lyndon Johnson.

Word Count: 463 words

Best Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/lyndon-b-johnson/