Great Society
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Great Society
Great Society
Facts for kids
Great Society
Facts - 1: In the 1950's and
1960's, America experienced an economic boom. The U.S.
economy was strong and optimism was high for the future
with many believing that the economy would stay strong
indefinitely and that poverty could be significantly
reduced.
Great Society
Facts -
2: Many Americans
were living in the new affluent society as memories of
the postwar Depression, WW2 and the Korean War began to
fade. The population boomed (see the
Baby Boomers) and many
Americans enjoyed a lifestyle and new standard of living
that had never been seen before.
Great Society
Facts - 3: But it was a nation of the
"haves" and the "have nots". The new, postwar, affluent society had
created new lives in the suburbs, supported by white collar jobs.
But many people living in the deteriorating cities lived in poverty
with poor housing, poor education, pollution and rising crime.
Great Society
Facts - 4: President Lyndon B. Johnson
addressed Congress and declared an "unconditional War on Poverty in
America" and his ideas for a the Great Society
Great Society
Facts - 5: On January 8, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson
speech reflected his assessment of the poverty crisis.
Great Society
Facts - 6: President Johnson
admired the
New Deal
programs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and wanted
to implement a similar types of plans, on a similar
large scale. Lyndon B. Johnson was a highly experienced
and accomplished legislator and used his forceful
personality, and his connections in Congress, to pass
his numerous programs aimed at fighting his 'War on
Poverty' in America and building the Great Society.
Great Society
Facts - 7: Between 1963 and
1968, LBJ's plans for a "Great Society" included new
legislation and programs to help Americans living in
poverty in the areas of New Housing Programs, Education,
Environmental and Consumer Protection and Health and
Welfare programs which would include Medicare and
Medicaid providing care for the elderly under social
security.
Great Society
Facts - 8: New Laws: LBJ
finished the work started by President Kennedy by
passing the
Civil Rights Act of
1964 that had highlighted the inequalities in
American society and the plight of the poor. This law
created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The
Voting Rights Act
of 1965, prompted by the
Selma
March, followed.
Great Society
Facts -
9: New the Great
Society Laws: The 1968 Civil Rights Act banned
discrimination in housing and granted constitutional
protection to Native Americans living on reservations
Great Society
Facts -
10: New Great Society
Education Laws: The 1965 Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA) was a civil rights law and provided
major funding for American public schools. Later in
1965, President Johnson launched the Higher Education
Act opening up college to more students through
scholarships and low-income loans. The Higher Education
Act also established a national teacher corps, the
homeland equivalent to the Peace Corps.
Great Society
Facts - 11: New Heath and Welfare Laws: On
July 30, 1965, LBJ signed an amendment to the 1935 Social Security
Act to address the issue of medical benefits. The amendment provided
a hospital insurance program for the elderly, creating the Medicaid
and Medicare, health insurance programs for the elderly and
low-income families. By 1966 about 19 million elderly people were
enrolled in Medicare.
Great Society
Facts - 12: Medicare was established in
1965 as a comprehensive health insurance program for all elderly
citizens, that was financed through the Social Security system.
Great Society
Facts - 13: Medicaid, funded by federal
and state governments, was established in 1965 to complement
Medicare providing health and medical aid to low-income families.
Great Society
Facts - 14: The 1966 Child Nutrition Act
expanded the school lunch program and established a school breakfast
program and a milk program to improve the nutrition of poor
children.
Continued...
Great Society
Facts for kids
Facts
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Great Society
Facts for kids
Great Society
Facts - 15: New the Great
Society Environment Laws: LBJ passed several laws
relating to the Environment. LBJ signed the Air Quality
Act on November 21, 1967, which granted the government
increased authority to control air pollution.
Great Society
Facts - 16: New Laws: The
Wilderness Act preserved 9.2 million acres as federal
wilderness areas and the National Trails System Act
created a nationwide system of scenic and recreational
trails. The Endangered Species Act provided threatened
animals with limited protection.
Great Society
Facts - 17: New Laws: The Wild
and Scenic Rivers Act established a national system to
protect and preserve rivers. The Water Quality Act
required states to establish and enforce water quality
standards.
Great Society
Facts - 18: The 1966 Highway
Safety Act (1966) supported highway safety by improving
federal, state, and local coordination and by creating
training standards for emergency medical technicians.
Great Society
Facts - 19: New the Great
Society Consumer Protection Laws: A variety of consumer
protection laws were also passed and the Consumer
Product Safety Commission was created, together with the
Child Safety Act and the Cigarette Labeling and
Advertising Act.
Great Society
Facts - 20: The 1966 Fair
Packaging and Labeling Act required all consumer
products to have true and informative labels.
Great Society
Facts - 21: The 1965
Immigration Act was passed abolishing the national
origins formula that had been in place since 1924,
resulted in preference was no longer given to immigrants
from some European countries.
Great
Society Facts - 22: The Omnibus Housing Bill of 1965 was
a $7.5 billion measure to provide funds to construct low
cost housing.
Great Society
Facts - 23: The 1966
Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act
provided federal money to revitalize and rebuild
crumbling urban areas.
Great Society
Facts - 24: The Housing and Urban
Development Act of 1965 expanded funding for existing federal
housing programs, providing assistance in housing for the disabled
and the elderly and for the development of the Nation’s communities.
Great Society
Facts -
25: The 1964 Economic
Opportunity Act (1964), created an Office of Economic
Opportunity (OEO) in order to manage a variety of
“community action” programs to improve life in inner
cities. The aim of the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO)
was to help the poor help themselves through
community development, education and job training
programs.
Great Society
Facts -
26: The Community
Action Program created Community Action Agencies. Some
of the other most important new programs were designed
to assist poor people the Model Cities Program, the
Neighborhood Youth Corps, the Job Corps, Project Head
Start and Upward Bound. A national service program
called Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) was also
created.
Great Society
Facts -
27:
Despite the good intentions of the Office of Economic
Opportunity (OEO) it was too slow to have significant
effect on life in the deprived inner cities and the
intensity and violence of the 1965
Watts Riots shocked the
nation and the government.
Great Society
Facts -
28: The goals of the
LBJ, and his vision of the Great Society, were extremely
high and very expensive to implement. The lack of funds
were exacerbated further by the escalation of the costly
Vietnam
War.
Great Society
Facts -
29:
The programs introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson
to meet his vision of the Great Society pumped large
amounts of money into the economy without raising taxes.
The numerous legislation passed resulted in a rise in
the cost of goods, which spurred inflation, ultimately
heralding the U.S. economic crisis in the 1970's
referred to as
Stagflation.
The economic policies of President Ronald Reagan in the
1980's, called
Reaganomics,
brought an end to the recession.
Great Society
Facts -
30: Great Society
Legacy: Several of the Great Society programs have
survived to the present day such as Medicare, Medicaid
and Project Head Start.
The Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) was
passed on March 23, 2010
reduce the growing cost of Medicare and Medicaid.
Great Society
Facts -
31: Great Society
Legacy: LBJ's
vision of the Great Society failed in some areas but
succeeded in many others. He was fearless in his
beliefs, had a genuine interest in education and worked
tirelessly to have all Americans treated fairly.
Great Society
Facts for kids
Great Society - President Lyndon Johnson Video
The article on the Great Society provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office.
as detailed in the following
Lyndon Johnson video.
Great Society
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Interesting Facts about Great Society for kids and schools
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Summary of the Great Society in US history
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The Great Society, a major
event in US history
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LBJ and the progressive programs of the Great Society
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Fast, fun facts about the Great Society
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The Great Society and the Domestic
policies of LBJ.
● The
Great Society for schools,
homework, kids and children
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