What was a great society?
The Great Society was a 1960s U.S. domestic policy initiative, program, and law. The Great Society initiatives aimed to decrease poverty, racial inequality, crime, and environmental degradation. President Lyndon B. Johnson implemented the Great Society’s Measures between 1964 and 1965.
In a University of Michigan lecture, Johnson initially proposed a “Great Society” and promised “an end to poverty and racial injustice with these policies.”
Centrist Johnson’s policies and initiatives addressed education, workforce training, healthcare, food security, voting, and civil rights.
Understanding Great Society
The Great Society’s projects parallel President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs from 1933 to 1939 in scope and goal.
The Great Society was one of the most significant social reforms in history. Johnson also advanced civil and voting rights, environmental safeguards, and public school funding.
Great Society Programs
Antipoverty
Johnson presented Congress with the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Economic Opportunity Act in March 1964. Johnson aimed to help poor Americans by establishing the Job Corps. He requested that state and municipal governments create work training programs.
A national work-study program funded 140,000 American college students. Community action programs, government-sponsored volunteer training, jobless loan loans, agricultural co-ops support, and parent re-entry assistance were among other efforts.
Healthcare
When Johnson began office, many elderly seniors and those living below the federal poverty threshold in the U.S. lacked health insurance. After Johnson became president, Medicare and Medicaid entered U.S. law.
The Great Society raised life expectancies from 66.6 years for men and 73.1 for women in 1964 to 73.2 and 79.1 in 2021.
Medicare covered hospital and doctor visits for elderly individuals, while Medicaid covered healthcare expenditures for low-income people receiving government assistance.
Education
Project Head Start started as an eight-week summer program. Operating under the Office of Economic Opportunity, 500,000 children aged 3 to 5 received preschool instruction.
Since 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act has ensured federal financing for schools with high percentages of low-income pupils.
Johnson also signed the 1965 National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act to encourage the arts.
Environmental Protection
Environmental programs regulate water quality and car emissions. Protecting animals, waterways, and historic monuments and creating beautiful pathways were also laws.
President Johnson launched Project Head Start to help children thrive in a pleasant learning environment via early education and family health services. U.S. Head Start programs reach over a million children annually.
Protecting Consumers
Many Great Society legislation and institutions protected U.S. consumers. Created in 1972, the CPSC “protects the public against unreasonable risks of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products.”
The CPSC sets regulations, limits harmful items, monitors recalls and replacements, and educates consumers. Except for motor vehicles, food, pharmaceuticals, alcohol, tobacco, and guns, the Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates most items.
The Great Society passed the 1966 Child Protection Act to safeguard children from harmful toys and items. The statute allows the federal government to designate dangers and mark toys and household products as dangerous.
The Great Society Legacy
Significant society policies emphasize urban regeneration. After WWII, major cities were in terrible shape, making inexpensive housing challenging to locate, especially for the downtrodden and underprivileged. The Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 allocated federal subsidies to communities for urban development, meeting essential housing criteria. The Act improved access to mortgages and rent subsidies.
Johnson’s Great Society created Medicare, Medicaid, the Older Americans Act, and the 1965 ESEA. All are government projects for 2021. Additionally, Johnson’s programs established the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts to fund cultural organizations essential for a healthy society. These programs assist libraries, public TV and radio, museums, and archives.
Decades later, Great Society initiatives and policies inspire, educate, and raise Americans out of poverty.
Special Considerations
Johnson’s government-funded programs boosted education and decreased inequality to alleviate poverty and enhance society. Unfortunately, the Vietnam War eclipsed Johnson’s hard work.
As the war continued, Johnson had to redirect funds for education and the poor to the war that killed over 58,000 Americans. Johnson improved millions of Americans’ lives, but Vietnam ruined his reputation.
What is the definition of a great society?
The Great Society refers to Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1960s government policies to improve Americans’ lives.
What were the Great Society programs?
The Great Society included Project Head Start, the National Endowment for the Arts, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Who urged Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act for a Great Society?
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy requested a comprehensive civil rights measure from Congress before his tragic death. Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy’s successor, encouraged Congress to approve the Civil Rights Act as part of their “Great Society.”
Conclusion
- President Lyndon B. Johnson implemented the Great Society, a collection of domestic policy measures.
- 2021 Medicare, Medicaid, the Older Americans Act, and the 1965 ESEA will remain.
- Education, civil rights, healthcare, and education were Johnson’s priorities.
- These initiatives expanded civil and voting rights, environmental safeguards, and public school funding.
- Johnson’s plans resembled Roosevelt’s New Deal.
