Liberalism & the Federal Government (College Board AP® US History)

Timeline:

December 1963 – Lyndon Johnson becomes president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy

1964 – Johnson declares “unconditional war on poverty”

August 1963 – The Food Stamp Act is passed

November 1964 – Johnson is elected President

1965 – Congress passes most of the Great Society legislation

October 1965 – The Immigration Act of 1965 is passed

1986 – The Immigration Reform and Control Act is passed

Summary:

Relying on government programs to fix societal problems is the basis of political liberalism. The 1960s were a “golden age” of liberalism in American politics largely because of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society program. The 1960s version of the New Deal, the Great Society was a series of government programs designed to improve the welfare of Americans, particularly those who lived in poverty. 

Golden Age of Liberalism

• The domestic focus of Lyndon Johnson’s presidency was the Great Society, a program of social reforms that mirrored those launched during the New Deal

• As the United States fought against communism in other countries, American leaders realized that the U.S. had several domestic problems that needed to be addressed, such as:

  • racism

  • poverty

• Johnson and his fellow Democrats believed that society’s ills could be fixed by government action

• The idea that the state provides services for the welfare of citizens is the basis of political liberalism

• Conversely, conservatives believe that it is not the government’s role to provide citizens support with:

  • finance

  • employment

  • housing

  • education

• Conservatives believe that citizens’ welfare is the responsibility of private entities, such as churches and charities

• The Democratic supermajority in Congress supported Johnson’s plans to create and expand federal programs to help Americans rise out of poverty and have a better quality of life

Great Society Programs

• In 1964, President Johnson declared an “unconditional war on poverty”

  • About 19% of Americans lived in poverty in 1964 

    • Comparatively, the American poverty rate in 2023 was 11.1%

• Johnson’s “weapons” in the battle against poverty were a series of social reform programs collectively known as the Great Society

• Congress authorized the creation of the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), which sponsored self-help programs such as:

  • Head Start for preschool-age children

  • the Job Corps, which provided educational training

  • literacy programs

  • legal services

  • the Community Action Program (CAP)

  Great Society bills

• Congress also passed the following bills:

  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965)

    • gave federal money to poor school districts

    • funded special education

  • Food Stamp Act (1964)

    • helped low-income families and individuals purchase food

  • Higher Education Act (1965)

    • gave federal scholarships for post-high school education

  • Immigration Act (1965)

    • got rid of discriminatory quotas based on immigrants’ place of birth

  • Medicare (1965)

    • provided health insurance for all Americans aged 65 and older

  • Medicaid (1965)

    • gave money to the states to pay for medical care for poor and disabled people

  • National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act (1965)

    • gave federal money to arts-related creative and academic projects

Great Society funding

• Congress increased funding for:

  • mass transit

  • public housing

  • crime-prevention

  • rent subsidies for individuals and families with low incomes
    

New government departments

• President Johnson established two new cabinet departments

  • Department of Transportation

  • Department of Housing and Urban Development
    

Support and opposition for Great Society

• Opponents of Johnson’s Great Society programs said they were too expensive and promised too much

  • They believed eliminating poverty was an unrealistic goal

• People who supported the Great Society pointed out that even though the government’s efforts didn’t get rid of poverty or its root cause, millions of people still benefited from its programs